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2020-05-03

Norwegian Firm Enters Air Race E

Equator Aircraft, one of Norway’s pioneers in electric aviation, have joined the world’s first electric air race, Air Race E, with a team including the group’s founder and CEO Tomas Brødreskift.

The group, well known for developing the world’s first electric seaplane in 2018, is a founding partner of the all-Norwegian team established as a new company called Electric Aircraft Propulsion AS (EAP). The racing team is comprised of pilot Rein Inge Hoff, chief designer Brødreskift and team leader Øystein Solheim-Aune.

EAP has entered Air Race E as the only Scandinavian team in what is now a field of 10 teams from around the globe preparing to compete in the inaugural race next year. The trio joins the contest with a track record of developing innovative aircraft designs and carbon composite construction techniques. They have reportedly already conducted the first sea trials of their electric sea plane last year.

Air Race E founder and CEO Jeff Zaltman, said, “We welcome Equator Aircraft into the series with wide open arms. This is an exciting validation of our racing series as a platform to develop technology for ultimate use in the commercial world. Equator is an accomplished industry player and we expect them to be an accomplished race team as well.”

While Brødreskift added: “The Air Race E initiative is a great opportunity to continue our work in electric aviation. The race environment allows us to explore the extreme performance characteristics of our electric powertrain, as we push the components to their utmost limits in a safe environment. Lessons from the championship will be transferred to the factory to improve the performance and design of our electric consumer-based sea planes.”

Jarlsberg Airport, 100km south-west of Oslo, Norway will serve as the team’s base where EAP plans to modify an existing Cassutt IIIM and retrofit it with a novel electric powertrain.

Trialling Electric Aircraft Tech

Air Race E will host its inaugural race next year as the first in a series of formula one style international air races. The events will see eight planes fly simultaneously around a tight 5km circuit at just 10m above the ground and at speeds of up to 450kph – faster than any land-based motorsport.

The series is considered a testbed to trial electric aircraft technology to accelerate the development of sustainable aviation. Skilled pilots, airplane builders and engineers from around the world are taking part, with the opportunity still open for those wishing to register their interest in competing.

Run by Air Race Events and led by world-leading air racing promoter Zaltman, the man behind the globally successful Air Race 1 World Cup, the race is set to revolutionise air racing and pioneer innovations in electric aviation.

The demand for speed, performance and power management under the rigours of a competitive race environment provide the perfect platform for the development and promotion of cleaner, faster and more technologically advanced electric engines. The Light Aircraft Association (LAA), has committed its support in developing the technical regulations and providing design oversight for the sport, soon to be sanctioned by the Formula Air Racing Association (FARA) and its counterpart in France, the Association des Pilotes D'Avions de Formules (APAF).

Air Race E will be a similar format to the sport known as ‘formula one pylon air racing’ where the world’s best race pilots compete simultaneously to be the first one to cross the finish line.

Airplanes race directly against each other at speeds of over 400kph (280mph) around a tight circuit just 1.5km end-to-end. There are no time trials and planes race against each other for 10 laps of 5km each, the first one to cross the finish line wins.

Bringing together many thousands of spectators and attracting a global potential audience of 340 million sports fans, host cities have a unique opportunity to bring this global event to their city.

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