Electric vehicle class introduced in Cornwall motorsport event

A range of vehicles take part in the Watergate Bay Sprint

A motorsport event in Cornwall is introducing a dedicated class for electric vehicles.

The Watergate Bay Sprint returns for its fifth year this weekend.

Organisers hope the new class will contribute towards the sports attempts to be more environmentally responsible.

David Richards, chair of Motorsport UK, welcomed the move, which he said embodied its "vision towards... a net-zero sport".

Locals and enthusiasts have been invited to take on the closed-road course since 2018.

Hundreds of cars have been involved, ranging from exotic sports cars to standard hatchbacks.

Event director Dave Brenton said: "The introduction of electric vehicles also goes hand in hand with our carbon contribution programme, which will look at reducing the environmental impact of the event, and we are working hard to finalise the project in the near future."

Mr Richards said: "To ensure a sustainable future for the motorsport community, we need to adopt a variety of new technologies from sustainable fuels to electric vehicles and demonstrate them at our leading events.

"I congratulate Watergate Bay Sprint, a wonderful showcase of motorsport, for introducing electric vehicles into the 2023 event, embodying our vision and journey towards a net-zero sport."

Carbon Offset Cornwall has also partnered with the event this year and will be planting 50 trees to help support the local environment and increase biodiversity.

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