Drawn to the excitement of racing at a young age, Ellis Spiezia is a keen advocate of electric racing as a sustainability initiative – motorsport of the future. He moved from kart racing to sim and indoor karting in 2017 and found his natural racing ability led him to excel in motorsport.
He took part in his first Lucas Oil Race School event in a beginner open wheel car, leading him to focus on electric racing. After 2 years competing in European eKart championships, Spiezia switched to road cars in 2022, driving electric formulas & Ford Fiesta.
Fast-forward to today and Spiezia expects to race the electric Mini with NXT Gen Cup, electric formula, in the ERA Championship, and also some combustion TCR.
At just 17 years old, he is an eloquent speaker who evangelises positive actions to mitigate climate change and has become a great influence to his generation both in terms of sustainability and racing. Featuring in Sustainability Magazine LIVE New York, we caught up with Spiezia after the fact for an exclusive interview about his journey.
How did your love for racing come about?
Cars have been an interest for me as far back as I can remember. I don’t come from a motorsport family, but my grandfather is a massive car guy. After playing Forza on my XBOX 24/7 and him teaching me how to drive a five speed, I was hooked.
The constant chase of micro improvements was very addictive and I also enjoyed diving into the history of motorsport once I found that passion. I read, watched and studied everything about racing. I still do. It’s a passion, but it’s also what I think makes the difference between a fast driver and a great driver.
At what point did you become aware of the sustainability issue?
Motorsport obviously isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think about sustainability.
We initially chose electric motorsport because of the parity of materials, lower costs and the technology aspects. But this naturally led us to embrace and understand how electric motorsport is innovating for sustainability.
As I've gained experience as a driver, I have also gained experience in the sustainability space and really enjoy using the platform we have gained over the years to push a positive message and have an opportunity to develop new technologies.
How does your role in racing help drive towards more sustainable racing and, ultimately, road use?
Motorsport has always been the testing ground for new technology that eventually ends up on the road. The cars we drive now are developing the components you will see in your day to day commute in the future and in all kinds of products beyond automotive.
While developing this new technology, I get to use my voice as an athlete to inspire the younger generations that will be the ones to help make an impact, and electric motorsport is a super cool way to inspire people and get them curious about sustainability.
How knowledgeable is your generation about climate change and what do you hope to teach them?
I think, with the internet, we have more access to information than ever. The role I hope to have is to show them the impact they can have and educate them even more in a super cool way with electric racing.
Our generation is full of the people that will be the change-makers in the future, but I think the most important thing I can do is present a positive attitude. There is too much fear in the narrative being created by the media and current people in power and I don’t believe this inspires young people to take action or feel encouraged about our future.
What’s next for you in your racing career?
This year I will compete in 2 electric championships, ERA, and Next Gen Cup, and support my driver development with combustion TCR. I will use these championships to prove my driving ability to manufacturers and teams at the top level like Formula E and work toward making relationships that can secure my future in the sport.
We will just have to see how this year goes when the racing kicks off – the proof is in the pace. I’ll also keep doing lots of speaking events and STEM workshops to support future #electricrenegades and inspire innovation in this space.
