Westbrook Racing, owned by Will Smith, announces new team
Rapper and actor Will Smith has launched a new team in the UIM E1 World Championship – the world’s first all-electric race boat championship. Westbrook Racing, named after Smith’s global entertainment company, is set to compete in the debut season of E1.
The team will join the fleet for the second race of E1’s debut season at the E1 Venice GP this weekend May 11-12 as the series arrives in the City of Water.
The championship sees nine teams go head-to-head in high-octane racing at iconic global cities including Jeddah, Monaco, and Hong Kong in a bid to be crowned “Champions of the Water.”
The actor’s investment in an E1 team puts him in good company as he joins an impressive roster of team owners in the Championship that include NFL icon Tom Brady, tennis legend Rafael Nadal, international DJ Steve Aoki, footballing superstar Didier Drogba, philanthropist and businessman Marcelo Claure, star cricketer Virat Kohli, F1 hero Sergio Perez and Grammy award-winning musician Marc Anthony.
The arrival of the new team aligns Smith’s affinity for electric and competitive sports with E1’s mission to accelerate sustainability in marine mobility. With over 265 million followers across social media, Smith will use his global platform to help elevate the world of electric sports and mobility and the shared goal of creating a more sustainable future.
Westbrook Racing will be led on the water by two internationally recognized superstars of their fields. The pioneering Lucas Ordoñez, who entered professional racing from the virtual world as a GT Academy winner before racing at Le Mans five times, as well as SuperGT and Formula 3, is joined by Sara Price, professional racer and stuntwoman and winner of 17 national motocross championships, along with performances in Extreme E, the X Games, and the Dakar Rally.
“As a fan of racing, the opportunity to be part of the E1 fleet and play a role in realizing its broader vision got me very inspired,” Smith shares. “The entire Westbrook team is truly excited to bring Westbrook Racing to the water and join such an amazing group for this race.”
Smith is launching the team in conjunction with Westbrook Inc, the media and company he founded with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, Miguel Melendez, and Ko Yada in 2019. With a focus on empowering artists to tell stories that connect the world, Westbrook Inc. curates and produces content – from short and mid-form digital to traditional television and motion pictures – for all major platforms and since its inception, has garnered numerous awards and nominations across film, television and marketing. With this venture, the company is turning its creative lens from the screen to the water.
Alongside Will Smith, investors include EssilorLuxottica Chief Strategy Officer and Italian entrepreneur Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, Monaco based investor and owner of Polo Club de Saint Tropez Alshair Fiyaz, and philanthropist and founder of Royal Yacht International Tommaso Chiabra.
