Formula E is entering the finish straight at the end of Season 9. The race weekend on the west coast of the USA is the last but two for Hankook and the iON Race. Portland hosts race twelve of the world championship on 23rd and 24th June. The city of roughly 650,000 inhabitants is the largest in the state of Oregon and is located on the banks of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, not far from the snow-capped summit of Mount Hood, which stands 3,425 metres above sea level. The first Formula E event in Portland takes place at “Portland International Raceway”, which can be found roughly ten kilometre north of the city centre and has regularly been used by the IndyCar series in recent decades.
“The race in Portland is held at a permanent racetrack for a change. With this in mind, we are expecting far less dirt than we have seen at some other races this season. That will allow the Hankook iON Race to exploit its high level of grip even better, and above all faster, and to offer the drivers optimal support out on the track. The temperature is expected to be lower than at the double-header in Jakarta, which means the teams will again need a different set-up for the Gen3 cars, in order to get the tyres into their optimal working range,” says Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director.
Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) moved back to the top of the overall standings, thanks to his third win of the season in Indonesia. The 28-year-old holds a slender one-point advantage over Jake Dennis (Team Avalanche Andretti Formula E) from Great Britain. A further five points back in third place is New Zealander Nick Cassidy from the Envision Racing team.