At the Portland E-Prix, the sound of mostly silent but very fast electric cars

The sounds from the grandstands at Portland International Raceway during the Portland E-Prix are unlike any other race held here.

Thanks to the relative silence of the electric motors used by Formula E cars, the most consistent noise comes from above as a helicopter circles the two-mile track for TV coverage. There is no smell of gas or oil. There are no engines revving. There is only the Jetsons-style putter and the sound of cars flying at nearly 200 mph down the straights, followed by applause every minute and 11 seconds for 27 laps.

The sound of what happened to Nick Cassidy in the 26th round was different, however.

The Jaguar TCS Racing driver was two minutes away from his second win at Portland in as many attempts, leading the race with just over a lap to go when disaster struck. Leading a group of 19 cars approaching the final turn on lap 26, Cassidy lost control of his car, causing it to spin into the grass.

Some in the crowd groaned and others screamed as Cassidy’s team-mate Mitch Evans passed him. Then came Antonio Felix da Costa and Robin Frijns. Within seconds, Cassidy was at the back of the grid and later saw da Costa climb onto the top podium at the PIR.

“I really just wanted to keep it clean and be there at the end and see how it goes,” said da Costa, who took his third victory in his last four races for Tag Heuer Porsche. “Nick made a mistake, Mitch had a penalty and I took advantage of it.”

Saturday marked the second time Formula E raced in Portland, with the series debuting in the Rose City last year with one of the most exciting races of the 2022-23 season. Cassidy won that race, which featured more than 200 passes on the grid, and returned to Portland in 2024 as the current leader in the standings with four races remaining in the season. With a good weekend in Portland – the second part of the series races on Sunday – the Australian could have clinched the season points title. Instead, the championship will likely extend to the London E-Prix next month.

That’s not to say the Portland race hasn’t had some history. The hotly contested race ended with the fastest average speed ever recorded in Formula E’s 10 seasons of existence, with 21 cars entering at an average of 94.474 mph over the total 53-mile circuit.

“We knew what type of racing we were going to have and everyone is very good at it,” third-placed Jean-Eric Vergne of DS Penske said of a Portland circuit that, on occasion, has saw six cars wide in the final straight of this 63-year-old circuit. “The race is never really flat out because everyone pushes very hard from the start to be in front. It’s difficult to create this margin to be at your best. »

Gates opened at 7 a.m. Saturday as race day began with a practice session followed by qualifying. Fans gathered on the field to drive the available racing simulators, listen to a concert by TikTok artist JXDN and wander the pit lane for autographs with drivers who found solace in the sunshine under umbrellas held by media personnel.

Two months ago, Formula E fans were treated to the stunning scenery of Monaco. On Saturday, some lined up for Burgerville and other Portland food trucks that populated the track. Fans wore Nissan T-shirts, Porsche caps, and one T-shirt worn by a man waiting in line for an autograph simply read: “What the $#! Is KwH?”

By the way, kilowatt-hours are a unit of measurement for electrical storage that Portland racing fans probably won’t need to know about. Sunday’s race is the last of the series’ two-year contract with Portland, meaning race weekends in the Pink City will fall to the gas-guzzling NASCAR and IndyCar series during the summer.

But if Formula E decides to settle permanently in Portland, the drivers don’t seem to care. The racing has been excellent here and da Costa said he expected it to be the same in Sunday’s finale.

“If you don’t commit immediately, you’ve lost your mind,” he said. “We cannot go back to the initial pace. As the pace picks up, everyone gains access to more energy, and if you don’t get to the front at the right time, you may never get to the front.

— Tyson Alger for The Oregonian/OregonLive