The last time Birmingham hosted a street race, “electric vehicle” meant General Motors’ sleek, but odd, 1990 Impact concept car. (The forerunner to the EV1.) If Andy Street has his way, though, auto racing’s return will look very different. Street is hoping that almost three decades after the last petrol-powered race around the British city, Formula E debut there next year.
Mayor Andy Street of the West Midlands, a metropolitan area that includes Birmingham, told the Birmingham Post last week that he expected the city to be confirmed as a host for the 2019 Formula E season, joining Paris, Berlin, Mexico City, and other major world cities as race destinations.
According to the Post, a race in Birmingham would help local universities and the city’s auto industry exhibit their research into electric vehicles (Formula E racers drive exclusively electric vehicles). Street told the newspaper that electric vehicle manufacturing is crucial to the region’s economic vitality, and he promised a race in Birmingham when he was elected the region’s mayor.
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The course would follow Birmingham’s street layout and, due to an act of Parliament, the local city council would have the right to close normal street traffic for the race.