OLIVER Rowland is on course for a record-breaking season in Formula E after stretching his lead to 77 points following nine of the 16 races.
The Penistone man finished second then first in this week’s two races in Tokyo – his team Nissan’s home race.
The points record in Formula E history is 229 and Rowland is on 161 with seven races left and 28 the maximum on offer in each.
It is also the most points he has ever collected in a Formula E season.
The 31-year-old started in pole position in the first race in Japan – based on his practice time after qualifying was cancelled due to bad weather – and led for much of it before being overtaken and finishing second.
That saw him extend his lead from 48 to 60 points – the biggest lead ever at the halfway point of a Formula E season.
He also took pole position for the second race and, having slipped down to sixth, came back to claim his fourth win of the season.
Rowland used his ‘attack mode’ – which allows drivers to gain a temporary boost in power for a set number of minutes by driving through a designated area off the racing line.
He said: “I’m thrilled to secure victory in front of our home fans in Japan during what was a crazy race. I didn’t do a good job on the first attack mode and regretted being stuck further down the field, so I knew I had to take a risk when using the final six minutes.
“I felt like I’d been undercut so went early and it paid off as we got back into the lead and ended up securing the win.
“It was a very intense event and it felt so special to stand on the top step in Tokyo listening to the Japanese anthem after coming so close before. It’s a massive credit to the team as we’ve rebuilt over the last couple of years and can now consistently fight at the front.
“It’s a dream to have built up the lead we have done in the drivers’ standings and the aim is to continue being consistent as we look to take some pressure off the final rounds of the season.
“The plan is to keep this performance going at Shanghai and then, after that weekend, we will start thinking about the lead we’ve got across the championships.”
The series now moves on to Shanghai on May 31 and June 1, then Jakarta in Indonesia on June 21. The final meetings are double-headers in Berlin on July 12/13 and London on July 26/27.
