Electric aviation pioneer Erik Lindbergh becomes an ambassador

80 Day Race welcomes Erik Lindbergh as a new ambassador supporting the event in which participants race around the world in 80 days fully sustainable. Lindbergh is the grandson of Charles Lindbergh who was the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean by plane in 1927. Erik is nowadays committed to push the boundaries of electric aviation.

Besides being a commercial rated pilot, artist, and entrepreneur, Lindbergh helped building the new space industry with the launch of the X Prize Foundation in 1996. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of his grandfather’s flight, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean himself in 2002. With a keen eye towards the future of aviation, Lindbergh founded LEAP, a non-profit foundation whose mission is to stimulate innovation for a resilient future. LEAP programmes include Lindbergh Prizes, the LEAP education programme, the LEAP electric flight programme and the Electric Aircraft Development Alliance.

80 Day Race is based on the novel of Jules Verne. It is a race around the world where any means of transport is allowed, as long as it does not run on fossil fuels or contains a combustion engine. The race starts in Europe and consists of 8 legs. Stopovers will be organised in major cities where a public programme including qualifying races as well as tradeshows will take place.

Erik Lindbergh, founder and CEO at Powering Imagination: “The race is on! 80 Day Race teams are competing to show the world that sustainable transportation is here now. Just like the great aviation races and prizes of the 1920’s, there is no better way to inspire both the public and industry than a great race into the future of transportation.”

Frank Manders, co-founder and General Director at 80 Day Race: “His grandfather won one of the big aviation prizes by crossing the Atlantic. Now Erik has taken this great pioneering spirit of early aviation and translated it to the 21st century. Relive the pioneering stories of old with new technology for a future which is more sustainable. Where already great progress is made with land transportation, Erik is tackling the aviation industry making him a true pioneer.”

Other ambassadors who have committed to 80 Day Race are: Hubert Auriol (Three time Dakar Rally winner and former race director), Michael, Sebastiaan & Jeroen Bleekemolen (entrepreneurs and racing drivers) Tim Coronel (Dutch racing driver with electric aspirations), Jan Lammers (former F1 driver and Le Mans 24 hours winner), Robert Llewellyn (British actor and e-mobility specialist), Louis Palmer (sustainability specialist), Claudio von Planta (award winning film director) en Maarten Steinbuch (Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology).