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For Jaguar TCS Racing driver and ABB FIA World Championship standings leader Nick Cassidy, Portland was a weekend to forget. When the Kiwi landed in the USA, he had a mathematical shot of wrapping up the title fight that weekend.
That might have come to pass had it not been for an "error" just seconds from the end of the race, which saw the Jaguar driver spin off the track and onto the grass.
"I was off line, it was just a big, big error," Cassidy told The Race. "[Before then] it was the 25 best laps I'd done in Formula E. I managed to be super efficient, the car was really good and I was really happy with the strategy and the communication."
With Cassidy walking away from a point-less weekend in Portland, the gap between the top three has closed dramatically. Just 12 points separate Cassidy from his fellow countryman and teammate Mitch Evans, who's equal on points with TAG Heuer Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein.
"Today, I was one corner and one lap from winning the race. I believe that winning that race would have left me the title today.
"I'm not hiding away that today is a huge loss but I'm also fully aware that I've got a great opportunity ahead of me.
Cassidy critical advantage
Despite the points damage, Portland could have been worse for our championship protagonist. While he failed to extend his lead, his closest rival Evans returned with an additional 23 points from the two rounds, while Wehrlein claimed only an extra 13. Cassidy's 12-point advantage could prove critical in London, as the Kiwi attempts to put some last-minute distance between him and his closest rivals.
Outside of the top three, a highly successful second half of the season for Porsche's Antonio Felix da Costa, including two back-to-back wins in Portland, means the Portuguese driver now sits fourth in the Drivers' standings.
While he's in with a chance of securing his second Drivers' title, the seasoned pro isn't taking anything for granted in the run-up to London, all too aware of the cruel unpredictability of Formula E.
While Cassidy's primary concern is his personal championship campaign, his "big error" also impacts Jaguar's hopes of landing its first Teams' and the inaugural Manufacturers' championship.
Collectively, Porsche added 63 points to its Teams' title fight in Portland, versus just 23 points for Jaguar. Despite that, the British team still holds the lead with 322 points but Porsche is catching fast with 289 points going into London. For the Manufacturers' title, there's even more work to do for Jaguar, who trails Porsche by 19 points.
"We've shown that we're fighting for podiums and wins, and we take this all down to London now," said Jaguar Team Principal, James Barclay in Portland. "It's a home race with our home fans and we'll have the home crowd on our side, so that's what we're going to look forward to."