[imagesource: Formula E]

Speed limits are there for a reason, but I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering what it must be like to put the pedal to the metal and really let loose.

You might do that on one of those, long quiet stretches of road a few hours from Cape Town, but those who really have a need for speed aim to end up in professional motorsports.

Cracking a spot on the Formula One starting gates is no mean feat, but Formula E drivers (a single-seater motorsport championship that uses only electric cars) also get to experience tearing around a track at breakneck speed.

Now their Driver’s Eye camera is giving fans the chance to see things from the drivers’ perspective, and take part in the “electrifying chaos”.

This from CNN:

Viewers are immersed in the “dynamism” of the high-speed electric racing series from inside the drivers’ helmets as they turn, tilt and bounce around the tight street circuits.

Positioned at eye-level on the protective padding on the inside of the helmet, the camera is eight millimeters in diameter, weighs 2.5 grams and gives fans a real sense of the action from right inside the cockpit.

The “level of immersion” on offer to fans is something that excites Formula E commentator Jack Nicholls…

“You can experience what the driver is seeing, and how they have to react to what’s going on around them, and the limitations they have in order to react to what’s going on around them.

Ahead of the footage rolling out, Formula E released this promotional video:

Here’s a recent video Formula E shared on Instagram, showing highlights from the 2020 Santiago ePrix:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Driver’s Eye highlights from the 2020 Antofagasta Minerals #SantiagoEPrix

A post shared by ABB Formula E (@fiaformulae) on Jan 22, 2020 at 4:06am PST

I’ll admit that hearing a name like the 2020 Santiago ePrix doesn’t quite have the same lustre as the Monaco Grand Prix, but that’s why these steps are so necessary:

Formula E is constantly pioneering innovation in motor sport, from more efficient electric motors to a fan boost feature — where viewers can vote on social media for which driver receives additional energy during the race.

Its use of Driver’s Eye is a first in any category of International Automobile Federation (FIA) sanctioned racing.

Nicholls admits that the camera has been a learning experience for him, too…

“It’s so busy in the cockpit, especially during wheel to wheel racing, by the time they have checked the information on the steering wheel, looked to the left and right to see where their rivals are, the last place they look is ahead.”

Sounds like a Capetonian the second a single drop of rain falls from the sky.

Why do we collectively lose our marbles when it rains? The roads turn into a Mad Max-style battle for survival. Pretty wild.

The 2020 Formula E Championship returns to the track with the Marrakesh ePrix on February 29.

[source:cnn]