5 of the Best Motorsport Events Coming This Summer

Just when many other sports start winding down for the summer break, motorsport is just about to get interesting! This week’s quick read covers the top motorsport events of the summer and how to get involved or how watch them from the comfort of your own armchair.

Formula E - June, July & August

Formula E conforms to a sporadic calendar, with the season starting in February and running until August. The first 9 rounds are run across 5 months but the final 6 races are jam-packed into July and August. 

Like it or not, Formula E represents the future of motorsport and the lack of emissions means that these motorsport events can be experienced in some of the most amazing settings. The Formula E circus visits three of the greatest cities in the world over the next two months – New York, London and Berlin. It’s quite a surreal experience watching almost soundless cars whizzing around past such famous landmarks but the championship is hotting up and only 7 points separate Mercedes-EQ, Jaguar and DS TECHEETAH at the top. 

If you’re not lucky enough to live in one of the final 3 cities, you can watch all of the action via the BBC iPlayer in the UK. For schedules in other countries, visit the Formula E website. 

In the meantime, you can watch an onboard lap with Envision Virgin Racing here – 

W Series - Starts 26th June

W Series had its inaugural season in 2019, with the follow-up being one of many motorsport events cancelled due to Covid-19. The second W Series season is set to kick off on 25th June at the Red Bull Ring. This year, W Series will be racing alongside Formula 1 at 8 Grand Prix weekends so it’s a great opportunity to prove sceptics wrong about whether an all-female motorsport event can pull in the fans.

In the UK, broadcaster All4 will make the documentary W Series: Driven, available on-demand in the week before the 2021 series starts. You’ll also be able to watch all the action live on Channel 4. As they aim to hit 500m fans this season, broadcasters all over the world have snapped up the rights. You can find out where you can watch here. 

You can also get an idea of how competitive the 2021 season of W Series will be by watching the battle of the Brits – Chadwick and Powell in 2019.

The Goodwood Double

Motorsport events don’t get much better than the Goodwood Festival of Speed…until you get to the Goodwood Revival! Whether you’re a fan of modern motorsport engineering, historic racing or just dressing up, the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival are two of the best motorsport events to attend of the summer. 

If all goes to plan*, this year’s Festival of Speed (planned for 8th-11th July) will pick up on the planned theme for 2020 and feature ‘The Maestros – Motorsport’s Great All-Rounders’. This will be a celebration of manufacturers, teams and drivers who have excelled across a range of motorsport disciplines. 

The Mecca for historic racing fans, the Goodwood Revival will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Festival of Britain and feature more racing, new areas and better spectator opportunities. It’s set for 17th-19th September so, again, Covid-permitting, it’s a must-visit motorsport event in 2021.

Here’s a round-up of the 11 best hypercars at the Festival of Speed –

 

* Follow Goodwood’s Covid-19 Updates Here

24 Hours of Le Mans

Not all motorsport events were cancelled in 2020. The ‘greatest motorsport event in the world‘ was postponed thanks to Covid-19 but eventually held with no spectators in September. This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will be open to fans and tickets go on sale to the public on 21st June. 

This year’s event, held between 21st-22nd August, promises to be one of the most exciting and interesting from a motorsport engineering perspective as 62 cars take part. For the first time ever you’ll get to see 5 hypercars join 25 LMP2 protoypes, 7 LM GTE Pro cars and 24 LMGTE AM entries. If you’ve always wondered what these categories mean in terms of FIA regulations and spec, you can find out more over on the official website. You can watch the race over on Eurosport. 

The new endurance top-class, the Hypercar, promises to deliver something special for fans in 2021. Find out more in this nice little animation from the organisers –

Safari Rally Returns to WRC - 27th June

2021 sees the return of the African round of the WRC for the first time in 19 years. WRC Safari Rally Kenya promises to be one of the best motorsport events to watch from the comfort of your own home as the exotic scenery, wildlife, unforgiving terrain and unpredictable weather throws teams and drivers into one of the most challenging rounds of the series. There have been fires, helicopter escorts and zebras adding to the excitement over the years and the return of the Rally Safari is sure to be as dramatic. 

You can stream all of the stages live on the WRC website or BT Sport in the UK. To find coverage for your country click here. 

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