Club Lunch: Formula E: Racing To The Future ? A Conversation with Sam Bird, Formula E Race Winner

On October 9^th, 2016, Hong Kong hosts the opening round of the 2016/17 Formula E championship. Now entering its third year, Formula E is the innovative electric powered motor racing series which brings together top class racing drivers and cutting edge electric vehicle technology. Formula E is advancing both technology and awareness for electric vehicles, but will it challenge other forms of motor sport for a global audience and what are the difficulties of driving a high performance electric powered racing car on temporary street circuits? As lead driver for the DS Virgin Formula E team, Sam Bird is uniquely qualified to discuss the differences between driving conventional racing cars and the new breed of electric vehicles and to give a unique insight on why Formula E is set to make its mark as a global sport.

Mr. Bird is a professional racing driver who in addition to competing in the Formula E series drives for Ferrari in the GT class of the World Endurance Championship, where he was part of the title winning team in 2015. Having started his professional career more than a decade ago, Sam enjoyed huge success in categories such as Formula 3 and GP 2, including a podium finish at the 2009 Macau Grand Prix. He progressed to being reserve driver for the Mercedes F1 team in 2011 prior to entering the Formula E and sports car championships.