WILL Smith, Tom Brady, and Rafael Nadal are among the starstudded team owners competing in the first-ever E1 Series Championships.
However, CEO and co-founder Rodi Basso has revealed there’s hope for the sport to get women involved beyond just racing the boats.
Oban Duncan (pictured), 18, from Scotland, is the youngest pilot currently competing in the E1 Series[/caption]
Rodi Basso (pictured), from Italy, is the CEO and co-founder of the E1 Series[/caption]
The Powerboat racing series has been likened to Formula 1 on the water since it debuted with slick boats called RaceBirds and drivers known as Pilots.
E1 Series aims to be a sustainable water sport that revolutionizes marine transportation.
Speaking to The U.S. Sun, Rodi Basso and team Drogba’s pilot Oban Duncan shared behind the scenes of the Championship.
MAKING A SPLASH
Duncan, 18, from Loch Lomond, Scotland, is the youngest female pilot in the sport and was chosen to race on behalf of soccer player Didier Drogba.
She’s been in love with racing on the water since her parents took her to a kid’s training day when she was just eight years old.
“I did horse riding when I was little, and then it was either you’re going to do one or the other,” she said.
“Since eight powerboat racing has taken over for me.”
The RaceBirds were still in development when Sam Coleman, who races for Team Brady, brought her close to the E1 Series.
Duncan joined the Pilot Academy after watching the build-up surrounding the sport and soon found herself chosen for Season 1 of the Championships.
“I never thought I’d be sat here racing in Lake Como but it’s really cool,” she said.
“[Drogba] is such a nice and lovely guy, and so invested in the team, which is great.
“He loves to come to all the races and is so supportive.
“And because he comes from a sporting background, he’s really got the winning mentality.”
MIND GAMES
The race in Lake Como this August came after showdowns in Monaco, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Venice, Italy, and Puerto Banús, Spain.
Duncan revealed the heat of the locations is taken into consideration when training for each competition.
“There’s a lot of fitness stuff in the gym and a lot of mental work behind the scenes because there’s such big gaps between each race,” she said.
“We have to keep our racing brains switched on whilst the rest of the world keeps turning.
I am really bad at sticking to a strict diet, I try but sometimes you have to just get the cheeky little chicken nuggets.
Oban Duncan
“We go to the gym three times a week and then two days just do stuff at home like light stretches.
“Generally, it’s mobility and core focused and keeping cardio up because it is so hot at all the races.
“I am really bad at sticking to a strict diet. I try, but sometimes you have to just get the cheeky little chicken nuggets.”
Strategy meetings are also key for the teams ahead of race day to minimize stress.
Duncan has been powerboat racing since she was age eight. Pictured: Duncan getting into a RaceBird[/caption]
The pilots don’t get much time to explore the picturesque locations or to work on their skills in the RaceBirds.
“The boats are generally being shipped between venues, so we don’t get much test time at all,” Duncan said.
“We had a bit at the beginning of the year, but that was it.
“All the teams are pretty balanced on how much time they’ve had in the boat.”
FEMININE TOUCH
She said there’s a misconception that the female race pilots aren’t as good as the men.
“Being a woman in powerboat racing has been hard,” she said.
“There aren’t many women in powerboat racing so it’s great to bring more in with the E1.
“We’re getting there, and the E1 is doing what they can to make it fair and balanced.”
Duncan’s comments reflect Basso’s desire to have a female and male pilot for each team.
He was keen for the sport to combine power boating, sailing, and motorsport.
“We have Mashael Al Obaidan in the Aoki team and Sara Price in the Westbrook team,” he said.
Obadian is a renowned Saudi racing driver, while Price is an American racing driver.
RaceBirds in the E1 series are designed by the founder of SeaBird Sophi Horne[/caption]
“I put a rule that you can have only one powerboat pilot in the team to level the playing field,” he said.
“It’s good to have positive contamination from other cultures and other sports.
“And I have to say I’m very pleased with the results.”
WATCH THIS SPACE
Basso said there’s also a desire to have female team owners but as powerboating is known mostly as a “muscle sport” it’s been tricky in the first season.
“We have tried with the female talents who are excellent in their fields,” he said.
“But I think we pay the cost of the legacy of power boating that maybe it’s considered very much a man’s sport or a muscle sport, which is not the case for us.
At this time our female touch is through the pilots.
Rodi Basso
“We’ve tried Dua Lipa and are still talking to singers and a famous ex-tennis player.
“Fingers crossed, maybe we will have our queen because this is what we’re looking for.
“At this time, our female touch is through the pilots.
“The concept design of the boat is coming from a female designer, so we are establishing collaboration with like-minded organizations like the Como Football Club Women’s team.
“They’re very active and very strong with what we’re doing.”
E1 Series Championship Season one pilots pictured in Lake Como, Italy[/caption]
Basso emphasized that they want a female team owner but don’t have a list of desires that must be checked.
The E1 wants to spark change through natural and “genuine” collaborations.
“I don’t want to force the people working in the team to say, ‘OK, remember that in the next race, we need to have this, this, and that.’
“The collaboration with the Como Women’s Football Club came about because they called us knowing that we were coming to Como.
“They said, ‘Hey, you’ve got female pilots, and we are trying to make a change. Why don’t we do something together?’
“It’s been an amazing collaboration.
“We’re just getting started, so I prefer for this to happen in time.”
Basso hopes to continue collaborating with talented people as the E1 series grows. Pictured: A race in season one[/caption]
