Cassidy wins inaugural Portland E-Prix with perfect execution

Nick Cassidy combined a flawless performance with a perfectly timed strategy to climb from 10th to 1st and claim the top spot in a thrilling inaugural Portland E-Prix.

The Envision Racing charger headed home the TAG Heuer Porsche of Antonio Felix da Costa and Avalanche Andretti's Jake Dennis.

Remarkably, the enthralling afternoon of racing saw 403 overtakes, with only seven seconds splitting the first 17 contenders!

Strategy, embodied by a fine balancing act between energy efficiency and speed, was on full display from start to finish in the 32-lap event as race leaders changed rapidly as a result of the intense racing and numerous overtaking maneuvers.

Cassidy took the lead several times during the race, but it was on Lap 28 that he made the decisive move to pass da Costa, who had also led the race earlier.

Cassidy successfully held off da Costa's relentless pursuit until the end, securing his third win of the 2022/23 season.

From pole, Dennis led the race in its early stages but the Briton was unable to time his late-race charge as precisely as Cassidy did. He settled for second place, which was enough for him to take the lead in the Drivers' standings, narrowly ahead of Cassidy by just one point.

Both drivers capitalized on the situation as the previous standings leader, Porsche's Pascal Werhlein, only finished P9.

Da Costa secured his first podium finish in seven rounds, with his last victory occurring in Cape Town.

On his 29th birthday, Mitch Evans from Jaguar TCS Racing showcased an impressive recovery from 20th on the grid to finish fourth.

The strong performance keeps him firmly in contention for the championship title, with four races remaining in Season 9.

The next races will take place in Rome on July 15 and 16, followed by the double-header finale in London.

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