Tom Brady’s E1 team Pilots said they had “a lot of pride” to be racing under the NFL legend’s name, as they lead the standings heading into the season finale this weekend.
Team Brady’s Pilots, Sam Coleman and Emma Kimiläinen, spoke to Georgie Ainslie on the ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast about how they ended up racing in the world’s first all-electric international powerboat championship, and what it’s like to have Superbowl champion Tom Brady as their team owner.
“He lets us do what we are there to do, he trusts us 100%,” Kimiläinen said.
“But he is very involved, so he is texting all the time asking things if he’s not there [in person]. He’s asking questions like ‘how many seconds do we lose per lap if we have that?’”
Coleman, from Pembrokeshire, described Brady as someone who really is “part of the team”.
“He’s not like this owner that’s sat up there trickling down pressure. He is involved and really invested and really enjoys it. We’re really proud that he is so invested in it. I think we are the only sports team he has involvement in that carries his name, so it’s with a lot of pride that we’re able to race under his name.”
E1 is a newcomer in the world of sport, holding its first race off the coast of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in February 2024. That was the start of a five-event season with eight teams, all of which were fronted by famous faces from the wider worlds of sport and entertainment, including Superbowl champion Tom Brady, 22-time tennis Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal and actor Will Smith.
Now in its second season, there are nine teams competing and the stage is set for the season finale in Miami this weekend, 7 and 8 November. While Team Brady is currently top of the standings, Pilot Coleman admitted to Ainslie that it was pure chance he ended up in the sport.
“It’s a bit of a strange one,” he said.
“Because I had no background in racing any form of boats. I’ve always been hugely passionate about motorsport. I did some club racing motocross and stuff, but my sister, Daisy, was racing powerboats when she was discharged from the army, and I was watching Daisy on TV on Sky Sports racing these powerboats…and I thought this is like a super cool sport, I wouldn’t mind getting involved in this.”
Coleman told Ainslie he decided to try it for himself and it turned out he “had a bit of a knack for it”.
“A week after doing my private racing license, with no powerboating background at all, I got a phone call from the CEO of a championship at the time saying ‘we’ve heard you’re pretty good and there’s a racer injured, do you want to jump in one of the boats next weekend?’,” he said.
“It was super surreal and an absolute game-changer for me – and I’ve got to be so grateful to Daisy for introducing me into powerboat racing.”
Kimiläinen also entered the sport from a non-boating background, but is no stranger to the world of motorsport, having competed in three seasons of the W Series. Kimiläinen told Ainslie that she was contacted by E1 “because I was so good on wet conditions with the four wheels and formula cars”, but there were a couple of hurdles to overcome too.
“I get seasick and I had never, ever driven a boat before,” she said.
Despite those facts, Kimiläinen said she was eager to get involved with the sport as she wanted to embrace a new challenge, and she also liked the concept of males and females racing together.
“I think the best things come out of your discomfort zone, that’s why I constantly push myself into those situations,” she said.
“And it’s a really unique concept where male and female pilots are on the same level playing field. I don’t think I would have gotten that opportunity if it wasn’t for this equality in the series.”
Coleman and Kimiläinen will be racing in the Miami season finale at speeds of up 93kph in their electric RaceBird this weekend, hoping to fend off Rafael Nadal’s team who sits just three points behind them on the season leaderboard.
You can listen to their chat with Georgie Ainslie in full by searching ainslie + ainslie Performance People on your chosen podcast platform. You can also watch Georgie and the Team Brady Pilots in conversation on the ainslie + ainslie Performance People YouTube channel.
