Formula E electric-car race in Long Beach to have free admission

The inaugural Formula E race in Long Beach next year, featuring 20 electric-powered cars, will have free grandstand and general admission, organizers said Wednesday.

The race will be run by the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach, the same group that runs the venerable Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach that features cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series racing on the city’s seaside streets.

Formula E’s race is scheduled for April 4, two weeks before the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and Formula E will use a 1.6-mile, seven-turn portion of the same course used in the IndyCar race.

The race will be called the Long Beach ePrix.

Formula E plans 10 races on city streets around the globe, starting with Beijing, on Sept. 13. The series initially planned for one of its two U.S. races to be in Los Angeles but later moved the event to Long Beach. The other U.S. race is planned for Miami in March.

“We’re delighted that Formula E has selected Long Beach as the site for its first ePrix on the U.S. West Coast,” Jim Michaelian, president of the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach, said in a statement.

“And the free admission will afford everyone the opportunity to come out and witness this historic and unique event,” he said.

Formula E’s cars would be roughly similar in size and shape to those used in the IndyCar series. Formula E also is sanctioned by the FIA, the governing body of the Formula One racing series.

Drivers who have committed to racing in Formula E’s inaugural season include Mike Conway, who won his second Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in April; Bruno Senna of Brazil and British driver Katherine Legge.

The IndyCar team Andretti Autosport also is among the teams planning to compete in Formula E.

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