Formula E eyes Indy Speedway race

Formula E

People in racing see the use of electric cars as an important vehicle for expanding the sport's fan base. The Formula E, a professional circuit featuring electric Indy-style open-wheel cars, was founded in 2012 and has attracted some big-name participants including team owner Michael Andretti. The series had its inaugural championship in Beijing in September 2014 and also has staged events in U.S. cities including Miami and Long Beach, California, both of which failed because watching silent race cars is boring as heck and not enough people attend the races to make them economically viable.

For this reason tracks and promoters come and go. As one promoter loses their shirt there is always another sucker to take their place. The first year sanction fees were basically nothing to get the series off the ground. Once sanction fees kick in the races are no longer viable from a financial standpoint. Long Beach tried it for two years, but no more.

"They had discussions with us for 2017 and we looked at different formulas," Long Beach president and CEO Jim Michaelian said. "In financial discussions, in the end we did not come to an agreement. It just did not make sense for either of us."

Hence the series needs a new USA race promoter/sucker and the series caught the eye of IMS officials, who met with Formula E executives for introductory conversations last year, leading to speculation the series could some day race at the famed Brickyard.

Can you imagine how boring it would be to watch silent race cars around the brickyard? Yes, electric passenger cars are the future, but if racing adopts electric motors in the future, the silence will be deafening.