Jaguar will launch a one-make Formula E support series in '18 that will be "the world's first championship for a production-based electric car," according to Scott Mitchell of MOTORSPORT. The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will join the Formula E package for the '18-19 season, becoming its first dedicated support category. While details of the technical specification, calendar and price "will not be confirmed until next year," Jaguar's announcement that it will be a 10-round series suggests it will be featured at "all Formula E events." It will be capped at 20 drivers, including a "VIP" entry at each round, "while the format will comprise a practice and qualifying session and a 30-minute race." The series will coincide with the launch of the I-PACE, Jaguar Land Rover’s first all-electric vehicle, in the second half of '18. JLR's "special vehicle operations department will build the racing versions of the all-wheel-drive five-seater sports car," which should begin testing early next year. Jaguar Racing, which operates the Formula E team, will run the cars. JLR CMO Gerd Mäuser, the chair of the Jaguar Formula E team, said, "We've always said we want to prove our electrification technologies on the track -- this is the proof" (MOTORSPORT, 9/12). REUTERS' Alan Baldwin reported Mäuser expects the series to serve as a "ladder" for young drivers into Formula E. The series "is increasingly of interest" to major manufacturers, with Mercedes and Porsche due to enter season six in '19-20. Other manufacturers already involved in the electric series include BMW and Audi as well as Renault, Citroen and India’s Mahindra (REUTERS, 9/12).
