The first winner of the Portland E-Prix is Nick Cassidy. On Saturday, the New Zealander from the Envision Racing team won the twelfth race in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, cheered on by full stands in the northwestern USA. This is the third win for the 28-year-old in Season 9 and his fourth overall in the fully-electric series. During the race, Cassidy benefited from the reliable performance of the Hankook iON Race, which developed a high level of grip despite the heat and various surfaces, some of which proved to be very slippery. Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Director Motorsport: “The Portland International Raceway is one of the few permanent circuits on the Formula E calendar. The track has differing types of surface in some areas. Just before turn 1 at the end of the start-finish straight, where drivers hit their absolute top speed, there are some concrete slabs similar to the ones in use at the former Tempelhof airfield in Berlin. However, the asphalt on the sweeping right-hander after turn 9 has suffered some erosion and is very slippery. The drivers and teams are now well aware of how to handle our tyre and are able to keep the Hankook iON Race in the perfect working window. As usual, our premium product supports all drivers and provides the grip required to allow them to go to the limit and perform well all the way to the finish.”
British driver Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti Formula E) finished second in a thrilling race that saw the lead change hands many times, with plenty of action in the chasing pack. António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) from Portugal finished third to round off the podium at the first Formula E race in Portland.
Second place and three additional points for pole position saw Dennis move into the lead in the overall standings with 154 points. Today’s winner Cassidy is just one point behind him in second place. After finishing ninth, the previous leader Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) is now third in the drivers’ championship.
