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Was Formula E's debut a success?

Formula E grabbed the headlines at the first time of asking in China and won over GARY WATKINS as a motorsport journalist. But, he asks, will it get his juices flowing as a motor racing fan?

Gary Watkins Sep 16, 2014, 10:37 PM

No one likes to see accidents. Certainly not when a car becomes airborne. Yet the last-corner clash between Nick Heidfeld and Nicolas Prost undoubtedly did Formula E a favour.

There was certainly a lot of media interest in the inaugural event of the new FIA Formula E Championship in Beijing. Amazingly The Daily Telegraph was represented by two journos in China, one local and one lifestyle. But the race wouldn't have got the coverage it did without pictures of a car flying through the air being beamed around the world.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.