First Electric Grand Prix of Pau features racing action, accidents [w/VIDEO]

This weekend saw the first running of the Grand Prix de Pau Electrique and the results were smashing. Literally! The event consisted of two races, along with a pair of qualifying sessions, and featured all the drama and excitement of traditional auto racing, but without the burning of any fossil fuel. There were celebrity drivers, a local making good, a last-to-first comeback and one huge pileup.

Saturday's race saw Adrien Tambay take the pole, but when the green flag dropped, his electric buggy's drive system wasn't initialized and he ended that race a lap down in last place. The blunder handed Mike Parisy the opportunity to step up and the Pau resident did not disappoint, coming in first ahead of former Formula One drivers Olivier Panis and Franck Lagorce.

Sunday saw a determined Tambay again take pole position and this time there were no mistakes. He handled the circuit in the city with aplomb and was first to cross the finish, just ahead of an impressive Parisy and Soheil Ayari. Unfortunately for half the competitors, finishing wasn't in the cards. Six of the cars created a huge reconstruction job for their Exagon Engineering creators after Laurent Cazenave bounced off a tire barrier in a tight twisty and caused an extreme chain reaction. Hit the jump for video that includes some clips of the action with interviews (in French) as well as footage (with English commentary) of the major accident.


[Source: Andros Electric GP / Grand Prix De Pau]