Kiwi team joins electric race series
Damien O’Carroll.
Kiwi racing driver Simon Evans, brother of Panasonic Jaguar Racing Formula E driver, Mitch Evans, is set to join his sibling in the battery-powered future of motorsport.
This follows an announcement that he will race in the forthcoming Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy championship (the official support series for the Formula E championship) for a new Asia Pacific team primarily sponsored by New Zealand’s Giltrap Group.
The Giltrap Group is the main sponsor of the new Team Asia New Zealand car, but the importers of Jaguar Land Rover cars in Singapore and Sri Lanka, Wearnes Automotive and Access Group Pvt Ltd respectively, are also partners in the team.
‘‘Motorsport is a great passion for Giltrap Group, and we are proud to support New Zealanders racing all over the world. So the chance to back the Team Asia New Zealand e-Trophy entry was an easy decision,’’ said Michael Giltrap, joint managing director of the Giltrap Group.
‘‘Not only does it further confirm our commitment to zeroemission vehicles, but it showcases both Jaguar’s impressive I-Pace and New Zealand’s impressive driving talent in Simon Evans.’’
Evans attended the championship’s acclimatisation test at Silverstone, United Kingdom, in September, as well as pre-season testing at Rockingham, UK, in October, where he banked valuable test laps.
‘‘My brother races in Formula E, and I’ve been following it for a few years now. It’s definitely the future, so it’s great to be involved,’’ said Evans, who comes from a family of pedigreed racers in New Zealand. Mitch and Simon’s father is former New Zealand land speed record holder and Porsche racer Owen Evans.
‘‘I am thrilled to be representing Team Asia New Zealand, and am grateful for the opportunity to be part of electric racing history.’’
Marion Barnaby, championship manager for the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy said: ‘‘The calibre of the drivers entering the series is very strong, and it’s going to make for some great racing.
‘‘We’ll be seeing experienced drivers pitted against exciting upand-coming talent in a race that’s all down to driver ability and skill. Electric racing is attracting a huge range of drivers, sponsors and broadcasters, and this announcement is a great example of that.’’
After a largely unsuccessful run in Formula 1 between 2001 and 2004, Jaguar returned to racing in October 2016, becoming the first premium manufacturer to join the all-electric ABB FIA Formula E Championship street racing series.
Last season, Nelson Piquet Jr and Mitch Evans contributed to Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s most successful season to date, more than quadrupling the team’s points from season three, and the team says its objective for 2019 is to compete as a front-running team, with regular podiums.
Season five of the Formula E series sees the Jaguar team introduce a powertrain that has been developed entirely in-house at Panasonic Jaguar Racing, along with the introduction of the new I-Pace eTrophy support series.
The I-Pace series will take place on the same city street circuits at 10 rounds of the Formula E championship and begins on December 5 in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, before culminating at the United States round in New York City on July 14, next year.