Evans wins inaugural Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race

New Zealand's Simon Evans won the inaugural Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race, the new support series to the ABB Formula E Championship, on the Ad Diriyah street circuit in in Saudi Arabia. The event marked the debut of the world’s first all-electric production based championship, which features Jaguar I-PACE race cars.

Jaguar’s VIP driver Alice Powell won the Pro-Am category and placed fifth overall, after starting in seventh position. Powell, Katherine Legge and Celia Martin were among the first women ever to race in Saudi Arabia.

Evans started from the pole position in his Team Asia New Zealand after qualifying was canceled due to heavy rain in Riyadh. The starting grid was based on the results of Friday’s free practice session. The Kiwi led the race for all 23 minutes + 1 lap, after an extra sighting lap was added due to the changing conditions. He was closely followed by Bryan Sellers until the penultimate lap, when Sergio Jimenez overtook the American to take second place. Powell overtook TWR Techeetah’s Stefan Rzadzinski and Saudi Racing’s Bandar Alesayi during a damp and challenging track. Legge set the fastest lap of the race with a 1m32.36s en route to finishing sixth in her Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entry.

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“It feels amazing to win the race from pole to flag -- it’s very special," said Evans. "It wasn’t an easy race, and it just shows from the practice times and the race itself, the pack is incredibly close. The very first win is the one everyone wants and hopefully we can continue the momentum to the next race in Mexico.”

Powell said: “The pace was there for me in the first half of the race, which is fantastic. In some ways I didn’t expect it, given our times in practice. I knew I had to make my way up in the first four laps, so in the first couple I made my moves and from then on, the car was fantastic. It’s been great to race in Saudi Arabia and hopefully it will inspire some more women to get racing – a big thank you to Jaguar for the opportunity.”

Marion Barnaby, Championship Manager, Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY said: “What a great race and a fantastic debut here in Saudi Arabia. We battled the weather conditions and were disappointed not to complete qualifying but the race was exactly what we hoped: close, competitive racing that’s exciting to watch. The cars performed well and showed the power and reliability of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY, a production-based car that really shows the public electrification is here. Congratulations to our first winner Simon Evans and to our first VIP driver Alice Powell who fought a hard race and will be inspiring a generation of female drivers here in Saudi Arabia.”

The next round of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY takes place in Mexico City on 16 February 2019.