Superprix: Mayor set to revive Street race
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has confirmed negotiations are underway for the revival of Birmingham Superprix.
The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, has today (Tuesday) confirmed he is in advanced negotiations to revive the Birmingham Superprix as a Formula E event.
Over the last 12 months, the Mayor and the Formula E organisers have been working on a deal to bring back street racing in Birmingham similar to the Formula 3000 race held between 1986 and 1990.
The return of the race was a manifesto pledge made by the Mayor and follows a change in the law in April 2017 allowing the Road Traffic Act to be temporarily suspended for authorised motorsports events.
Mr Street’s Renewal Plan stated:
Develop plans for a world-class Electric Superprix on the streets of Birmingham, to promote the West Midlands automotive industry around the world.
The announcement comes on the day when Andy Street marks up exactly one year in office.
Mr Street said:
Over the last year, we have been in negotiations with the organisers of the FIA Formula E Championship about bringing a road race to Birmingham, effectively reviving the Superprix.
We are now in the advanced stages of these negotiations. We are eager for two main reasons.
First, it means we can showcase to the world the changing face of Birmingham city centre which has seen unprecedented investment in recent years.
Like many Brummies, I remember the original Superprix fondly. Photos and footage from those events have become almost part of folklore and remind us of how those events thrust the city firmly into the spotlight.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it showcases our region’s position as a world leader in next generation automotive technologies. So much of the engineering that goes into the cars already used in Formula E racing comes from the West Midlands, it makes perfect sense we should be hosting such events.
The original Birmingham Superprix ran on Birmingham’s roads for five years between 1986 and 1990.
The ABB FIA Formula E Championship is the world’s first fully-electric international single-seater street racing series.
Consisting of ten teams and 20 drivers, Formula E currently travels to 10 cities over five continents over a Championship season. It brings racing rivalries to city streets, set against some of the most iconic skylines in the world – such as New York, Hong Kong, Paris and Rome.
Formula E serves as a competitive platform for global car manufacturers and mobility providers to test and develop road-relevant technologies. Organisers say the series acts as a catalyst, helping to refine the design of electric vehicles and improve the driving experience for everyday road car users all over the world.
The Mayor added:
If we are successful in concluding the deal, this Formula E race will take place next summer on a route similar to the one used in the original Superprix.
Of course, there is still work to do. Birmingham City Council have been supportive in our discussions and we are working towards a deal based on commercial sponsorship.
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