Will Smith's New E1-Series Racing Team Westbrook Off To A Successful Start With Help From Co-Owners Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio and Alshair Fiyaz Propelled by a cohort of celebrity team owners including Tom Brady and Rafael Nadal, electric speed boat racing's new E1 Series — culminating into a highly anticipated series finale in Hong Kong on November 10th — has exploded overnight into one of the world's most exciting sport developments.
By William Wood
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Propelled by a cohort of celebrity team owners including Tom Brady and Rafael Nadal, electric speed boat racing's new E1 Series — culminating into a highly anticipated series finale in Hong Kong on November 10th — has exploded overnight into one of the world's most exciting sport developments.
Founded in 2020 by Motorsport veteran Alejandro Agag and managed by former McLaren Applied´s managing director Rodi Basso, the E1 Series has debuted a brand new flying electric raceboat- called the RaceBird- and has expanded its roster precipitously, already having incorporated eight official teams each piloted by a female and a male captain.
While the sport may be growing fast in market popularity and teams, Basso is also making sure that every new team in E1 is managed by proven stewards of sport and sustainability.
This past Sunday in Venice, Hollywood legend Will Smith's brand new Team Westbrook (eponymously coined after Smith's entertainment venture company) debuted to an impressive third place finish, getting the newest team addition to E1 off to a racing start (pun intended!).
For Smith, Team Westbrook (or Westbrook Racing as emblazoned on the boats) is the latest step in a series of bold initiatives the megastar has taken to push the evolution of electric powered watercrafts. Smith, for instance, is heavily invested in the Los Angeles-based startup Arc, which launched a new mass-market electric sport boat earlier in the year pioneered by venture firm Dreamers VC.
While Smith has received most of the limelight so far as the Team´s celebrity owner, Westbrook Racing will also to continue to benefit from the seasoned leadership that co-owners and investors Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio and Alshair Fiyaz bring to the table in both sport and sustainability.
For Co-owner Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio- current Chief Strategy Officer of the world's largest eyeglasses firm Essilor Luxottica- Team Westbrook is also the latest in a high-profile series of green technology-related investments. Del Vecchio's LMDV Capital Family Office has recently distinguished itself for salient investments aimed at the development of new sustainable techniques in the processing of materials like the Made in Italy packaging champion IMA Group for example.
According to Del Vecchio, "I find it important to support the birth of a new sport, where innovation combines emotion and sustainability –The racing world has always tested technological improvements for the mass market. Cutting-edge solutions such as those applied in the RaceBird could, furthermore, touch the world of pleasure boats and reduce pollution from internal combustion engines. The presence of a male driver and a female driver competing on the same level was also an incentive. Finally, being present as a sponsor in the first electric powerboat world championship opens a new window of promotion and international relations for the initiatives of my family office LMDV Capital."
Del Vecchio's excitement is echoed by Italian entrepreneur Tommaso Chiabra who helped spearhead investor support behind Team Westbrook and develop the project from concept to reality. "This sport, full of adrenaline, will take us to different cities around the world, spreading awareness about electric and sustainable mobility."
Team Westbrook's other major co-owner, Alshair Fiyaz also boasts eminent credentials in the fields of sport and sustainability investment. Over the past decade, Fiyaz has been responsible for building the Saint Tropez Polo Club into one of the globe's premier polo and showjumping destinations and has also backed one of Scandinavia's largest green-powered urban developments Bellakvarter, which he successfully exited in 2019. When it came to E1, Fiyaz found the sport to be a perfect match for his passion to drive sustainable paradigm shift as well as to compete at the highest level.
"I have been involved in competitive sports my entire life", elaborates Fiyaz. "When the opportunity arose to enter another team, there was no doubt in my mind about my support. The E1 series highlights an important message about the potential of electric power in marine transportation. The Blue Impact initiative by E1 series addresses coastal waste management challenges in some of the most iconic urban locations in the world, including Venice and Monaco."
Post Team Westbrook's podium finish in Venice, it will now turn its sights on the next E1 Circuit race, scheduled for June 2nd in Perto Banús, Marbella.
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For more information on Team Westbrook or to follow the E1 Series circuit in real time, please visit online at https://www.e1series.com/ and follow @E1Series on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, #ChampionsOfTheWater.
