Jaguar back on track

Jag back on track

JAGUAR sprung a surprise on the motorsport world last week with its announcement it was entering Formula E, branding the series a leader in future technologies.

The all-electric formula started in 2012 and is known for its close racing, mainly on city circuits, and the quality of its drivers.

Many are former Formula 1 pilots or former test drivers for F1 teams, and there are some from the US Indianapolis scene involved too.

Jaguar’s entry follows that of Renault and DS (Citroen) with Audi likely to join the party in time for next month’s start of the new season.

The British firm, now owned by India’s Tata group, has a rollercoaster ride in global motorsport, reaching heights with its C-types, D-types and the XJR-19 winning Le Mans sports cars, and dipping into the lows with its attempt at F1 – with Mark Webber one of its drivers.

The Jag entry will be backed by Panasonic, which provides the head-up display units for Jaguar road cars.

Team chairman Gerd Mauser said Formula E was “an innovative series with competitive, close racing in front of urban audiences. It develops EV tech and helps change the perception of electric cars.”

Jag engineering director Nick Rogers explained further: “Electric vehicles will absolutely play a role in Jaguar Land Rover’s future product portfolio and Formula E will give us a unique opportunity to further our development of electrification technologies,” he said.

“In the next five years we will see more changes in the automotive world than in the last three decades. Formula E has recognised and reacted to these trends and the championship’s exciting and pioneering approach is the perfect fit for our brand.”

Jaguar’s drivers will be Kiwi ace Mitch Evans, Northern Ireland’s former A1 GP champion Adam Carroll with Chinese driver Ho-Pin Tung as the reserve.

Other big names in the series include Sébastien Buemi, Lucas di Grassi, Sam Bird, Nicolas Prost, Jérôme d’Ambrosio and Nelson Piquet Jr.