Tag: Formula E

Nelson Piquet Jr makes Jaguar team debut at HK Formula E

The streets of Hong Kong played host to the FIA Formula E electric race series for the second time last weekend. Ten teams representing top automotive brands from around the world participated in what was the first race of the 2017-2018 season. Among the eager drivers clamouring for a podium position was Nelson Piquet Jr, the winner of the E-Prix’s inaugural series in 2015.

Coming from a strong familial racing heritage – his father, Nelson Piquet Sr, won three Formula One championships – Piquet Jr made his Panasonic Jaguar team debut this year, placing fourth in the first race. His teammate Mitch Evans went on to grab a prized podium spot the following day.

We sat down with Nelson Piquet Jr to find out more about his passion for racing, his views on Formula E, and his hopes for the Panasonic Jaguar team.  

Leisure and Pleasure: Events in Hong Kong this December

The most festive month of the year is here and, as usual, Hong Kong is just buzzing with a multitude of events and activities to keep you engaged almost every day of the week. From car racing events to Christmas musicals, there’s something for everyone and every budget. We have our heart set on the events listed here.

Hong Kong E-Prix

Street racing becomes a reality in Hong Kong with the 2017 HKT E-Prix. As prelude to the Formula E season, the event will see electric single-seat race cars jockey for pole position around a track at Central’s iconic Harbourfront. The city will be the first in Asia to host a unique “double-header” featuring two separate and distinct races.

2 – 3 December
Central Harbourfront Event Space
HK$1,190-$2,880
www.hkformulae.com

Detour

Coinciding with Hong Kong’s Business of Design Week, the deTour creative festival returns to the PMQ this month. The annual cultural event brings together a bevy of artists and designers for this year’s theme of Harmonious Chaos. Installations and interactive pieces from more than 20 different designers – all handpicked for the festival – will be on show. Be sure not to miss Confluence – a towering 14m light wall from local design collective Bloom.

1 – 10 December
PMQ
35 Aberdeen Street, Central
Free entry
www.detour.hk

Shawn Mendes

Canadian pop idol Shawn Mendes brings his globetrotting Illuminate tour to Hong Kong this month. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter will perform his chart-toppers, including hits Stitches and Mercy, at Lantau’s AsiaWorld-Expo. With his likable persona and washboard abs, Mendes is sure to prove a hit with teenyboppers across Hong Kong – scoop up tickets for your kids while they last!

13 December
Hall 10, AsiaWorld-Expo
Lantau Island
8pm
HK$680
www.hkticketing.com

Creamfields

The UK’s largest electronic music festival, Creamfields, returns to Hong Kong this month to celebrate its 20th anniversary. AsiaWorld- Expo will play host to some of the biggest names in the scene, including Above & Beyond, Galantis, Tiësto and Flume. Single-day and weekend passes are currently available.

15 – 16 December
AsiaWorld-Expo
Lantau Island
HK$888-$3,000
www.creamfields.hk

The Nutcracker

The Hong Kong Ballet will kick off the holiday season with a fresh take on The Nutcracker. The world-famous ballet tells the story of young siblings Clara and Fritz Stahlbaum, who dream of a magical Christmas tree and a nutcracker prince. The two embark on an unforgettable adventure to help the heroic Nutcracker defeat the evil Rat King. Featuring a live performance of Tchaikovsky’s iconic score by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and choreography by Terence Kohler, The Nutcracker carries on the time-honoured Christmas tradition.

15 – 26 December
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong
Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui
HK$180-$1,000
www.hkballet.com

Heart-to-Heart Yoga

It’s not every day that one gets to downward dog with the world’s oldest practitioner of yoga: 99-year-old Tao Porchon-Lynch. An early adoptee of yoga at the age of eight, Tao led a colourful life as a resistance fighter during WWII and also studied under an occultist. In an immersive two-hour “on-the-mat” experience, participants will have the opportunity to learn the four pillars of yoga while discovering Tao’s secrets to healthy living. Namaste!

19 – 21 December
PURE Yoga
Pacific Place, Admiralty
7pm
HK$700-$1,688
www.pure-yoga.com

Scrooge! – The Musical

The Chan Dang Social Services Foundation is reviving the popular Broadway musical Scrooge! just in time for Christmas. Say “bah humbug!” to the holiday blues with this critically acclaimed Broadway show, adapted from the classic Charles Dickens novella, A Christmas Carol. Currently undergoing its second revival, the production is set to take centre stage at the Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong’s premier performing arts venue. The winner of three Hong Kong Drama Awards, Scrooge! is the perfect activity for families looking to ring in – and sing in – the festive season.

19 – 26 December
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Lyric Theatre
1, Gloucester Road, Wan Chai
From 7:45pm onwards
HK$85-$350
www.hkticketing.com

The World of Tintin

Budding illustrators and cartoon enthusiasts are in for a treat with the arrival of The World of Tintin exhibition at Quarry Bay. This unique collaboration between the HOCA Foundation and Musee Hergé is the largest ever showcase of Tintin artworks in Hong Kong. Three dioramic artworks have been specially created for the exhibition, modelled on scenes from the Tintin series. The scale of the exhibition is immense, with three pop-up shops around Hong Kong (ArtisTree, City Plaza and Central) presenting a variety of Tintin memorabilia.

Now till 26 December
ArtisTree
Level 1, Cambridge House, Quarry Bay
Free entry
www.hoca.org

Watch highlights of the inaugural Hong Kong 2016 ePrix

The inaugural Hong Kong 2016 ePrix – the world’s first fully electric car championship – charged off in fine fashion last month with 30,000 spectators taking in the thrills of the two-day event, held along the Central Harbourfront. Ultimately, Sebastien Buemi, the Swiss racing legend, took the chequered flag in this the first race of the Formula E season.

Electric Circuit

The inaugural Hong Kong 2016 ePrix – the world’s first fully electric car championship – charged off in fine fashion last month with 30,000 spectators taking in the thrills of the two-day event, held along the Central Harbourfront. Ultimately, Sebastien Buemi, the Swiss racing legend, took the chequered flag in this the first race of the Formula E season.

Click here to see more on video


Drama and drones at Formula E race

Hong Kong hosted an incident packed FIA Formula E race last weekend in the Central harbourfront, with police arresting three men for flying drones over the race track. Formula E is the world’s first fully electric car race.

Reigning FIA Formula E champion Sebastien Buemi got his title defence off to the perfect start with victory in the 2016 HKT Hong Kong ePrix.

Buemi took the lead in the second half of the race when Sam Bird pitted for his mandatory car swap. The DS Virgin Racing car failed to pull out of the pits, allowing Buemi, who had made his stop earlier, to claim his seventh Formula E win.

The race covered a circuit of 2-kilometres around the Central Harbourfront, passing IFC, Hong Kong Observatory Deck, Star Ferry Pier and City Hall.

An estimated 30,000 people attended the event.

After the race, police confirmed three men were arrested on Lung Wo Road for “seriously threatening the public’s safety” by flying drones over the track just as the race was starting. The men were charged with violating the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995.

Detroit Electric city

There must be something electric in the air, or at least on the streets of Hong Kong, after last weekend’s Formula-E race and the unveiling of Detroit Electric’s very first production vehicle, the SP:01.

Electric, and we assume regular, car enthusiasts enjoyed catching a glimpse of the two-seater pure-electric sports car, which was designed and built in England, as it zipped around the 10-turn two-kilometre course on Saturday ahead of the opening of the 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship.

The SP:01 can accelerate from 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and boasts a top speed of 155mph.

The SP:01 is reportedly the lightest high-performance electric vehicle in the world and has a high-energy density battery.

The interior of the SP:01 features the first Android based Smartphone Application Managed Infotainment System [SAMI] with a touchscreen that sits at the heart of the centre console, which sounds like another thing to keep a driver’s eyes off the road.

The SAMI works as a music player and satellite navigation to the car to check its status for battery temperature, charge-level and range to recharge.

Three-time Macau Grand Prix champion Darryl O’Young set a lap time of 1:24:713 in the SP:01.

Photos: Brian Ching and Thomas Lam

Electric avenues

Hong Kong will host its first motor racing event in over 30 years when Formula E cars zoom around the city on 8-9 October.

Formula E is an FIA championship and the world’s first fully-electric race, which means you can leave the earplugs at home.

The race will cover a circuit of 2-kilometres around the Central Harbourfront, passing IFC, Hong Kong Observatory Deck, Star Ferry Pier and City Hall.

With 40,000 spectators expected to attend the event, the only thing moving quickly around the harbourfront will be the Formula E cars.

Before the race, visitors can take in the “Battle of Victors” boxing event, watch celebrities race each other in full-electric sedan cars and stare at a procession of super cars on 8 October.

The event on 9 October starts around noon.

For more information, visit the HK Formula E website.

Gran Prixview

Last month saw a special preview event for this October’s Formula E HKT Hong Kong ePrix motorsport event. Taking place at the Central Harbourfront, this will be the largest such event ever to be held in Hong Kong.

Click here for more on video