Rahal Took the Checkered Flag Third But Was Dropped to a Fourth Place Finish in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach; Sato Finished Eighth
April 14, 2019
Sellers Claims Series Lead After Becoming First Repeat Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY Winner With Victory From Pole; Legge Challenged for Second But Finished 10th
April 27, 2019
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Round 6 of 10 in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY Series
Paris E-Prix – Paris, France
Pre-Race Notes
NEWS & NOTES:
DATE: April 26-27, 2019
QUALIFYING BROADCAST: Streamed live on Jaguar Racing’s Facebook page. Local time 8:35-9:05 a.m. on
Saturday, April 27 (2:35–3:05 a.m. ET Saturday)
RACE BROADCAST: Live on FS2 at 2 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 27 as well as the Jaguar Racing
Facebook Page (8 a.m. ET on Saturday). Also possibly tape-delayed or on demand on FS2 via participating broadcasters.
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.9 km, 14-turn road course (shortest of the season)
RACE LENGTH: 25 minutes + 1 lap
KATHERINE LEGGE’S BEST SERIES START/FINISH: Won Round 2 in Mexico City from pole. Led every lap to become the first female to win
on an ABB Formula E weekend.
BRYAN SELLERS’ BEST SERIES START/FINISH: Started 2nd in 4 of 5 races; 3rd in the other / 1st in Hong Kong to become the
first American to win on an ABB Formula E weekend
RLL’S BEST START/ FINISH IN SERIES: 1st – by Legge in Mexico City / 1st – Mexico City (Legge), Hong Kong (Sellers)
NOTES & QUOTES:
FIRST RACE IN FRANCE FOR RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING
Round 6 of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will mark the team’s first race in France. The race takes place around the historic Les Invalides complex in Paris, the City of Light. The team’s two-car I-PACE program for drivers Katherine Legge and Bryan Sellers compliments long standing programs in the IndyCar Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. All three programs have won events this season. The Jaguar I-PACE program has won two of the five rounds to date including consecutive 1-2 finishes in Rounds 2 and 3 with wins by Legge in Mexico City and Sellers in Hong Kong. Five different drivers have won each race with Simon Evans having won Round 1 in Saudi Arabia, Caca Bueno winning in Sanya and Sergio Jimenez in Rome.
KATHERINE AND BRYAN RECAP ROME
“The Rome venue and track were my favorite to date. Bryan and I got the chance to explore Rome and it was very cool to explore the city and see all the famous spots. It was a tricky circuit with a lot of variation. We struggled in the race because of qualifying. Qualifying is so important and we suffered a puncture in our practice session which put us behind for qualifying. In the race we had a good pace but just couldn’t pass despite trying!”
“Rome was a fantastic event, to date possibly the best one on the schedule,” added Sellers. “The track layout was really great, and it has been the longest on the schedule so far. We were able to do some sightseeing which made the event that much more special. The event was challenging because of the size of the race track. It was very difficult to string a lap together and make sure you optimized everything. Due to the tight nature of the track it also made passing difficult.”
LEGGE AND SELLERS ARE 2ND AND 4TH IN SERIES POINT STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 5 OF 10
Sergio Jimenez leads the standings with 66 points over second place Bryan Sellers, who has 61. Simon Evans is third with 60 points to fourth place Katherine Legge’s 56. Caca Bueno is fifth with 49. Five different drivers have won the five races to date.
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON THE FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON AND THE TITLE FIGHT
“The competition is extremely close,” said Legge. “With the way the points are awarded, whoever wins this next race will regain the lead out of the four or five of us. Whoever wins the most races will probably win the championship.”
“The competition is extremely strong as evidenced by the five different race winners,” added Sellers. “At this stage, it will take the highest level of execution. There is really no margin for error. The person that will take the points lead will be the one who finds a way to win more than one race. There is such a huge premium placed on point totals for wins.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON THE LENGTH OF THE TRACK POSING CHALLENGES
At just 1.9 kilometers, the track is the shortest on the schedule. Legge and Sellers believe this will add an additional challenge.
“It makes lap times shorter and mixes up the competition again, and puts even more emphasis on a good qualifying,” said Legge.
“The short track will pose a lot of issues,” added Sellers. “One of the issues we have not really had to deal with yet, but will now, is traffic and working to get a clean lap in practice as well as qualifying. This will be something that is extremely important and directly related to performance. It also places a premium on making sure you get a good lap. There aren’t as many areas and corners to try and capitalize on.”
LEGGE AND SELLERS ON PARIS & THE NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL FIRE
“I have been to Paris and France a few times in my life,” said Legge. “Living just across the water made it very accessible and a fantastic city to go visit. I am really sad about the Notre Dame cathedral. It is an important part of history for not only the French but all of us. I have seen the outside of it before but never been in, and I wish I had now, to see it before the fire. I am looking forward to another historic race site with a big atmosphere like Rome.”
“I have been to Paris, but it has been a while,” added Sellers. “One of the best things about these events is we have been able to do some sightseeing at all of them. It’s been very special to take in what the world’s most famous cities have to offer. It is beyond words how terrible it is what has happened to Notre Dame. To think that one of the world’s greatest attractions has been damaged from its original form is heart breaking.”
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY is the official support race to ABB FIA Formula E from season five onwards. The championship, a world first, will take place over 10 rounds in nine global cities, with up to 20 entrants competing for a prize fund in excess of £500,000. After becoming the first premium manufacturer to enter the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in 2016, Jaguar has now created the world’s first production battery electric vehicle race series – the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY. The history-making championship is the official support race to the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, with up to 20 cars taking to the grid from season five onwards. The series supports the launch of the Jaguar I-PACE, Jaguar’s first battery electric vehicle, and reinforces Jaguar Land Rover’s future electrification strategy, commitment to electric street racing and ‘Race to Innovate’ mission.
