Ellis Spiezia

Last updated
Ellis Spiezia
Ellis Spiezia, 2021 E20 Vice Champion.jpg
Spiezia following his 2021 E20 result
Nationality Flag of the United States.svg American
Full nameEllis Spiezia
Born (2005-11-01) November 1, 2005 (age 20)
  • FIA RX2e Championship
  • Nitrocross NEXT Evo
career
Current teamEllysium Racing [1]
Former teams
  • ZEROID Motorsport (RX2e)
Best finish2nd in 2021
Awards
  • 2022 - BBC Green Sport Awards (nominee)
  • 2024 - EVIE Awards, EV Under 30 Star (winner)
  • 2024 - Global Sustainability & ESG (shortlisted)
  • 2024 - Driver of the Month (September)
Statistics up to date as of 2025.

Ellis Spiezia (born November 1, 2005) is an American racing driver who competes primarily in electric motorsport categories. He has raced in series including the Elektro-Kart Meisterschaft, Rotax Project E20 Euro Trophy, ERA Championship, Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup, NXT Gen Cup, Nitrocross and the FIA RX2e European Championship, achieving podium results and a vice-champion finish in Rotax Project E20. He has been recognised for his sustainability-focused approach to motorsport, including a nomination for the BBC Green Sport Awards Young Athlete of the Year in 2022 and winning the EVIE Awards EV Under 30 Star category in 2024. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Spiezia was born in Jupiter, Florida. In 2009, his family moved to Hoboken, New Jersey, where he attended Hamilton Park Montessori School.

Spiezia’s interest in motorsport developed at an early age and later shifted toward electric-vehicle competition. He credited his grandfather’s enthusiasm for automobiles as an early influence. [4]

While living in New Jersey, Spiezia trained at local indoor karting facilities and participated in sim racing, which contributed to his early motorsport development. At age 16, he was described as a "talent at the service of the ERA Championship series" following his transition from karting into electric-racing formats. [5]

In June 2020, Spiezia left mainstream schooling and adopted a self-directed learning approach, which allowed him to allocate additional time to his racing development and focus on electric-motorsport pathways. [6]

Career

Spiezia began his racing career at indoor karting facilities, first at RPM Raceway in Jersey City, New Jersey, and later at Autobahn Palisades. [7] In 2019, he competed in an adult league at Autobahn Palisades, winning the championship and earning a place at the American E-Kart Championship (AEKC), a national indoor karting series. [8]

Spiezia participated in several Lucas Oil Race School events, including the 2019 Scholarship Shootout. [9] In September 2019, he attended the Play & Drive inaugural electric karting event in Aragon, Spain driving prototype electric racing karts. [8] He finished fifth overall later that year. [7]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Spiezia competed in the Deutsche Elektro-Kart Meisterschaft (DEKM), an electric kart championship in Germany. [7] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Spiezia returned to Europe in 2021, continuing in the DEKM and racing in the Rotax Project E20 Euro Trophy, where he finished second overall and claimed his first competitive karting victory in Mülsen, Germany. He also test-drove the ERA Championship car, promoted as the world’s first electric junior formula car [14] Later in 2021, he competed in the Yacademy F4 Winter Series in the United States, finishing fifth overall. He also participated in the Yacademy F4 [15] Winter Series in the US in December 2021, where he finished P5 overall. [7]

In 2022, Spiezia raced in the ERA Championship, earning the series’ first pole position. He finished fourth in the inaugural race after leading early before a mechanical failure. He also competed in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup in Belgium, finishing third overall and second in the junior category. [16]

In 2023, Spiezia joined the inaugural NXT Gen Cup as the series’s first international driver, competing in the all-electric LRT NXT1 touring car. He scored multiple race wins, including at the Falkenberg world premiere, and finished third in the drivers’ championship. [17]

In March 2024, Spiezia made his rallycross debut in the Nitrocross NEXT class at the season finale. [18] He finished fourth in the first race of the weekend and rolled during the final lap of the second race while taking the joker lap. [18] [18] Later that year, Spiezia was the first driver confirmed for the fourth season of the FIA RX2e Championship, making his rallycross debut with ZEROID Motorsport at Essay, France, in June. [19] [20] He raced for ZEROID Motorsport, part of QEV Technologies. [21] [22]

In 2024, Spiezia was announced as Team Principal of Ellysium Racing in the eSkootr Championship, leading the Electric Renegades squad. The role marked his first move into team management alongside his driving career, with eSC highlighting his background in electric karting, development driving and Nitrocross as preparation for the position. [23]

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamPosition
2019American E-Kart ChampionshipAutobahn Palisades12th
2019Play & Drive Electric Karting Event (Aragon)Play & Drive5th
2020Deutsche Elektro-Kart Meisterschaft (DEKM)-10th
2021Deutsche Elektro-Kart Meisterschaft (DEKM)-5th
2021Rotax Project E20 Euro TrophyRotax2nd
2021Rotax E20 - Mülsen (single event)Rotax1st
2021Yacademy F4 Winter Series-5th
2022ERA Championship-4th (best race finish)
2022Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup Belgium-3rd (overall)
2023NXT Gen Cup-3rd (overall)
2024Nitrocross - NEXT class (single event)-4th (race result)
2024FIA RX2e European ChampionshipZEROID Motorsport-

Awards and recognition

Advocacy, climate work and public speaking

Outside racing, Spiezia is involved in climate-related advocacy. He has been named an EcoAthletes Champion and is a member of High Impact Athletes, using his motorsport profile to promote climate action and electric mobility. He has appeared at sustainability-focused events such as Sustainability LIVE and has discussed topics including net-zero, electric vehicles and “passive activism” in interviews and panel sessions. [29]

See also

References

  1. "Ellysium Racing". www.ellysium.co. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  2. Buchholz, Lucy (10 August 2023). "Exclusive Video: Ellis Spiezia and Karli Anderson". sustainabilitymag.com. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  3. "BBC Green Sport Awards: Nominees announced for inaugural awards". BBC Sport. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  4. Swallow, Tom (30 May 2023). "Turning Generation Z to Generation E". EV Magazine. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  5. Vilela, Antonio (10 March 2022). "Ellis Spiezia: 16-year-old Talent at the Service of the ERA Championship Series". Green Racing News. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  6. High, Matt (27 February 2024). "Ellis Spiezia – The Electric Renegade". Citizen Zero. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Episode 289 with Ellis Spiezia – Doing It Different". electrifynews.com. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Ellis Spiezia: 16-year-old Talent at the Service of the ERA Championship Series". greenracingnews.com. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  9. "Ellis Spiezia Interview". isitfast.co.uk. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  10. "Sebastian Kraft und Joel Mesch siegen beim DEKM-Auftakt". Motorsport XL. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  11. "Internationales Feld bei DEKM-Auftakt in Wackersdorf – Kart-Magazin.de – More Than Speed" (in German). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  12. "DKM, German Kart Championship is all set for a big weekend at ProKart Raceland | Kart News". www.vroomkart.com. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  13. "Van karting naar Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup: de ideale leerschool!". Ford Fiesta Cup BE (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  14. Victoria Marie Moyeno, "15-Year-Old Hoboken Resident to Compete in International Electric Kart Race". hobokengirl.com. 21 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  15. "Welcome to the YACademy Track days and Winter Series". Yacademy. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  16. "De Backer, Spiezia en Huart redden Belgische eer!". Ford Fiesta Cup BE (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  17. "Ellis Spiezia and Victor Nielsen confirmed for ERA Championship Series Europe 2023". erachampionship.com. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  18. 1 2 3 "Electric Racing Driver Ellis Spiezia Takes a Gamble on Nitrocross in Las Vegas". metro.newschannelnebraska.com. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  19. "Ellis Spiezia to make his debut in RX2e". fia-rx2e.com. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  20. "Spiezia to run RX2e with QEV Technologies". racer.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  21. "Ellis Spiezia to make his debut in RX2e". qevtech.com. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  22. "Rising American star Spiezia signs up for full season in RX2e". fiaworldrallycross.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  23. "Electric Racer Ellis Spiezia joins eSC as Team Principal with Ellysium Racing". www.esc.live. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  24. "Green Sport Awards 2022: Young Athlete of the Year nominees". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  25. Tom Swallow, "Top 10 electric vehicle Influencers". evmagazine.com. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  26. "Ellis Spiezia – September 2024 Driver of the Month" . Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  27. "The Awards Shortlist". Sustainability LIVE.
  28. "EV Under 30 Star Award | Evies". evie.solarenergyevents.com. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  29. "Ellis Spiezia, EV Racing". EcoAthletes. Retrieved 19 November 2025.