Video: Team Asia New Zealand joins Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy

Asia Pacific will field a three-country team in the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy electric racing series starting December 15.

The Team Asia New Zealand car is sponsored primarily by the Giltrap Group of New Zealand, as well as Wearnes Automotive (Singapore) and Access Group Pvt in Sri Lanka; all official importers and distributors of Jaguar Land Rover vehicles in their respective countries.

Announcing further team details, Jaguar confirms Simon Evans, brother of Panasonic Jaguar Racing Formula-E team driver Mitch Evans, is a driver in the eTrophy series, the world’s first international championship for production-based electric cars.

The event will be the official support race to ABB FIA Formula E and will be on the same city street circuits at 10 rounds of the championship.

“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,” Simon Evans says.

“I am thrilled to be representing Team Asia New Zealand and am grateful for the opportunity to be part of electric racing history.”

Giltrap Group joint managing director Michael Giltrap says motorsport is a great passion for the group. “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,” he says.

“Not only does it further confirm our commitment to zero-emission 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 in the United Kingdom in September, as well as pre-season testing at Rockingham, UK, in October.

The Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy race will be 25 minutes plus one lap. This will follow two free practice sessions and a qualifying session. Each race will feature a VIP entrant, with famous faces from the world of motorsport and beyond set to take part. The prize fund for the series is more than £500,000 (NZ$941,206) per season.

The Formula-E and eTrophy races are in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on December 15; Mexico City on February 16, Hong Kong on March 10, Sanya in China on March 23, Rome on April 13, Paris on April 27, Monaco on May 11; in Berlin, Germany, on May 25; and in New York City on July 13 and 14.