Jaguar Will Go Racing Next Year... With The I-Pace SUV

Jaguar has announced probably the last thing you were expecting: a race series based on near-production-spec I-Pace electric SUVs on city circuits around the world.

The 10-race Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy series will visit cities like Paris, Rome, New York and Hong Kong as the one and only support race to the Formula E series for the 2018/19 season. Jaguar has been racing in Formula E itself since 2016.

Up to 20 I-Pace-based racers will compete at each round, with one ‘VIP’ driver at each, but sadly we don’t have any technical details yet. The full specs and more details about the races themselves will be announced next year.

We’d expect the modified I-Pace used in the series to use more or less the standard drivetrain, so maybe as much as 400bhp from the all-electric high-rider. It’s likely that there will be lower-powered versions as well, with fewer batteries in exchange for a price drop, but the 395bhp one we’ve talked about before would be the one to use on a circuit.

Hints dropped by Jaguar in its short press release on the I-Pace racing series suggest that it’s going to be a platform for young and upcoming drivers to prove their mettle in circuit-tweaked EVs on the world stage, potentially before earning a drive in a Formula E seat. After all, Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-AMG are all getting involved soon…

Gerd Mauser, Chairman of Jaguar Racing, said:

“We’ve always said we want to prove our electrification technologies on the track –this is the proof. I am looking forward to seeing a full grid of Jaguar I-Pace racecars in late 2018, soon after the first Jaguar I-Pace hits the road in Europe. Ultimately this innovative series will enhance the technology in our future electric vehicles and benefit our customers.”