Round 3 of 10 in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY
Hong Kong E-Prix – Hong Kong, China
Pre-Race Notes
NEWS & NOTES
DATE: March 9-10, 2019
QUALIFYING BROADCAST: Streamed live on Jaguar Racing’s Facebook channel. Local time 8:35-9:05 a.m. on Sunday, March 10 (7:35–8:05 p.m. ET Saturday)
RACE BROADCAST: Live on FS2 at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, March 10 (1 a.m. ET on Sunday)
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.850km, 9-turn road course
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.
LEGGE’S BEST START / FINISH IN HONG KONG: First race in Hong Kong
BRYAN SELLERS’ BEST SERIES START / FINISH: Started 2nd in Saudi Arabia and Mexico City / 2nd in Mexico City
SELLERS’ BEST START / FINISH IN HONG KONG: First race in Hong Kong
RLL’S BEST START/ FINISH IN SERIES: 1st / 1st – both in Mexico City by Katherine Legge
RLL’S BEST START / FINISH IN HONG KONG: First race in Hong Kong
NOTES & QUOTES:
FIRST RACE IN CHINA FOR RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING
Round 3 of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will mark the team’s first race in China. 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. The team is carrying momentum from a 1-2 finish in Round 2 in Mexico City by Legge and Sellers and brought them two wins in a row after the team’s IMSA sports car program won the GTLM class of the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 27.
LEGGE LEADS THE POINT STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 2 OF 10 AND SELLERS IS TIED FOR SECOND
Katherine Legge leads the series standings with a total of 27 points after Round 2. Sellers is in a three-way tie for second place with Round 1 winner Simon Evans and Sérgio Jimenez with 26 points.
RECAP OF MEXICO CITY
Legge set the fastest time in Mexico City in the first-ever series qualifying session after Round 1 was rained out in Saudi Arabia. In the race, she held the lead throughout the action-packed 25-minute-plus-1-lap event that included multiple incidents. Early on, Legge and Sellers pulled away from the field and built a five second lead. Legge took the checkered flag 0.4-seconds ahead of Sellers and the two had an eight second lead over third. She became the first female to win a professional electric racing event. In qualifying, Sellers had set the second fastest time but with two laps to go, his left rear tire was punctured and was unable to continue his attempt. For the race, he was forced to use a tire that he ran in Saudi Arabia. In the race, he held off a charging Salvador Duran while remaining close to Legge and soon thereafter the two pulled away and built a lead of up to five seconds over third place while cars battled behind them. By the end of the race, Sellers was eight seconds ahead of third place Sergio Jimenez and had set the fastest lap of the race.
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON THE STRONG TEAM PERFORMANCE IN MEXICO CITY
“For us it was a clockwork race weekend,” said Legge. “I again used less battery than anticipated and we had no issues. It was nice to go back to Mexico City after racing there 10 years ago. We are very fortunate to be supported by the best team with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and our crew are awesome. Without them we would not be as competitive for sure.”
“I thought the Mexico City race was nearly perfect,” added Sellers. “The team had a great result and we were able to put good points into the bank. I felt like qualifying was hugely important to our result and Katherine and I made good decisions along with our crew on when to go out and try and do the lap. The cars performed great through the race.”
TEAM CO-OWNER BOBBY RAHAL ON RLL’S PERFORMANCE
Bobby Rahal attended the series debut of the 10-race Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in December but had to return to the United States for another commitment before race time. His first race to see in person was a dominant 1-2 finish by the team in Mexico City. He will be in St. Petersburg, Fla. for the NTT IndyCar Series season-opener on the same date but will be watching the action.
“Mexico City was really the perfect weekend. Pole, one-two on the starting grid, then one-two in the race, set the fastest race lap; we pretty much did it all. Katherine did a great job and Bryan was a great teammate. It’s been a pleasure to work with the two of them. I think everyone was pleased to come away from that event with the success we had and we were happy to deliver it to Jaguar USA. Of course now we return to a street circuit which is going to present a different look than Mexico City did but will be much more in line with what we had in Saudi Arabia. We have great support by our two mechanics and our relationship with the rotating engineers is quite good. I think the drivers are also getting a better understanding of the cars. I’m hopeful we can have as good a weekend as we had at the last one. We’ll give it our best shot.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON WHETHER THEY EXPECTED A RACE AS “EXCITING” AS TOOK PLACE IN MEXICO
“It is difficult to know what to expect when the series is so new so I didn’t really have any expectations,” said Legge. “However, I wasn’t expecting that Bryan and I were lucky enough to have a gap!”
“It was very much what I expected prior to the race,” added Sellers. “Katherine and I spoke of the importance of trying to get out front and set a reasonable pace to try and avoid any drama that may occur behind us. We were super fortunate to miss out on the accidents behind.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON THE ATMOSPHERE IN MEXICO CITY AND ON THE PODIUM
“The Mexican crowd is always such passionate and enthusiastic race fans and it’s a pleasure to race for them,” said Legge. “The facility was also very organized which makes our lives easier.”
“The fans and the crowd were phenomenal,” added Sellers. “The Mexico City fans were beyond knowledgeable, and were extremely accommodating. The podium was one of the better ceremonies I have been a part of. With the stage placed the way it was, it allowed us to really interact with the fans and share such a special moment with all of them.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF RACE WEEKENDS
“I think qualifying, even more than anything else, will be key,” said Legge. “It’s so tough to pass without making contact that I think the biggest challenge will be working out how to be fast early and qualify well.”
“The biggest challenge seems to be the timing,” added Sellers. “Figuring out when and how to get your lap done at the most appropriate time during the session is very important. It seems to be an ever moving target. Adaptability seems to be key.”
BRYAN ON THE HONG KONG LAYOUT
“All the Formula E circuits seem to be very distinct in their layout and Hong Kong is no different. I have really enjoyed all the tracks so far and can’t wait to give Hong Kong a run.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON LOOKING FORWARD TO HONG KONG
“I have never been to Hong Kong but it’s somewhere I have always wanted to visit,” said Legge. “I’m very much looking forward to it. The Formula E drivers have a lot of good things to say about it.”
“I have never been but I love going places with culture,” added Sellers. “One of the coolest things about the I-PACE races are the locations. I am really looking forward to learning more about Hong Kong.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON THE GROWTH OF THE SERIES
“I think the fan involvement is increasing and I think RLL’s involvement is increasing awareness,” said Legge. “The results we produced in Mexico City certainly got some great feedback. It really motivates you to try and make sure the success continues.”
“I think it garnished a lot more attention than we were expecting early on and I think it will only gain momentum in the future,” added Sellers.
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.