Electric Street Discipline Explainer – Auto Slalom & Karting Slalom

Electric Street – one of several grassroots disciplines that underpin the FIA Motorsport Games – is set to return for the third running of the event this year in Valencia, Spain from 23-27 October 2024. 

The discipline is made up of Auto Slalom and Karting Slalom, two of the 26 categories in which drivers from across the globe will compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals – representing their FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) National Sporting Authority (ASNs).

Introduced at the inaugural 2019 FIA Motorsport Games in Rome, Karting Slalom offers an accessible and affordable entry point to motorsport for junior participants aged 14-16 years who hold a National Karting licence.

The category has already proved an invaluable stepping stone in motorsport – one example being Doriane Pin, who contested Karting Slalom for Team France in 2019. Less than four years later, Pin made her FIA F1 Academy debut In Jeddah this weekend – scoring pole and completely dominating both races (before being penalized in the second race after taking the chequered flag twice).

Pin was a recent race winner in UAE Formula 4 and also will contest the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship with the Iron Dames LMGT3 Lamborghini squad.

“ I have great memories from when I competed in the FIA Motorsport Games,” Pin said.

“I have fond memories of walking on stage with the French flag and I was also competing with Esteban Masson who is also now racing in the FIA WEC with Lexus.

“2009 was the year I won the French championship, giving me the chance to go to the games. It was great to take part in an event where we get to speak about our country – it made us very proud. 

“I also got to meet Tom Kristensen backstage at the opening ceremony which was great and last year I also saw him again when I made my debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“The FIA Motorsport Games is a great event and I’m excited to see it grow and have more visibility. It gives a great message to young boys and girls to believe in their dreams about taking part in our beautiful sport.”

Auto Slalom, which debuted at the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games in Marseille, opens the event up to non-motorsport licence holders, with participants only having to hold a national driving licence from their home nation.

As the last two editions have shown, the inclusion of Auto Slalom and Karting Slalom in the FIA Motorsport Games helps countries that are new to motorsport join international competition for the first time.

In 2022, Auto Slalom hosted teams from Germany, Peru, Poland, Nepal, Lithuania, Georgia, Belgium, Brazil, Ukraine, Chinese Taipei, India, Latvia, Estonia, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Slovakia, Hungary, Kosovo, Croatia, Israel, Slovenia and Vietnam.

Karting Slalom featured an equally diverse entry, with the fight for the gold medal in Marseille playing out between Poland, Hong Kong China, Peru, Germany, Estonia, Slovakia, Malta, Bahamas, Spain, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, Kosovo, Hungary, Albania, Israel, Ukraine, Belize, Canada, Netherlands and Belgium.

As the discipline name of Electric Street suggests, both Auto Slalom and Karting Slalom use electric vehicles supplied by the event – ensuring all machinery is identical. Nations may enter a team of two drivers – one female and one male – for each category. 

Auto Slalom at the FIA Motorsport Games 2024 will take place on a bespoke course at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. It’s a race against the stopwatch while driving through a series of low-to-medium-speed corners. The fastest competitors will run against each other to earn a gold, silver, or bronze medal for their nation.

New for this year, an additional practice session has been added to the format to aid teams’ preparations. 

Auto Slalom Roll of Honour

Karting Slalom competition will take place on a gymkhana-style coned layout at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, with participants driving identical electric karts through a parallel slalom course in relay format. The fastest teams progress through to a knock-out phase of head-to-head time trials, culminating in the final to determine the gold medal winners.

Karting Slalom Roll of Honour

Entries for the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games opened on 4 March, via the dedicated FIA registration platform and remain open until 23 September.

DRIVERS