Leonardo DiCaprio's titanic mission to spark electric car racing

LEONARDO DiCaprio is adding to Hollywood's love affair with motor sports by backing an electric racing car team.

The Venturi Atlantique motor car.

PAUL Newman competed at Le Mans, Steve McQueen raced motorbikes. Now Leonardo DiCaprio is hoping to spark a new chapter in Hollywood's love affair with motor sports by backing an electric racing car team.

DiCaprio is a co-founder of a team that will enter the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile Formula E Championships - a new series of races for electric cars - which is due to begin next September in Beijing. He is partnered by Venturi Automobiles, a maker of luxury electric cars based in Monaco. One of Venturi's cars holds the world land-speed record for an electric vehicle, set at 494km/h in 2010.

The Formula E competition will be held on street courses through the centres of major cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Miami, London and Los Angeles. There will be speed - the cars will reach more than 217km/h - and there will be glamour.

What will be missing from the traditional grand prix experience is the deafening roar of internal combustion engines - and a proven fan base.

There will be 10 teams, which will have two drivers and four single-seat cars each, built by Renault. The car batteries will last for only 25 minutes, so drivers will have to switch cars during the race to allow recharging. Measures have been introduced to keep costs down: all the teams will work from a single central workshop and there will be no tyre changes, which will negate the need for expensive pit-stop equipment.

There will be two British-based teams in the competition. Drayson Racing is led by Paul Drayson, the former government minister who competed at the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Richard Branson's Virgin Racing is also entering. DiCaprio has long been a champion of electric cars, eschewing Hollywood's usual limousines and SUVs for a Toyota Prius. He also invested in Fisker, a manufacturer of hybrid sports cars that was sold last month after bankruptcy.

"The future of our planet depends on our ability to embrace fuel-efficient, clean-energy vehicles," the actor said of his involvement in the new racing series.