Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Round 9 and 10 of 10 in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY Series
New York E-Prix – Brooklyn, New York
Pre-Race Notes
NEWS & NOTES:
DATE: Race 1 is Saturday, July 13 and Race 2 is Sunday, July 14, 2019
QUALIFYING BROADCAST: Streamed live on Jaguar Racing’s Facebook page from 8:20 – 9:15 a.m. ET on Saturday, and from 7:45 – 8:45 a/m. ET on Sunday
RACE BROADCAST: Streamed live on Jaguar Racing’s Facebook page from 1:45 – 2:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, and Sunday
TRACK LAYOUT: 2.320 km, 14-turn street course (5 left, 9 right)
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: 1 pole – Won Round 6 in Paris from pole / 2 wins – 1st in Round 3 in Hong Kong to
become the first American to win on an ABB Formula E weekend, 1st in Paris
RLL’S BEST START/ FINISH IN SERIES: 1st – Mexico City (Legge), Paris (Sellers) / 1st – Mexico City (Legge), Hong Kong & Paris (Sellers)
NOTES & QUOTES:
HOME RACE FOR RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING AND JAGUAR USA
Round 9 and 10 of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will close the inaugural season of the championship at “home” for Team USA’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL). 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 three of the eight 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 and a win by Bryan Sellers from pole in Paris to become the first repeat winner in series history.
TITLE CONTENDER SELLERS AND FIFTH PLACE LEGGE LOOK TO CLOSE eTROPHY SEASON STRONG
Bryan Sellers enters the season-finale doubleheader as a championship contender from second place in the standings with 101 to leader Sergio Jimenez’s 107. He led the series standings heading into Round 8 of 10 in Berlin but dropped to second with 101 points to new leader Sergio Jimenez after finishing fourth in the race. The top-four drivers in the standings are within 20 points and therefore are contenders mathematically. Caca Bueno is third with 91 points, Simon Evans is fourth with 87 and Katherine Legge is fifth with 67. As five different drivers have won the eight races to date with Sellers and Bueno being the only repeat winners so far with two wins for Sellers and three for Bueno, the championship fight is wide open. In the event of a tie-breaker, the driver with the most wins prevails. If they are tied in wins, second-place finishes would be considered, and then third.
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON THE SEASON SO FAR
“The highlight for me is definitely the Mexico win,” said Legge. The season started off well and now I think we are missing a bit on setup so it’s been a challenge to find what that is.”
“I have really enjoyed the season so far,” added Sellers. “I feel like Jaguar has done a great job at putting the program together. For a first attempt at a race series, I can’t actually imagine it operating at a higher level than what it is. I would say the highlight of the season so far has been Paris. That was an event where our backs were up against a wall in terms of pace not being quite fast enough, and having to get the job done, and we were able to do it.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON HOW THE CAR, SERIES AND DRIVERS HAVE EVOLVED THIS SEASON
“It has been a learning year for sure,” said Legge. “The car was so new and unique to everyone that it’s been a fun journey of discovery for all of us. I think we are much more aware of our strengths, weaknesses and what we need to improve now.”
“I think the evolution of every driver has been huge,” added Sellers. “I think as the series has progressed you have seen all of us change and adapt to the cars. If we did a replay of Saudi Arabia, you would see the lap times be much quicker based on driving alone. We have had to adapt to the cars, the race format, and the race series.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON THE TITLE FIGHT AND APPROACH TO THE WEEKEND
“I will help Bryan win the championship if I can for sure, but we are still both trying to get the best results we can,” said Legge. “Winning is the top of my priority list! I am hoping we are competitive again. We have missed something the last few races and we need to find out what that is in order to compete with the Brazilians.”
“I will approach the weekend the exact same way as all other weekends and try and execute to the best of my ability. I fully expect that we will be competitive and fight for the race win. Without a doubt this will be the most difficult weekend, but I think we are up for the challenge.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON PREPARATION FOR THE SEASON-FINALE
“We watch video and study the info that’s available to us to prepare for each race,” said Legge. “Then we walk the track as much as we can and discus the track and the setup in detail.”
“I think the preparation for this race is key,” added Sellers. “I will watch the Formula E race again from last year and analyze it to the best of my ability and study the track to gain as much knowledge as possible. Once we get on site we will have the opportunity to do a track walk to help cement the things we’ve learned.”
KATHERINE ON THE CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS OF A DOUBLEHEADER
“It’s two chances to get it right for the win at the end of the season. There is more track time and opportunity to get the setup right. The tight schedule is something I think we are used to.”
BRYAN ON THE LAYOUT FOR THE NEW YORK E PRIX
“I think the track layout looks great! It’s always difficult to put together a street course, but it looks like they have done a great job and I’m looking forward to driving it.”
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.