{"id":307795,"date":"2025-07-31T19:50:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T17:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/2025\/07\/its-an-inclusive-sport-full-of-values-and-synonymous-with-the-future-tom-chiappe-the-will-to-win-for-e1\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T19:55:51","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T17:55:51","slug":"its-an-inclusive-sport-full-of-values-and-synonymous-with-the-future-tom-chiappe-the-will-to-win-for-e1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/en\/2025\/07\/its-an-inclusive-sport-full-of-values-and-synonymous-with-the-future-tom-chiappe-the-will-to-win-for-e1\/","title":{"rendered":"“It’s an inclusive sport, full of values and synonymous with the future”: Tom Chiappe, the will to win for E1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At 26, Tom Chiappe is the embodiment of a new generation of athletes. Frustrated after his accident in Monaco but committed to the values of the electric boat championship, we spoke to a competitor who is dedicated to his sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

He can still remember the sound of the boats colliding, carbon against carbon. Tom Chiappe saw his hopes of victory dashed in a fraction of a second on Friday 18 July, in the waters off Monaco.\u00a0“I was just about to overtake my two direct rivals when the Team Brazil boat hit me,” says\u00a0<\/em>the French driver, who had set the fastest time in practice and is still reeling from the collision that brought E1 qualifying to a premature end for him.\u00a0“The accident was brutal. I had pain in my back and neck… but fortunately the safety teams handled everything well and nobody was injured. A boat hitting another at a 90 degree angle… it’s never happened before in our discipline.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Fran\u00e7ois Asal<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Apart from the spectacular nature of the crash, the incident is a reminder of the nature of this sport, which is still little known: behind the silence and the sleek aesthetics of the RaceBirds<\/a>, E1 is a high-intensity discipline where every action has consequences.\u00a0“It’s a dangerous sport, there’s no denying that. At full speed on the water, there are significant risks in the event of a collision,”\u00a0<\/em>recognises Tom Chiappe, with the lucidity of a seasoned protagonist.\u00a0“We are well trained at La Belle Classe Academy, in partnership with the Yacht Club, where they prepare us for emergency situations. Safety is taken very seriously.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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On 18 July, during qualifying, the Rafa Team boat, skippered by Tom Chiappe, suffered a collision with the Team Brazil boat \u00a9 Luis Angel Gomez \/ SCAEvents<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The legacy of motor sport<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Tom Chiappe has acquired his awareness of the risks over an adrenaline-fuelled career. Before representing Team Rafa in E1, the young man first built his reputation on dry land.\u00a0“I started karting at the age of 5,” <\/em>he recalls. Two karting world championships and an F4 powerboat title later, he came into E1 with a wealth of experience and a measure of confidence. “There are similarities between the sports in terms of sensations, handling pressure and physical preparation.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n

That versatility now enables him to keep up a frantic pace that requires perfect physical preparation: “It’s very hot, and inside the boats the temperature can rise to 74 degrees. You have to be physically fit because they are also hard to drive.” <\/em>Conditions not unlike those experienced by F1 drivers in Monaco.<\/p>\n\n

UIM E1 joins forces with Monaco Yacht Club to train future champions on water<\/a><\/blockquote>