Drayson targets Formula E

Lord Drayson is aiming to bring electric racing to London when the new FIA Formula E Championship kicks off in 2012.

Paul Drayson, who has joined forces with Lola to bid to become one of the car suppliers for Formula E, is pushing for a British round for the series that will be made up primarily of street races. He has suggested the London Olympic Park as the ideal venue for the event.

“The idea of London as a venue for a Formula E race makes tremendous sense,” he said. “The whole concept of Formula E would absolutely suit London if a suitable venue could be found. Now the Olympic Park is a tremendous facility and is the obvious place for it to happen.”

Drayson, a former Labour government minister, said that he had had preliminary discussions about a London race with the relevant authorities, but refused to go into detail.

Drayson unveiled his bid to produce a car for Formula E in January. The LMP1-based Lola B12/69 EV has been designed as a test bed for the technology that will be used in its proposed Formula E design.

His company, Drayson Racing Technologies, has gone into partnership with Lola to launch a tender to produce a Formula E racer. A decision on which companies will be licensed to produce cars for the new series is expected to be announced after the FIA World Council at the beginning of March.