Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Round 2 of 10 in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY Series
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Pre-Race Notes
NEWS & NOTES:
DATE: February 15-16, 2019
QUALIFYING BROADCAST: Streamed live on Jaguar Racing’s Facebook and Twitter channels. Saturday, February 16 from 8:35 AM – 9:05 AM CT
RACE BROADCAST: Live on FS2 at 2 PM CT on Saturday, February 16. Also streamed live on Jaguar Racing’s Facebook and Twitter channels beginning at 2 PM CT.
TRACK LAYOUT: 2.093km, 17-turn road course
RACE LENGTH: 25 minutes + 1 lap
KATHERINE LEGGE’S BEST SERIES START/FINISH: When qualifying was rained out in Saudi Arabia, Legge started 9th after a practice crash and finished 6th.
LEGGE’S BEST START/FINISH IN MEXICO CITY: Competed in the 2006 and 2007 Champ Car races here with PKV Racing and Dale
Coyne Racing, respectively, with a best start of 13th and best finish of 15th (electrical).
BRYAN SELLERS’ BEST SERIES START/FINISH: Started 2nd and finished 3rd in Round 1 in Saudi Arabia.
SELLERS’ BEST START/ FINISH IN MEXICO CITY: First race here.
RLL’S BEST START/ FINISH IN SERIES: Second / third – by Sellers in Saudi Arabia.
RLL’S BEST START/ FINISH IN MEXICO CITY: Fifth by Jimmy Vasser in 2002 / Fourth by Michel Jourdain Jr. in 2003; two races.
NOTES & QUOTES:
THIRD RACE AT AUTODROMO HERMANOS RODRIGUEZ FOR RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING
Round 2 of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will mark the team’s third race overall at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. The team competed in Champ Car World Series events at the track in 2002 (Michel Jourdain Jr. and Jimmy Vasser) and 2003 (Jourdain Jr.) with a best start of fifth place by Vasser in 2002 and best finish of fourth place by Jourdain Jr. in 2003. The track has been altered for Formula E and, at over 25000m above sea level, it is not only the highest in the Formula E calendar but also one of the highest in the world. 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.
RECAP OF SAUDI ARABIA
In the series debut, Bryan Sellers set the fastest time in the shake down on Friday and was second fastest to Simon Evans in practice by a slim -0.01 margin. After the field was set by practice times due to heavy rain on Saturday, he started second to Evans in the race. After the warmup lap, Evans missed his slot for the standing start and the field circled the course again, which resulted in the race being reduced from 25-to-23 minutes + 1 lap. Once the race began, Sellers pulled alongside the rear of Evans’s car but was unable to make a pass. As the race went on, he remained -0.1 behind Evans the majority of the time while looking for an opportunity to pass. With two laps to go, third place Jimenez passed Sellers for position and he took the checkered flag in third on the next lap. It was the first electric race for the reigning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD champion. After having set the fourth fastest time in the 30-minute shake down on Friday, Katherine Legge brushed the wall early in the practice session after having set the ninth fastest time and pitted early for repairs. When heavy rains overnight forced the cancelation of the morning qualifying session, the starting field was set by practice times. In the race, she passed Bin-Khanen for eighth place then set the fastest lap of the race in the first six minutes. With 12 minutes to go, she passed Alesayi, then Rzadzinski for sixth place. She set the fastest lap of the race two more times before taking the checkered flag in sixth place. It was her third electric car race after competing in the first two Formula E races with Amlin Aguri in the 2014/2015. The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race marked the first time women competed against men in a race in Saudi Arabia. Legge was joined by Célia Martin and VIP driver Alice Powell in the race.
TEAM CO-OWNER BOBBY RAHAL ON RLL’S ELECTRIC RACING PROGRAM
Bobby Rahal attended the series debut of the 10-race Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in December. He is optimistic that the team will be contenders at Mexico City.
“Our first race brought mixed results. Bryan had a good weekend. Of course it was disappointing to lose second place on the penultimate lap but he had a good run going. Katherine had a much more difficult weekend. She hit the wall in practice which ended up setting the starting grid when qualifying was canceled which caused her to start at the back of the pack. It was very hard to pass there so even though she had the fastest lap it was almost impossible for her to get to the front. Aside from that, everything seemed to operate pretty smoothly from a series standpoint so that was great. For the first eTROPHY race ever, it came off pretty much without a hitch despite the weather. For Mexico City, the track looks to be wider so passing may be not as much of a premium but it will all be about where you qualify I think. Because it is tough to pass in general, you’ve got to be there for qualifying and get a good position; top-two, top-three, and then have a good, hard race. So far it has gone pretty well and we are hoping for more of the same.”
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.
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON BUILDING ON THE EXPERIENCE GAINED IN RIYADH
“With Riyadh being the first race, there was much to be learnt that translates to a new approach coming to Mexico,” said Legge. “Now we are more aware of how the cars handle on a street course and also the simple things like format of the weekend. It’s settling to know the structure of the different elements, and that will improve from race to race. Whomever gets the hang of it the quickest will be champion this year I’m sure.”
“Riyadh was eye opening for many reasons,” added Sellers. “I felt like we were able to get a good result, but more importantly learn a lot about how the weekends would play out. We were able to see the scheduling and see the importance of how you run your weekend, work with the engineers and mechanics and more. I am really looking forward to Mexico and having another shot at it. Every weekend is a challenge. I am really looking forward to getting to Mexico City!”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON BATTERY LIFE, TIRE WEAR AND ETC.
“I was very impressed with the battery life and tyre degradation seemed non-existent which makes for a great race weekend, as you can push a lot more than we estimated to start in Riyadh,” said Legge. “I think Mexico will be a different track and surface so it will be interesting to see how these elements transpire for us.”
“The battery life was something that we had an idea about in terms of capacity,” added Sellers. “However, we didn’t know what it would be in true race conditions. The battery life was strong, and we actually could have had a longer race. The tires were really a non-issue. They had great longevity and we were able to do lap times at the end of the race faster than we had been the entire weekend.”
KATHERINE AND BRYAN ON WHAT THEY LEARNED IN RIYIDH
“There are a handful of very competent and competitive drivers, any one of which on his day can win races. Bryan and I work well together and I think this will be key at helping each other to rise to the top over the course of the season.”
“The race played out the way I expected. Everyone was tight on lap time and it was proved that it will be important to be in every single lap of every session.”
KATHERINE ON RETURNING TO RACE AT AUTODROMO HERMANOS RODRIGUEZ
“I have raced in Champ Car in Mexico City, and I believe some of the course will be the same – although it was over 10 years ago so I’m not sure it will help that much! The Mexican fans are very knowledgeable and passionate so I’m looking forward to going back there and experiencing the great atmosphere.”
KATHERINE’S THOUGHTS ON THE STANDING START
“I thought it was a good element for the fans and TV. I think it was pretty similar for everyone. The cars are all so close in performance it is tough to get the jump on anyone unless they make a mistake.”
BRYAN ON HIS DEBUT AT AUTODROME HERMANOS RODRIGUEZ
“I am really looking forward to this event. I have never raced in Mexico City, but I grew up watching Champ Car races there, and it has always been a place I’ve wanted to go.”
BOBBY RAHAL JAGUAR NAMED NO.1 JAGUAR DEALERSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES
Bobby Rahal Jaguar, part of the Bobby Rahal Automotive Group, was named the No. 1 rated Jaguar dealership in the US last week as part of the 2018/19 Pride of Jaguar Retailer Excellence Awards. Bobby Rahal Land Rover North Hills was rated No. 2 in the Land Rover Pinnacle Awards of Land Rover dealerships in the United States. The Pride of Jaguar Awards are given annually to retailers who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and the Jaguar brand. A total of 12 Jaguar retailers were selected based upon their top performance in core business categories including customer advocacy, sales and aftersales.“I am very proud of our team in Pittsburgh for all of the work for our customers and the work together as a team on behalf of Jaguar and Land Rover. That’s quite an accomplishment that I think is wonderful and exciting. We’ve been in the Top-10 before but never first so this is a big deal. To see your name above some big Jaguar dealerships makes you feel pretty good. I’m looking forward to maintaining that position for years to come.”