ERA Championship
The ERA Championship (Electric Racing Academy) is a development series for fully electric Formula vehicles. In 2022, it was part of the support program for the electric touring car series ETCR, offering young drivers and engineers a career path in electric motorsport.
The ERA is backed by the Belgian consortium "The Driving Force", which is responsible for, among other things, the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux or the Porsche factory team Prospeed Competition. The title sponsor is Software AG.
Race Format & Competitors
As of May 2023, little is known about the planned sporting format of the ERA Championship. Each race weekend is set to include a free practice, two qualifying sessions, and two sprint races. A race should last about half as long as a Formula E race, at 23 minutes. Charging the batteries is prohibited between the 15-minute qualifying sessions.
In Season 1, ten drivers will initially compete. However, the series has only announced one name so far: Ellis Spiezia.
ERA Championship Calendar
In January 2022, ERA announced that its first European championship season in 2022 would be held as a support series on the bill of electric touring car series ETCR. The championship calendar included ten races - two per weekend - at five different locations. However, the planned inaugural race in Hungary (Hungaroring) was cancelled and instead replaced with a test.
A couple of weeks later, on July 10, 2022, the first event-proper took place on Circuit Zolder in Belgium. Irish racer Cameron Hawes won the eight-lap shoot-out against seven competitors. No other races have taken place since but the promoters are adament another event will take place in 2023, despite the expected cancellation of the ETCR championship.
Technology in the ERA Championship
All drivers will start with a standard car of identical construction. The "Mitsu-Bachi F110e", constructed by Japanese manufacturer Dome, is based on the chassis "F1110" from Japanese Formula 4. The vehicle is equipped with a 24 kWh battery. An electric motor delivers a maximum output of 130 kW (175 hp). Various power modes can be adjusted at the push of a button. The formula vehicle is said to reach top speeds of around 210 km/h. It is the last open-cockpit car the FIA homologated without the halo head protection device.
| Category | Value |
| Performance (max.) | 130 kW |
| Max. Speed | 210 kph |
| Battery capacity | 24 kWh |
| Race length | 23 min |
| Chassis | Mitsu-Bachi F110e (Dome) |
It is planned that in the future drivers can compete in two different classes. Either they start in the "Sports Class" with standardized vehicles or in the "Innovation Class" with specially developed drivetrains and batteries. Whether and when this plan will be implemented remains to be seen.
ERA Championship on TV & Live Stream
Having planned to be part of the support program of ETCR, promoted by Discovery Sports Events, the ERA Championship secured worldwide TV coverage for 2022. The highlights of the races were broadcast on Eurosport in more than 70 countries in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region on Tuesdays following an event. However, after Discovery abandoned plans to promote ETCR in 2023, it is unclear where ERA races will be broadcast this year.
