Formula E vs Kyalami 9-Hour, petrol vs electric – the race is on

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The announcement that the Formula E and the Kyalami 9-Hour will take place on the same day in February has sparked vigorous debate and scratched at the wounds around the transition to electric vehicles and resistance to change. 

But is having two world-class events scheduled for the same time such a bad thing? 

We are finally seeing the calendar sprout events that are sure to entertain — having WRX (World Rallycross) return to Killarney next year, the Kyalami 9-Hour in a fixed spot annually and the proposed return of Formula One. Oh, and let’s not forget Kyalami is also to host a round of the World Endurance Championship. 

I suppose the reasonable thing, considering the thinly spread local audience, would be to spread the events over the year. Or not … but then I sat down, put on a 10-minute Deepak Chopra-guided meditation session, and allowed myself to think about the positives. 

Seriously, with the announcement that the Formula E event will happen on the same day — 25 February — as the Kyalami 9-Hour, which event do you choose?

First, I’d like to issue a fair warning. In my experience, there is an element in this country that believes that, instead of working together to grow the sport, everybody should follow their own agendas for self-gain. I see it on a micro level in local competition and on a national scale. International initiatives are joining that conversation and it is not great to see. 

Self-gain is fine but building motorsport should be the goal. 

I chatted to Iain Banner, head of the e-movement, responsible for bringing the Formula E to Cape Town, in an electric Jaguar I-Pace while doing circuits of the proposed track. I feel he wants to grow something fresh. Which is a good thing.

Our local motorsport following is on shaky ground. It’s been like this for a while. Choices like these have exacerbated the polar divides that already existed. 

The old guard is desperately holding onto memories of the golden age of motorsport: Super Touring cars, Group N, Wesbank Super modified saloons. The list goes on. All bygone-era anecdotes that are dead and buried. There’s no chance of resurrection, so why continue living in the past? 

Formula E might not be your cup of tea (or brandy) but I’m challenging you to at least watch a race and consider how close the racing can be. 

The event in the flesh might surprise you, as these things often do. This from a kid who grew up in the touring-car age and who races internal-combustion engine cars. 

The modern GT age has been a breath of fresh air for the racing scene. No doubt. The cars are dramatic and make for a spectacle. My trip to Le Mans in 2016 firmly cemented that view. Visiting the 9-Hour this year reaffirmed it. 

The truth is, racing electric vehicles will never be the same as racing petrol ones. I don’t believe they even want to compete on this level. Electric-car racing should not be seen as direct competition, or a replacement for petrol events, but rather as complementing them and providing additional options. 

Let’s not forget this type of event is a change agent, specifically in electric vehicle transformation. 

When chatting to Banner, I get the sense he understands this all too well. And allow me to let you in on a little secret — Banner was involved in Formula One during the 1990s and knows a thing or two about racing.

Time for the real shock. The local government has backed the initiative. Sure, things that involve sustainability move a little quicker at the coast, where more lentils are consumed than in the inland regions. 

We need to realise that Cape Town will be hosting a racing event with the backdrop of Table Mountain, and the government has backed it, spending money on improving the precinct to accommodate the cars. 

Take a moment to read that again. That, in turn, will attract international eyes and there will be positive spin-offs such as job creation and increased tourism. 

Are you warming to this yet? Sustainability is vital, and is a centre point of the event, which forms part of a four-day electric mobility experience covering everything around growing the industry in South Africa. 

This is a green shoot for Africa’s role in the multibillion-dollar electric vehicle industry. 

One can argue that, with Formula E, a new audience is being attracted, which is excellent for motorsport. If done right, there could be many crossover moments which would grow the sector. 

If the marketing is done right, it can only be favourable for the sport. I get the silver linings and latent potential thing but we need to rely on the organisers to get it right. 

Having the two events on the same day might not necessarily be the worst thing. Sure, there are the naysayers who will choose the 9-Hour event. You’re entitled to your choices, and the event will be a banger. 

Still, I can assure you that, based on what I’ve seen so far, the Formula E race in Cape Town will be nothing short of exhilarating. 

I do, however, hope this is the last time this happens and that, in the future, there will be more consideration about event scheduling to spread the love. 

These are good problems to have. Back to the meditation. Namaste.