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Tokyo Drift: di Grassi wows fans in Japan’s capital

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When Lucas di Grassi demonstrated his ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport FE02 machine on the streets of Tokyo, it was not only the second time that the all-electric series had put on a demo in the Japanese capital. It also further increased the hopes of an ePrix taking place in the Land of the Rising Sun in the not too distant future.

The demo was put on by the ABT squad’s technical partner Schaeffler, and was run as part of the Ecology Mobility (EcoMo) Fair taking place in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district – the city’s central commercial district. Schaeffler has recently opened a new research and development centre in Japan so has important ties to the Asian nation.

While this was the first time a Formula E team’s car had run in the streets of Tokyo, it was not the inaugural demo in the city. Sakon Yamamoto, former Amlin Aguri racer, had demonstrated the Formula E show car back in 2015 in the Roppongi Hills area. Nonetheless, the demo by ABT Schaeffler and di Grassi was a big step forward, putting Formula E right in the heart of the city’s financial district and giving the series more exposure than ever before in one of the world’s most thriving cities.

What’s more, this demo has raised hopes of an ePrix taking place in Tokyo in years to come. After the series raced in both the Chinese capital of Beijing and the Malaysian city of Putrajaya in the first two seasons, the season three schedule saw a reduction to just one Asian event, with the Hong Kong ePrix having proven to be a big success back in October. It is only a matter of time before more cities in Asia are chosen as ePrix hosts; and with the series now having demonstrated in Tokyo twice, many will hope this is a positive sign that a race can be held there – perhaps even in the Marunouchi district.

Lucas di Grassi himself saw the demo as “a big step towards a Japanese ePrix in the near future”. He surely isn’t the only person attached to the series who is hoping for the exact same thing.

Laurence Thorn | e-racing.net

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Images courtesy of FIA Formula E Media

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