Nick Cassidy, the winner of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship round three race at the 2024 Diriyah E-Prix on Saturday night, believes the weekend event in Diriyah is “amazing”, as he praised Saudi Arabia’s sporting ambitions.
As well as world-class motor racing, the Diriyah E-Prix, which concluded its sixth edition at the weekend, offers an incredible mix of sport and entertainment – Cassidy’s win in Diriyah was followed by a sold-out performance by the Backstreet Boys.
And New Zealander Cassidy, who referenced the Backstreet Boys in his celebratory interview after the race, complimented the overall offering in Diriyah which he says is contributing significantly to Saudi Arabia’s wider sporting efforts.
Cassidy said: “Saudi in general is supporting sports quite heavily, which is awesome. I love sports, I love this event and we’re quite lucky at Formula E to have quite a diverse calendar with many cool places and this is certainly up there.
“I actually hadn’t had great results coming to Diriyah over the past four years – but it’s always been an amazing event and that podium when I won was unbelievable with the atmosphere and the vibe.”
Cassidy’s victory continued his incredible start to the season for Jaguar TCS Racing and he now tops the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship table. He came third in Friday night’s round two race in Diriyah after claiming the same podium spot in the season opener in Mexico earlier this month.
The Diriyah E-Prix is run on the Riyadh Street Circuit track, which flows past Diriyah’s 15th century At-Turaif UNESCO World Heritage Site, a stunningly beautiful symbol of Saudi Arabia’s rich history and cultural tradition.
Nissan driver Oliver Rowland, who began Saturday night’s race in pole position and earned third spot on the podium, is a huge fan of the Diriyah track and the area itself.
Rowland said: “The track is one of the best we go to in terms of a driver perspective. From my perspective it’s probably my favourite – it’s somewhere I’ve always been strong. It’s good for us to be here and it’s nice to see what Saudi Arabia is doing as a country.
“We were meant to be in India in a couple of weeks, so when you book your flights, it was with a mindset of ‘get home and get ready for India’. In hindsight, we could have stayed and seen the sights more, certainly with the way the city is developing. We visited the historical sites in Diriyah around the corner and that looks pretty cool.”
This year’s Diriyah E-Prix was the latest illustration of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to host the very best international events across all sports. The Diriyah E-Prix is part of an incredible year-round schedule of international sports in the Kingdom, with motorsport, football, boxing, tennis, esports, combat sports, golf, and equestrian events all locked in for 2024 – with more to come.
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