The E1 World Championship, the all-electric powerboat racing series, will make its African debut this weekend with a race in Lagos, Nigeria.
The E1 Lagos Grand Prix, set for Five Cowrie Creek, is the penultimate round of the season following Monaco, with the finale scheduled in Miami later this year. Nine teams are expected to compete.
Organisers confirmed on Tuesday that this marks E1’s first-ever race on the continent, adding to previous host cities such as Jeddah, Doha, Monaco and Miami.
Ivory Coast football legend Didier Drogba and his partner Gabrielle Lemaire played a key role in bringing the championship to Africa, organisers and Lagos state officials revealed. Drogba, a UEFA Champions League winner, owns one of the E1 teams, alongside global stars including LeBron James and Rafael Nadal.
“Bringing E1 to Africa represents a pivotal moment in our mission to grow electric racing globally,” said E1 founder and CEO Rodi Basso. He described Lagos as a city of “incredible energy, creativity and ambition that matches E1’s DNA perfectly.”
Lagos State Information Commissioner Gbenga Omotoso said the decision to host the event was reached in Monaco after the governor watched the race there. Drogba’s team later approached the state government with the proposal in March.
Drogba is expected to attend the event, which Omotoso called “historic,” noting Lagos’s pride in being Africa’s first host city.
In preparation, the government has cleared the lagoon of plastic and waste, and sealed 28 sites where pollution could flow into the water, according to Lagos State Waterways Authority head Oluwadamilola Emmanuel.
Omotoso also assured fans: “There won’t be any power failure.”
