Legendary quarterback Tom Brady is going all-in with the boating lifestyle.
Brady, who holds a staggering seven Super Bowl rings, has become something of a boating legend in recent years thanks to his move to Tampa Bay to join the Buccaneers.
After landing in sunny Florida, Brady quickly added a Wajer 55S to his dock, and shortly thereafter upgraded to a Wajer 77. He even brought his boat to the Super Bowl parade.
Now that he's off the gridiron, it seems he's looking for new ways to add to his water time. Brady has just signed with E1 electric boat racing as a team owner and will join the likes of tennis kingpin Rafael Nadal, soccer superstar Didier Drogba, and F1 driver Sergio Perez as a team owner.
Rodi Basso, co-founder and chairman of UIM E1 World Championship, said in a press release: "It is an incredible privilege to welcome a sporting legend to the UIM E1 World Championship. But for Tom Brady, it’s not just about his sporting legacy and success, he wants to leave a positive impact and inspire the next generation which resonates so much with our DNA at the UIM E1 World Championship."
"Tom is also super enthusiastic about the design, technology, and performance behind our RaceBirds. But as important as racing is our commitment to sustainability and social impact, and Tom is very passionate about the planned Acceleration Festivals at our races, which will showcase start ups and developments in the clean tech industries everywhere we go."
The E1 Racing Series is an all-electric racing circuit that will travel globally each year. Race locations already include major cities like Rotterdam, Venice, Jeddah, Miami, Budapest, and Monaco, among others. It will also be the first electric raceboat championship sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), the world governing body of powerboating.
Races comprise of up to 12 teams in single-man hydrofoils using custom-designed Mercury Racing outboard motors. Each boat will carry a top speed over 50 knots (93 km/h or 58 mph) and run on a closed course. The motors produce a peak output of 150 kW, or roughly 200 horsepower, and will feature a 'stability foil' under the propeller in addition to hydrofoils on either side of the hull.
Races will take place over two days, with Saturdays hosting the feature race event.
The boats designed for the series are known as Racebirds and feature an ultra-modern design with an "immersion cooling" battery bank behind the cockpit. The battery bank will carry a capacity of 35 kWh (meaning two full charges per race event), although no recharging is allowed during racing.
The inaugural E1 race takes place September 1st-3rd in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
You can watch Tom Brady's foray into E1 racing in the video below:
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