Jaguar I-PACE Trophy will be abandoned after the current season
Jaguar I-Pace’s one-make race series will be abandoned after the current season due to the financial difficulties triggered by the coronavirus epidemic.
After just seasons, the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Series will call its quits after the British manufacturer reviewed its financial plans amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The Blackpool-based car maker made the announcement last Tuesday but said it remains committed to its Formula E team.
The Jaguar I-Pace Trophy was announced on 12 September 2017 at the Frankfurt Autoshow by chairman of Jaguar Racing Gerd Mäuser and Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag. The series gave the Jaguar’s electric SUV some well-deserved exposure.
The series earned a lot of attention with the races taking place on selected Formula E weekends. The one-make competition operated an ’Arrive and Drive’ Package for up to 20 drivers at each race, including a different VIP driver at every venue.
The competition was divided into two categories with the ’Pro’ class forming the main one while the Pro-Am category gave the chance for the less experienced drivers to test their skills on demanding street circuits. The 2018/2019 season was won by Brazilian Sergio Jimenez while Bandar Alesayi became the champion of the Pro-Am category.
The calendar of the current 2019/2020 season incorporated five race weekends with seven races given that the season-opening Diriyah E-Prix and the season-ending London E-Prix had been planned to host two races at the same weekend. After three races, reigning champion Jimenez leads the Standing with 57 points, six units clear of Simon Evans. Thanks to her two third-place finishes in Saudi Arabia, Alice Powell occupies the third spot with 28 points.
The Formula E championship has cancelled the remaining events in the current 2019/2020 season, leading to uncertainty whether the race versions of the Jaguar I-Pace machines will hit the track ever again.
