Portland E-Prix

Portland E-Prix
E-Prix Details
Name	Hankook Portland E-Prix
Location	Portland, Oregon, USA
No. Held	1
Circuit	Portland International Raceway
Previous Circuits
First Race	2023 Portland E-Prix
Last Race
Only Race
Most Recent Results
Name	2023 Southwire Portland E-Prix
Pole
First	Second	Third
Fastest lap

The Portland E-Prix is a motor racing event and round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, first held on 24 June 2023 as the twelfth round of the 2022/23 FE World Championship. The E-Prix is staged at the Portland International Raceway, and was the fourth venue in the United States to host an E-Prix after New York City, Long Beach and Miami.

City History

The area of Portland was historically occupied by two tribes of Chinook people, the Multnomah and the Clackamas, although it was only during Lewis and Clark's expedition in 1805 that the area and its peoples were recorded. Oregon City subsequently became a hub for people following the Oregon Trail, and by the 1840s the site of modern day Portland began to see permanent settlers, with the area first christened as "Stumptown" and "The Clearing". William Overton and Asa Lovejoy then bought 640 acres of land in 1843, before Overton sold his half to Francis Pettygrove of Portland, Maine, who was able to rename "The Clearing" to his hometown of Portland after winning a coin toss with Lovejoy.

Maintained Growth: 1850s - 1980s

Portland would be incorporated in 1851 with over 800 inhabitants, with the majority of the local economy driven by the sawmill that cut the trees that initially dominated the local landscape. After surviving a fire in August 1873, which caused $1.3 million of damage, Portland's population grew to over 46,000 in 1890, with the city benefitting from the Columbia River connecting it to the Pacific Ocean to make it a busy port by the turn of the twentieth century. However, its large expansion and industrial nature meant that the city gained a reputation for being dangerous and "the most filthy city in the Northern States".

Despite the reputation Portland's growth continued, with over 300,000 people living in the city by 1930, before becoming the first city in America to have an "internment camp" for its Japanese population during the Second World War. The 1940s and 1950s would see Portland become a centre for organised crime, with gambling and nightclubs the main focus of attention alongside well know corruption in local government. The organised crime and corruption was slowly dismantled during the 1960s and 70s as the population of the city evolved in the wake of an influx of hippie subculture and social rights groups, with the city becoming known as one of the most progressive in the US by the start of the 1980s.

Modern Marvel: 1990s - Present

Portland became home to Intel in the early 1990s, beginning a new wave of investment and interest in the city as a hub of modern technology and a greater shift towards a younger population, which would reach 2.5 million people by 2020 making it the 25th most populous city in the US. The city tied itself to its past as "Rose City" and "The City of Roses", while also remaining as one of the most progressive cities in the US.

Formula E History

Portland was first considered as a potential host of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship ahead of the 2022/23 season, after development work around the Red Hook area of New York meant that the Series would be unable to use the Brooklyn Street Circuit in the Big Apple. Negotiations would go on beyond the release of the initial calendar, with Portland ultimately announced when the FIA and FE revealed the final calendar for the ninth FE season in December 2022, albeit with no reveleation as to where the inaugural Portland E-Prix would be staged. The purpose built Portland International Raceway, located in Delta Park within the North Portland district of the city, was quietly chosen and announced as the venue for the 2023 edition of the Portland E-Prix, and would be unmodified from the version used by the IndyCar series.

Circuit History

The Portland International Raceway was first constructed in 1984, although racing in the location of the modern PIR circuit had been running since 1961 on what was the remains of Vanport, Oregon, which had been destroyed in a flood on 30 May 1948. The Rose Cup would be associated with the venue, and from 1984 the purpose built PIR circuit would host the Indycar World Series, with the Grand Prix of Portland running until 2007 when the circuit was redeveloped. The renovations would last through until 2008, although it would take until 2018 for IndyCar to return to the circuit, while further deals with NASCAR and the ARCA Series were made in 2022 and 2021 respectively.

Records

A full list of records for the Portland E-Prix are outlined below, including a list of race winners.

Winners

Below is a list of all of the winners of the Portland E-Prix:

Portland E-Prix Winners List
Season	Name	Circuit	Date	Winner	Report
2022/23	2023 Southwire Portland E-Prix	Portland International Raceway	24 June 2023		Report

References

Images and Videos:

• Portland E-Prix Poster - 'We can't wait to make our debut in Portland!', twitter.com, (ABB Formula E: Twitter, 07/12/2022), https://twitter.com/FIAFormulaE/status/1600535175582175232, (Accessed 17/06/2023)

References: