Inside EBK GP's race format

The racing format is key to the EBK GP Series, offering a chance to bring exciting city-centre racing to the doorsteps of the public, while also offering a truly gender-equal championship.?

While EBK GP continues to put together its calendar and refine its offering ahead of the 2023 season, the racing format has been set for some time now.?

• Read the State of the Union

The EBK GP concept was spearheaded by Carl Thompson during his time at our parent company Cube International and his drive and determination helped lift it off the ground.

From the race format to the e-bike itself, Carl played a vital role in the genesis of the series before he sadly passed away last month.?

In 2023, EBK GP will have 10 teams and 60 riders competing in 40 minutes of racing. Each team will race with a team leader, with two domestiques supporting the figurehead, though all three riders are capable of scoring points or winning races.

Each team will run with three male and three female riders, split into separate races but with all riders scoring equal points in their respective races to create an overall team championship score.

The course is on public roads, racing across circuits ranging from 2.5m to 5km and will include 'Power Zones' that will require strategic energy use to climb over them.?

The Power Zones are imposing inclines in the race course found within the final kilometre of each circuit. Their 20% slopes ensure each rider must use energy assistance to stay with the pack.?

The race format begins on Friday with two practices and one qualifying session for each gender, with qualifying a true risk vs reward strategic challenge.

Each team will get one flying lap for all three riders, but with no charging allowed between qualifying and the race, team managers must decide how much of the E-Bike's energy should be conserved for Saturday's race while pushing for the best possible qualifying result.

Points are also on offer in qualifying, on a scale of six points for the pole-winner, through to one point for sixth place.

Equal opportunity, equal pay and intense breath-taking city-centre racing are at the core of EBK GP's platform.

The excitement continues into Saturday with the men's and women's races. For each event, the race begins from the grid positions.

The strategy will prove crucial, as the domestiques will support the team leaders in avoiding the chasing pack, and the chasing team leaders can also rely on their domestiques to advance their races.?

All riders across the field race with a percentage of energy in their E-Bikes, offering further strategy as riders use tricks of the trade such as slipstreaming to improve efficiency.?

Across the 40-minute race, there are also several primes, which are sprint laps for the top six that offer extra championship points.?

Success here will depend on the use of the E-Bike's electric charge, so some riders will risk it all for more points, while others will play the long game and hope to make up ground late in the race.

But the primes are not to be ignored, as this is the point where the then-last three riders are eliminated from the race. Losing a team leader here would be a disaster, so the domestiques will do everything in their power to prevent that, though losing domestiques can also hinder a team leader's progress.?

The exciting format should crescendo into a thrilling 15-minute finale in which the field will converge as athletic endeavour goes head-to-head with those who have managed energy smartly.?

At the finish, series points are awarded to the riders and their respective teams as: 1st? 25pts, 2nd 20pts, 3rd 18pts, 4th 16pts, 5th 14pts, 6th 12pts, 7th 10pts, 8th? 8pts, 9th 6pts, 10th 4pts, 11th 2pts, 12th 1pt.

Men and women will compete in their own championships, with equal prize money for both, while the points across both genders combine for a team's series points.?

Equal opportunity, equal pay and intense breath-taking city-centre racing are at the core of EBK GP's platform.