Motorsport: Barnsley driver Oliver Rowland all set for Honk Kong E-Prix

The Formula E race marks the return of live motorsport to BBC terrestrial TV and will be broadcast live on BBC 2 from 07.30am on Sunday. The all-electric racing series has already seen four different winners of the opening four races and seen the championship’s reputation for fiercely competitive wheel-to-wheel racing grow.

Rowland, who races for the Nissan e.dams Formula E team, is amongst five British drivers in the all-electric series which is now in its fifth season. He’ll be up against former F1 drivers Felipe Massa and Stoffel Vandoorne in Hong Kong, with the world watching as the race broadcasts live across the globe.

Rowland, from Penistone in Barnsley, is in his second Formula E stint having raced for Indian-based Mahindra Racing in Formula E’s second season. He now has a regular seat in the electric racing series, alongside former Toro Rosso F1 driver Sebastian Buemi and spoke of his rise to Formula E. He said: “From a young age I knew what I wanted to do and I wanted to be a racing driver. I followed my dreams and I worked hard and I ended up in a great place like this.”

The E-Prix takes place in the heart of Hong Kong, with the electric racers speeding along the Central Harbourfront against the backdrop of the city’s iconic skyline. As is typical in the series, fans will be up close and personal with the drivers as they battle it out on the city streets with plenty of wheel-to-wheel action expected.

Ahead of the Hong Kong race, Rowland spoke of his excitement for the E-Prix and his start in Formula E. He said: “Formula E is going from strength-to-strength in the past few years and if you watch some of the races, they’re pretty interesting. Lots of passing, few crashes, people rubbing and bashing.

“On the racing side I think it’s extremely good and each year the cars are getting faster and faster. These days there are a lot of forms of motorsports that can be dull and boring but Formula E is definitely not one of them.”

The series has recently introduced a new second-generation racer, capable of speeds of more than 170 miles per hour and has become a genuine contender as one of the world’s most exciting motorsports.

When discussing comparisons of Formula E to Formula One, he added: “It can be pretty boring at times because you know who’s going to win, whereas in Formula E everyone’s car is capable of being at the front. I think that’s what makes Formula E so exciting.”

The Hong Kong E-Prix will be shown live on BBC2 from 7.30am on Sunday 10 March