Day one in Luanda – and the fastest boat on the bay belongs to Steve Aoki. Aoki Racing top qualifying at the E1 Luanda GP and will lead Sunday’s finals from pole – ahead of Didier Drogba’s Global Africa team, and the home favourites, Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola. Africa24 was on the water all day – and tonight, we bring you the pole-sitters, the home team, and the man who runs the championship.
For the first time ever, the RaceBirds flew on Angolan waters – and nobody flew faster than Sara Misir Vaz. One minute, eight-point-four seconds. That lap put Aoki Racing on pole – half a second clear of the field – and three championship points in the bank before Sunday’s racing even begins. Tom Pacheco took second for Team Drogba Global Africa, the outfit of football legend Didier Drogba. And the home boat – Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola – starts third. Fresh off the water, Misir Vaz and her co-pilot Dani Clos spoke exclusively to Africa24.
“I believe this is our first pole position for both of us, especially considering that we couldn’t even practice on the circuit at the start due to some technical issues this morning. In the end, by combining our results, we secured P1, which is really fantastic. It’s an incredible feeling. It took a lot of hard work.”
“Today, we are delighted. Tomorrow will be a different story. We know we have the speed. We have worked very hard to get to this point. We are coming off a difficult first half of the season, and we will see what tomorrow has in store for us. It’s a good start to the weekend with a positive result.”
Sara Misir Vaz & Dani Clos, Pilots, Aoki Racing Team – UIM E1 World Championship
But the loudest cheers on the Marginal were for the boat in Angolan colours. Will Smith’s Westbrook Racing carries the Visit Angola name around the world – and today, at their home Grand Prix, Lucas Ordóñez put them third on the grid, and a point closer in the title race. For pilot Sara Price, racing here hits differently.
“Today was a great day. We finished in third place, which gives us an extra point in the overall standings and allows us to regain the lead. And our goal is precisely to regain the lead. So, this point was crucial for us. And yes, finishing third made it a great day.”
Sara Price, Pilot, Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola – UIM E1 World Championship
And beyond the stopwatch, a milestone for the sport itself. This is electric racing’s first Grand Prix in Southern Africa – only its second on the continent, after Lagos. At a roundtable, championship Chief Executive Jamie Copas spoke to us about the future of E1
“The championship aims to expand its current grid from ten to a strict maximum of twelve teams, a format considered ideal for the competition. At the same time, the organization plans to expand its calendar to reach fifteen races per season, compared with seven or eight today. This expansion is intended to maximize the sport’s visibility across global markets. Finally, this growth will strengthen the economic impact and global profile of the host cities that stage these events.”
Jamie Copas, Chief Executive Officer – E1 – UIM E1 World Championship
Sunday brings the knockout finals – Aoki starting from the front, Drogba and the home heroes of Visit Angola hunting them down. On Luanda Bay, Africa’s electric racing weekend has its script: now the water will write the ending.
