Formula E announces Hong Kong will be opening event of its third season as season two comes down to the wire in London

HONG KONG, 3 July 2016 – The initial public ticket sale offering for the inaugural 2016 HKT Hong Kong ePrix has met with strong public response, with all 2,000 grandstand seats put up for sale on 31 May sold out within a month of offering.

Adding to the mounting excitement around this landmark sports and entertainment event is the announcement yesterday by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global sanctioning body for Formula E, that the HKT Hong Kong ePrix will enjoy pride of place on the international circuit as the opening race of Formula E’s third season. 

The third season will begin in Hong Kong on 8 and 9 October with the hosting of the first ever HKT Hong Kong ePrix. Hong Kong will be the first of 14 races in 2016/17.

The news comes out as the second season of Formula E reaches its nail-biting climax in the double finale at Battersea Park, London on 2 and 3 July where either Lucas di Grassi or Sebastian Buemi will succeed Nelson Piquet Jr as the champion of the world’s first all-electric single-seater series.

After nine races in some of the world’s most iconic cities just three points separate di Grassi, who drives for the Abt Schaeffler Audi Sport team, and Buemi, who races for Renault e.dams.

The inclusion of Hong Kong as the opening race of Formula E’s third season will only add to the fast-growing sport’s reputation for visiting iconic venues.

Mr Godfrey Leung, Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, said, “We are happy to learn that the FIA has confirmed Hong Kong as the first stop of the third season of its Championship in 2016/17. The Government fully supports and is forging ahead with the implementation of this world-class novel car race in Hong Kong. The race will showcase our splendid skyline and harbour view to the world, enrich the attractiveness of Hong Kong to visitors and reinforce our position as an events capital of Asia. We are confident that car racing enthusiasts, who incidentally are typically high-spending visitors, will come to Hong Kong specifically for this race.”

2,000 grandstand tickets sold in less than a month

The news that Hong Kong will drop the flag on what promises to be a thrilling third season of  Formula E adds to the excitement around the milestone event as the organisers today confirmed that all 2,000 grandstand tickets issued for public sale on 31 May have sold out.

The initial offering of grandstand tickets were snapped up by local enthusiasts in under a month with four months still remaining until race weekend.

In response to this strong demand, event organisers Formula Electric Racing Hong Kong Limited have announced the release of tickets for grandstand seating capacity expanded to 6,000 seats.

The organisers have today confirmed the building of two additional grandstands at Tamar Park and the Hong Kong Observation Wheel to accompany the Lung Wo Road Grandstand.

Additional seating in the abovementioned grandstands will be placed on sale in the second phase of ticketing to begin on 8 July via Ticketflap (www.ticketflap.com/hkformulae) with a third phase of ticketing to be offered closer to the event.

Ahead of this weekend's season-closing London ePrix, Mr Alan Fang, Chief Executive Officer of Formula Electric Racing Hong Kong Limited, commented on the growing excitement around the Hong Kong event:

“We are honoured to have been chosen as the opening event of what is certain to be the most compelling season of Formula E ever. Our thanks go to Formula E Operations and the FIA for their strong support as we work even harder to put on an event fit to launch the global series. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Tourism Commission for its support and facilitation in helping to make the Hong Kong ePrix a reality and establishing an effective platform for us to work closely with the tourism trade and the retail sector in enhancing the tourism appeal of the race.

“We are also delighted at the enthusiastic response to our ticketing campaign and have responded by increasing our originally planned capacity for the inaugural HKT Hong Kong ePrix to share the energy, excitement and innovation of Formula E with all of Hong Kong.

“We believe that tickets offer great value for money with over 20 hours of racing and entertainment for everyone and the early demand puts us well on track for reaching our targeted attendance of 30,000 spectators on race day,” Mr Fang added.

 

HKT Hong Kong ePrix eVillage proves popular

In addition, organisers announced strong early sales for the event’s eVillage fan experience zone with over 4,000 of the 10,000 tickets having been sold.

Tickets for the eVillage are just $300 for the two-day event, creating an accessible entry-point for the wider community around the event.

The eVillage will complement the world-class motorsport on the track with feature attractions and entertainment including musical performances on a series of mini-stages, children’s zones and an array of game booths and activities that put fans and families at the heart of the action.

In keeping with the ePrix’s emphasis on promoting sustainability, the eVillage will also include interactive displays on the latest sustainable energy technologies as well as displays of new electric cars from some of the world’s premier marques.

More details on the eVillage activities will be announced in July.

 

Phase II ticketing to launch on 8 July

Ticket prices are unchanged from Phase I with every ticket providing access to the full two-day calendar of races and supporting events, offering significant value with over 20 hours of world-class sport and entertainment included.

An adult grandstand ticket for the full race weekend is $2,380 and includes access to the eVillage. Grandstand seat concession prices for children (aged five to 12) and senior citizens (aged 65 and above) are $1,190.

eVillage tickets are $300 for a two-day pass. Senior citizens (65 and above) and children’s (five to 12) tickets are $150. eVillage tickets do not afford access to the grandstand.

The next phase of ticketing for the inaugural HKT Hong Kong ePrix will begin on 8 July via Ticketflap (www.ticketflap.com/hkformulae).

Organised by Formula Electric Racing (Hong Kong) Limited, the HKT Hong Kong ePrix is sponsored by HKT and Swire Properties and sanctioned by FIA and the Hong Kong Automobile Association.

As the opening event on the circuit, the HKT Hong Kong ePrix will focus the attention of motorsport fans worldwide on Hong Kong for the first major international motorsport race in the city in over 30 years.