Lake Como, Italy – Date 23rd of April 2026 – Angola Westbrook Racing announces a new strategic partnership with EOMAP, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), to integrate Earth Observation technologies into the Team’s environmental monitoring framework across the E1 Championship, with the program set to launch at the Lake Como race on 24–25 April 2026.
The collaboration introduces a science-based approach to assessing the environmental impact of electric raceboat operations on water bodies. While the E1 Series represents a step forward in reducing emissions through electric propulsion, this initiative focuses on advancing the understanding of how racing activity interacts with local aquatic ecosystems, while also supporting tangible environmental action.
Through this partnership, EOMAP will deliver high-resolution water quality monitoring across race venues using satellite-based data. Leveraging ESA Copernicus Sentinel-2 and Planet SuperDove imagery, the program will provide continuous, non-intrusive, and near real-time insights into key environmental indicators.
The monitoring will focus in particular on turbidity levels, enabling the identification of sediment disturbance patterns linked to race activity or external environmental factors. In parallel, dedicated analysis of floating plastic debris will support the detection of accumulation zones, the tracking of pollution trends, and the identification of priority areas for targeted clean-up actions in collaboration with local authorities and environmental organisations.
The data will be integrated into a cloud-based analytics platform, providing accessible and actionable environmental intelligence to support race planning, operational decision-making, and post-event assessment. This approach also enables transparent reporting to stakeholders, including local authorities, communities, and fans, while helping raise awareness and encouraging informed action.
The Lake Como event will serve as the first deployment of this monitoring framework, establishing a reference point for future race locations and supporting the progressive rollout of the system across the championship calendar.
This initiative supports Angola Westbrook Racing’s broader commitment to sustainability and forms part of the Team’s “Powering Performance with Purpose” strategy, which guides how sustainability is embedded across its activities. It also contributes to the development of responsible practices in high-performance water sports and establishes a scalable model for integrating Earth Observation tools into sporting events and coastal activities more broadly.
Dr. Eva-Maria Haas, Head of Strategic Accounts Europe said”, High-resolution satellite data can tell a lot about water quality. Through the insights we create, we wish to help Westbrook Racing better understand and manage the ecological footprint of the races. Together, we will demonstrate how Earth Observation can guide the responsible development of water-based events.”
Davide Coppola, Head of Space Applications Initiatives, European Space Agency commented: “We are very pleased to announce this cooperation with Westbrook Racing and EOMAP. Implemented under the ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions, this project is set to further demonstrate the key role of space applications and space-enabled innovation in strengthening sustainability approaches across multiple sectors and industries.”
Phil Allen, Team Principal, Angola Westbrook Racing, said: “Working with EOMAP and ESA allows our team to take a further step in structuring its sustainability approach. The ability to access science-based, near real-time environmental data brings a new level of insight into how race operations interact with local ecosystems, starting with Lake Como and expanding across the season.”
Further updates on the deployment of the monitoring program and its integration across race locations will be shared during the 2026 E1 Championship season.
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