Jaguar I-Type 4 racing car revealed

Panasonic Jaguar Racing has launched its Jaguar I-Type 4 Formula E race car and announced Brit James Calado will be the team’s second driver, joining New Zealander Mitch Evans.

Automotive lubricant specialists Castrol and toy manufacturers the Lego group and Scalextric have also joined forces with Panasonic Jaguar Racing with mini versions of Jaguar’s race cars due on sale in 2020.

The I-Type 4 will contest season six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, the British team announcing the details at Jaguar’s new design studio in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

The race car features a new motor, gearbox, invertor, rear suspension and dampers and has had its weight reduced to improve handling and performance.

The new powertrain has a new vehicle control module – which increases the processing capacity and allows faster rate of software development, putting Jaguar at the forefront of battery electric vehicle (BEV) innovation.

“We have applied all of our experience in Formula E to date and our latest innovations into the new race car and the development team have created what we believe will be our most competitive Formula E car to date,” Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team director James Barclay says.

Land Rover NZ general manager Steve Kenchington says the data insights gained from
Giltrap Group backed Mitch Evans’ time on the track and his success in the series is helping to further refine racing performance and the technology behind Jaguar’s offerings such as the electric I-Pace.

Calado, 30, is new to electric racing but has considerable single-seater experience.

He’s the 2017 FIA World Endurance LMGTE Pro Champion and 2019 GTE Pro Le Mans 24-hours winner and has a string of other top placings.

The new Formula E season starts with the Diriyah E-Prix in Saudi Arabia on November 22 and 23.