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The modern buildings along Lagos‘ Victoria Island Lagoon made for an impressive backdrop as Team Brazil took the top position on the podium, finishing first after taking pole position in qualifying for the first E1 powerboat race to take place in African waters.
The race saw nine teams participate in the E1 “Racebirds” event.
Visitors to the event said they were extremely impressed by the well-organised race, a contrast to what is often first thought of when considering Lagos: traffic jams and congested roads. Instead, the event played out against a backdrop of new high-rise buildings, on a stretch of water that is becoming a widely recognised asset for the country.
“It was a very successful event, especially considering, you know, the usual conditions that we have in Lagos, things such as traffic, the chaos the population alone is like already an issue. Usually would be an issue. But I think it was very well executed. Everything was professionally done. There wasn’t a hassle getting here or being in here. Was very enjoyable,” said Sinead Keri, a race visitor.
Team Brazil took advantage of the favourable conditions to secure their first win of the series, with pilots Ieva Millere-Hagin and Matteo Vargas steering the team to victory.
“This win in Lagos for Team Brazil is very important. It’s the best result so far in the season. So it’s amazing,” Millere-Hagin said.
The event’s location in Lagos is widely attributed to former Chelsea and Ivory Coast footballer-turned-entrepreneur Didier Drogba. Drogba had petitioned hard for the Lagos event, both with the race directors and with the host government. His team, Drogba Global Africa, took third place on the podium. Drogba’s role in the event was lauded after the race ended by E1 series director John Williams.
“Huge, I mean, incredibly important to us to bring a race to Africa. Obviously, Didier is one of our team owners, and he was very passionate about bringing the race enormous for us to bring, you know, the technology, the sort of messages about sustainability that we’re bringing to Africa, and to celebrate, honestly, like we are now just a party. That’s what we want to bring. We’re a hospitality, lifestyle event experience so, you know, and we’ve been welcomed so so unbelievably well here in Lagos. And you know, we want to look to do many more races here in Lagos going forward,” Williams said.
That the event is also about hospitality was not lost on either the participants or the fans, with everyone having a good time – and even the race drivers getting to appreciate Lagos as a hospitality-focused venue.
Drogba is not the only famous sports star to have invested in the sport. Other team owners include American Football star Tom Brady, cricket star Virat Kohli and tennis star Rafael Nadal.
“I think Lagos has been an amazing city to host us. I’m beyond thankful for everybody who has made this event possible. Like I said, Lagos reminds me of home away from home,” said orverseas Matteo Vargas.
In the overall standings, Team Brady is in first position with 154 points, Team Rafa, led by Nadal, is in second with 151, and Team Blue Rising is in third with 145. Drogba’s team is lying in sixth position on 90 points, with one more race – Miami – still to go, to cap the season.
Despite their Lagos victory, Team Brasil lies in 7th place, with 89 points.
Lagos Results:
Team Brazil by Claure Group: 41 points
Team Blue Rising: 31 points
Team Drogba: 24 points
Team Brady: 19 points
Team Rafa: 17 points
Westbrook Racing: 13 points
Aoki Racing Team: 9 points
Team Miami powered by Magnus: 7 points
Credit: Bird Story Agency Reporter
