Adam Sinclair

Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of traveling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week.

Adam spent several years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.

Be sure to tune in for his sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place (almost) every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.

Contact Adam: Email

Racing News

Andretti Jourdain Autosport joins the Super Copa Championship

Monday, Feb 15

Andretti Autosport is headed south to join forces with Michel Jourdain in the Super Copa Championship. The newly formed Andretti Jourdain Autosport team will be based in Mexico and contest the No. 1 car in the championship’s Touring Car division.

This new endeavor marks a seventh motorsport discipline for Andretti’s U.S.-based brand that already competes in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, and IMSA LMP3 Prototype Challenge, in addition to operating internationally in the FIA Formula E Championship, Extreme E and Australian Supercars.

“This is a really exciting, new opportunity for Andretti Autosport,” said Chairman and CEO Michael Andretti. “We’re rapidly growing and expanding our global efforts and racing in Mexico is a great next step in our evolution. Not only can this bring opportunities for the technical and commercial operations of the team, but this can also help foster new, diverse racing talent for our other racing platforms as well.”

“Michel has always been a great competitor, and a talented driver,” added Andretti. “I can’t think of anyone better to enter into this partnership with. I can’t wait to see Andretti Jourdain Autosport in action in the Super Copa series.”

Jourdain began racing in 1988 in the Mexican Formula Junior formula and raced in Mexico until joining INDYCAR competition via ChampCar in 1996, where he raced for nine seasons, completed 152 races and collected two wins. The Mexican-native also raced in the NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, A1GP, WTCC, PWRC, IMSA, ALMS, and has been racing back in Mexico since 2014 where he won the 2020 Copa Mercedes Championship.

“I am extremely happy to be doing this partnership with Michael and the Andretti Autosport team,” said Jourdain. “I think we have so much in common as both families have been in racing for so long. I am a huge Andretti fan from Mario, Michael, Marco and also with John, where I was lucky to be his teammate when I went to NASCAR. I always enjoyed racing with Michael, he was a great champion, so fast and fair on the track. I have been really impressed with what he has accomplished now as a team owner in all the series where he is involved. It is big honor that he chooses us and Super Copa to launch his team into Mexico. We will do our best to make him proud and to keep the Andretti name winning. I want to thank Michael, JF and everyone at the Andretti Autosport organization. I look forward to building on a great relationship for many years to come.”

Super Copa, the Mexican National Championship that started in 2011, currently runs four classes of competition encompassing of Freightliner Semitrucks, Touring Cars, Mexbike 600 and Formula 1800. The 2021 season will feature eight races, taking place in Guadalajara, Aguascalientes, León, Querétaro, Monterrey, Puebla, San Luis Potosí and Mexico City.

Racing News

Harley-Davidson Announces Contingency Support for Mission SuperTwins

Monday, Feb 15

Harley-Davidson announced today a restructured contingency program to include Progressive American Flat Track's Mission® SuperTwins class. Following a near-flawless season that brought an AFT Production Twins championship to this historic brand, the Milwaukee-based manufacturer has posted a package totaling over $250,000 of support distributed among both twin-cylinder classes of Progressive AFT.

“With the start of the 2021 Progressive AFT season just a month away, Harley-Davidson’s rider support contingency program is a real boost for all teams planning to campaign on XG750R’s this year," said Michael Lock, CEO of Progressive AFT. ”We welcome Haley-Davidson’s continued support for Progressive American Flat Track and we are proud of our association with this famous brand across many decades. 2021 represents new opportunities for XG750R mounted riders in both Twins classes and we are anticipating exciting stories throughout the season.”

Harley-Davidson has been synonymous with flat track racing since the inception of the sport. Throughout the golden era of pro flat track, powerhouse Harley-Davidson dealerships from around the country scored hundreds of wins aboard the legendary XR750.

With defending 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion James Rispoli charging his wicked fast Latus Motors Racing XG750R in the Mission SuperTwins class, and with several high-powered XGs entered to compete throughout the season in AFT Production Twins, there are sure to be several H-D-mounted rider appearances in victory lane ahead.

“We look forward to the 2021 AFT racing season and we’re proud to continue the tradition and legacy of Harley-Davidson supporting Flat Track racing and our dealers’ efforts in the sport,” said Jon Bekefy, Harley-Davidson GM Brand Marketing.

Riders mounted on the Harley-Davidson XG750R in the Mission SuperTwins class are eligible for their piece of a $200,500 total contingency package for Progressive AFT's premier class. Winners of each event will be awarded $4,000, with bonuses being awarded through tenth place. Add to that a championship bonus of $25,000 and pilots of the XG750R can be looking at some massive perks in 2021. The per-event payout for Mission SuperTwins will be broken down as follows:

$4,000
$2,000
$1,000
$800
$750
$500
$250
$200
150
100

With $1,000 awarded to XG750R riders for each AFT Production Twins race win plus a $12,500 championship bonus on the line, the contingency package offered by Harley-Davidson is sure to heat up the on-track action next season. A total of $53,450 will be up for grabs to XG750R riders in AFT Production Twins in 2021. The per-event payout will be broken down as follows:

$1,000
$500
$325
$250
$200

The 2021 Progressive AFT season kicks off with a Volusia Half-Mile doubleheader event at Volusia Speedway Park on Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13, 2021. Tickets for this season-opening extravaganza are on sale now at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3321/#raceSchedule.

For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.

Racing News

Motul Named the “Official Motor Oil” of the Trans Am Series

Monday, Feb 15

Motul, a company known around the world for producing high-quality performance motor oils and industrial lubricants, joined the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli in a long-term partnership as the “Official Motor Oil” of the series.

“Like Trans Am, Motul is a brand with such a rich history in motorsports,” said Trans Am Race Company President John Clagett. “Its premium motor oil is an ideal match for the Trans Am competitors.”

The French lubricant company has been a dedicated technical partner in motorsport since the 1950s, representing some of the finest teams and drivers in racing history. The partnership with Trans Am will grow Motul’s global programs that focus on sportscars and road racing.

“Motul is excited to grow its global connection to motorsports with the support of Trans Am,” said Nolan Browning, Brand Manager Motul USA. “With our focus expanding Motul’s product offerings for the classic and Domestic market in North America, this opportunity was a perfect fit.”

Throughout the years, Motul has continued to push new technological development in motorsports, currently supporting teams in international competitions such as: 24 Hours of Le Mans, Best in the Desert, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Super GT, Formula Drift, World of Outlaws, Pikes Peak, Dakar, MotoGP, World Superbike, World MX, FIM Endurance World Championship, IOM TT, among others.

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli kicks off its 2021 season with Motul at Sebring International Raceway as part of the Sebring SpeedTour Feb. 19-21. The event will be live streamed from the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App. (Download App)

Racing News

NHRA announces Right on the Number program

Thursday, Feb 11

NHRA and Right Trailers, Inc. have teamed up to announce the “Right on the Number” program, a three-year agreement beginning this season.

The “Right on the Number” program, sponsored by Right Trailers, plans to award a $1,000 cash prize to any sportsman racer (or split between racers) who run their index or dial-in during a winning round of competition during an NHRA national event.

"Right Trailers has been a part of sportsman drag racing since our inception in 2004," said Michael Scott, Right Trailers, Inc. President. "I attended the NHRA Gatornationals for the first time in 1983 and I guess you could say I was hooked to the sport. As a sportsman racer, I value the time, money and effort that every sportsman racer puts into their car to be competitive on race day. Right Trailers is excited to monetarily support the sportsman racers and provide every racer with access to a full line of cargo trailers, dump trailers, equipment trailers, race trailers, and stacker trailers nationwide.”

Sportsman racers from across the country will flock to the 52nd annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, March 11-14, for their first chance at the “Right on the Number” award and an ever-coveteded NHRA Wally trophy.

(Courtesy of NHRA Communications)

Racing News

Vintco announces partnership with SVRA

Thursday, Feb 11

Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) announced today that Vintco joined its growing business partners list. Vintco is now the “Official Vintage Motorcycle Parts Company” of SVRA.

"It’s great to have Vintco, a company that shares our appreciation of vintage racing machines as a business partner," said Tony Parella, SVRA President and CEO. "Their top executive, Curt Leaverton, races with us regularly. In fact, he won the national champion’s Gold Helmet in his Group 7 1974 Lola T294 at COTA last year."

Vintco helps vintage motorcycle riders keep their bikes going and get back on track. The company focused exclusively on the vintage market at its founding nearly 30 years ago, making connecting rods for Ossa and Bultaco motorcycles. They quickly expanded into manufacturing rods, crankshafts, bearing kits, cylinders, and pistons for all modern dirt bikes. Vintco now has many years of engineering and practical design experience in extremely high-horsepower modern engines. Vintco leverages that expertise in manufacturing components for the vintage market. The company makes a wide range of new, high-quality components to help customers with maintenance or full-restoration projects.

Vintco is headquartered in Indianola, Iowa, where the team rides and tests motorcycles as often as they can. The company is easily followed on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

"I know Vintco is a perfect fit with SVRA, because I am a member and race in their events," said Leaverton. "Whether it’s two wheels or four, we share the same DNA. Our vintage machines truly are works of art – and we don’t want to merely collect them, we want to race them."

Vintco joins other top-brand companies on the growing list of SVRA partners. Among them are Jaguar, Land Rover, NetJets, Sunoco, Avis, Mazda Motorsports, Lucas Oil, Big Machine Vodka, TireRack.com, RACELOGIC, Mission Foods, Hawk Performance, F.A.S.T., and Marathon Coach. SVRA's nationwide platform is at the heart of the organization's growth strategy. Agreements with powerful brands combine with the significant participation of legendary professional drivers and the paddock's high net worth demographic for more partnership attraction. This strategy provides three pillars for business expansion. Company officials report consistent annual triple-digit growth since 2012.

Speedway News

Tickets on sale for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals

Thursday, Feb 11

NHRA, Brainerd International Raceway and Lucas Oil Products teamed up to announce the renewal of Lucas Oil as the title sponsor of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, held Aug. 18-22.

NHRA fans flock to Brainerd International Raceway every year for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. The event sees racing action and some of the best camping on the NHRA tour. “The Zoo,” provides camaraderie for racegoers and racers alike.

“We are very excited to see Lucas Oil’s continued sponsorship of the annual NHRA race at Brainerd International Raceway, which has always been one of the most thrilling events of the season,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA Vice President and Chief Development Officer. “Lucas Oil has been a tremendous partner for many years with a strong passion for the sport and NHRA drag racing.”

"We are excited and thrilled to extend our partnership with Brainerd International Raceway and the NHRA,” said Brandon Bernstein, Lucas Oil Director of Partnership Marketing. “This race is a fan favorite on the circuit and the Lucas Family enjoys coming every year. The Lucas Oil Nationals has become a tradition at Lucas Oil Products. We hope to keep the tradition going for many years to come."

While attending the 2021 Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, fans will be treated to thrilling racing action from the nitro-burning Top Fuel and Funny Car classes, whose drivers reach speeds of over 330 mph in less than four seconds. The fan favorite E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service is a must-see class as well as the thrilling Factory Stock Showdown and Top Fuel Harley Series. Also in competition over the course of the weekend will be sportsman racers in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, fighting for their shot to take home a coveted NHRA Wally trophy.

Kids 12 and under are free with a paid adult at the event. To purchase reserved seats or general admission, fans can visit NHRA.com/tickets.

(Courtesy of NHRA Communications)

Racing News

Simon Gregg to honor father with Peter Gregg Foundation, Gallery

Thursday, Feb 11

Second-generation Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli driver Simon Gregg announced the formation of the Peter Gregg Foundation and Peter Gregg Gallery, paying tribute to his father, an American sports car legend.

The Foundation will foster the careers of aspiring engineers by providing mentorship and roles with current contending race teams.

“I’m starting a foundation, the Peter Gregg Foundation,” Simon Gregg. “The Foundation will have an annual contest that will award five scholarships to deserving young people who have an interest in working on high-performance sports cars. We’re looking to find our future mechanics and engineers.

“We have a nice long list of professionals, everything from drivers to team owners to mechanics and pit crewmen, who will act as mentors for the scholarship winners,” Gregg added.

The Foundation will be headquartered in Jacksonville, and will open the scholarship contest on March 1. The winners will be announced in late spring, and will be taken to Jacksonville where they will work with their mentors on a Porsche for three months to get it race ready. That car will be auctioned off, while the scholarship winners will each go off to a private team or shop to help further their careers. That list will be announced at the beginning of the contest.

Simon Gregg also announced the opening of the Peter Gregg Gallery, which will be officially launched at the end of February with a combined in-person and virtual ceremony. The Gallery includes several of the elder Gregg’s cars that have been restored by his son, including a pair of nice street Porsches and a Lola Can-Am car.

Peter Gregg won the Trans Am title in 1973 and 1974, winning three races and placing second three times in a Porsche Carrera. He won his final two Trans Am races at Road America and Laguna Seca in a Porsche 935 in 1979, giving him 22 victories in 54 starts. He also won six career IMSA championships and was a six-time winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona – an event he won overall four times.

For additional information, please visit the website: www.petergreggfoundation.com.

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli kicks off its 2021 season at Sebring International Raceway as part of the Sebring SpeedTour Feb. 19-21. The event will be live streamed from the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App. (Download App)

Photo Credits

Fischer 1977 at Road Atlanta: the Bob Fischer collection at the International Motor Racing Research Center
Head Shot: IMSA collection at the International Motor Racing Research Center

Racing News

New Race Director for Mazda MX-5 Cup, Porsche Carrera Cup North America Hits Ground Running

Thursday, Feb 11

By Mark Robinson

IMSA Wire Service

Talk about baptism under fire, Randy Buck must have felt just that in his debut as an IMSA official.

Named Race Director for two race series under IMSA sanction for the first time in 2021 – the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires and the Porsche Carrera Cup North America – Buck’s first race overseeing MX-5 Cup came down to a donnybrook finish. The top seven finishers at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 28 clicked across the finish line separated by less than four-tenths of a second. The second- and third-place cars were a mere one-thousandth of a second apart.

But with a wealth of experience guiding drivers of all age and skill levels, Buck took it in stride and directed a flawless MX-5 Cup doubleheader to open the season. The longtime racing instructor, coach and official did admit, though, that the end of the second MX-5 Cup race at Daytona, which finished under a full-course yellow a day later, made his work a bit less frenzied.

“I was probably the only person that was a little happy with how it ended under caution, just because there was less drama,” Buck said with a chuckle. “It was shaping up to be another (wild finish).”

Buck’s background made him an ideal candidate for IMSA. He’s spent three decades as a racing instructor with the Skip Barber and Lucas Oil racing schools. While at Skip Barber, the Californian took on race director duties for some of its series. For the last four years, he was race director for the Porsche Sprint Trophy USA West series. He’s also been a driver coach for more than a decade, notably in the Ferrari Challenge North America series also sanctioned by IMSA.

Mark Raffauf, IMSA Senior Director of Racing Operations, said all that know-how made Buck the right fit to oversee the two vastly different series. MX-5 Cup is an entry-level endeavor while Carrera Cup is in the middle of Porsche’s highly competitive global motorsports development chain.

“He is just the right guy,” Raffauf said of Buck. “He has the right skill sets, personality and can handle everything from the younger, less experienced drivers just starting out to those who have years of experience. He can cover the gamut of the personalities and the type of people that you have to deal with in those two series.”

Buck said the role of a race director is to “solve all of the personnel and personality conflicts that can arise in policing what happens during a race.” He added that his background as a racer, instructor, coach and official has taught him to approach every ruling or decision as an educational opportunity.

“There are rules and penalties involved when the rules get broken,” he said, “but it’s more than just black and white – ‘this was the rule and this is what the penalty is.’ It’s how you explain it. My goal has always been to make it a learning experience, not just a punitive thing.

“Having been a racer myself in my early career and been involved in coaching racers for most of my career, I’m eminently aware of the other side of what a race director’s decisions impact and how they come across,” Buck continued. “So I always make sure that it’s fair, that I have a reason for doing it, that I believe in the reason I’m doing it, and that I try and be consistent in anything and everything I do.”

The MX-5 Cup is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports, with all competitors racing fourth-generation Mazda MX-5s converted from road cars into race cars. Porsche Carrera Cup North America joins existing Carrera Cup series around the world to give the German manufacturer a true global footprint with the series. Competitors use the latest-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car based on the current 992 generation.

Buck is in for a dose of double duty at the upcoming Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts weekend, March 17-20. Carrera Cup is set to debut with a pair of races at Sebring, while MX-5 Cup announced this week that it will also conduct two races on the famous Florida road course that was formerly an airfield.

If calling four races and all their preliminary sessions is unnerving, Buck isn’t showing it.

“There were a couple (times when both MX-5 Cup and Carrera Cup were) on the schedule later in the year anyways, so it was going to happen,” he said. “Now it’s just a little earlier. I expect that the racetrack at Sebring is going to be fun for both the Carrera Cup and for MX-5. It should be pretty exciting.”

eRacing News

Eves, Esterson Score TireRack.com eSeries Wins in Detroit

Thursday, Feb 11

The second event on the TireRack.com Road to Indy iRacing eSeries Presented by Cooper Tires schedule once again saw a pair of winners as Braden Eves and Max Esterson took the checkered flags following a dramatic double-header on a virtual rendition of the always challenging The Raceway at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Mich.

Eves, from New Albany, Ohio, dominated the opening 20-minute race. The 2019 Cooper Tires USF2000 Champion led every lap and posted the fastest race lap for good measure to claim a maximum score of 33 points. His eventual margin of victory was 1.88 seconds over Esterson, although the teenager from Water Mill, N.Y., gained his revenge shortly afterward when he drove calmly through the field from ninth on the grid to take a comfortable victory in Race Two.

The two iRacing standouts took an early stranglehold on the Belle Isle Park streets as Eves secured the SimMetric Driver Performance Labs Pole Award by a few tenths of a second over Esterson. And while there was virtual carnage farther back amongst the competitive field, Eves and Esterson motored serenely away in the leading two positions. A series of fastest laps enabled Eves to stretch his advantage to two seconds with 10 laps in the books, and even when Esterson set a new benchmark lap with time ticking away, Eves rose to the challenge by establishing a new race lap record of 1:22.49 on the 13th and final lap.

A series of crashes on the opening lap saw teenaged karter Keawn Tandon, from Calabasas, Calif., vault from 10th on the grid to third, although he soon came under attack from an inspired Max Kaeser, from Cincinnati, Ohio, who had started way back in 16th. Kaeser, who finished fourth in Season 2 of the iRacing eSeries last summer, finally came out on top in their battle to fill the final podium position, leaving Tandon to settle for fourth.

Last year’s champion in the Lucas Oil Formula Car Series, Ely Navarro, from Fishers, Ind., kept his head while all around him seemed to be losing theirs by rising from 22nd to fifth. Navarro’s performance earned him the Sabelt Hard Charger Award – and a pair of Sabelt Hero racing gloves.

The top-10 finishers were inverted to set the starting grid for the nightcap race, which meant Timmy Pagliuso – coincidentally also from Fishers, Ind. – was meant to start from the pole. Unfortunately, some technical problems prevented him from taking up his starting position, which left Hayden Bradley, from St. Petersburg, Fla., and Bryson Morris, from Mount Juliet, Tenn., on the front row.

Last year’s Canadian F1600 champion, Mac Clark, from Campbellville, Ont., Canada, quickly moved into the lead from row two of the grid, although by the completion of the next lap Tandon continued his impressive form by working his way through into the lead despite having started in seventh. Morris followed in second, but it wasn’t long before Esterson was hot on his tail.

With Eves having fallen victim to an incident in the opening few yards of the race, Esterson knew this was his opportunity to open up a lead in the championship. He duly picked off Morris on Lap Six, then stalked Tandon menacingly before making his move cleanly under braking just three laps later.

Esterson asserted his superiority with a series of stunningly consistent lap times – four of the last five all within just five-hundredths of a second of each other – to cement the victory.

Englishman Toby Sowery also was on a charge following a disappointing first race which had left him 11th on the grid for Race Two. The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires driver eventually found a way past Tandon with three laps remaining, and was only 2.7 seconds adrift of Esterson at the checkered flag.

Tandon, who didn’t take part in the opening two races last week at Road America, capped an excellent return to the Road to Indy iRacing eSeries by finishing third ahead of Josh Green, from Mount Kisco, N.Y., who also rebounded well from a poor result earlier in the evening. Fellow USF2000 competitor Simon Sikes, from Augusta, Ga., completed the top five, despite starting way back in 20th.

Esterson, who also won the opening race of the season last week at Road America, now holds a relatively comfortable 18-point advantage as the 10-race series continues with another double-header event next Wednesday evening, February 17, on a virtual rendition of the 0.894-mile Iowa Speedway oval in Newton, Iowa.

Provisional championship points after four of 10 races:

1. Max Esterson, 98

2. Braden Eves, 80

3. Josh Green, 62

4. Benjamin Pedersen, 59

5. Mac Clark, 59

6. Bryson Morris, 56

7. Toby Sowery, 46

8. Max Kaeser, 46

9. Michael Myers, 46

10. Keawn Tandon, 41.

Max Esterson (#42 Max Papis Innovations/Amity Search Partners Tatuus PM-18): “I was just trying to survive Lap 1 honestly. It was a big traffic jam and I avoided two or three wrecks. I picked my way through slowly and didn’t make any big moves and it worked out. I was just more patient this time. I knew I had time on my side. I think I was in third with 13 minutes to go so I had plenty of time to make two passes.

“The track was a little slippery but I think with the setup, we were dragging quite a bit, scraping the floor, so when you hit the brake, it would drag and understeer. Once you got on the throttle, the nose would lift to have some clearance and then it would oversteer. I think that was part of the issue. And just driving behind people was super tough with the aero push.”

Toby Sowery (#51 m-start/Kumpf-Juncos Racing Tatuus PM-18): “Race Two was good; good fun. I think I was shaking more than I ever had anywhere before. I don’t know what it is about sim racing, but my legs go to jelly. I am no specialist on the simulator so it is a little bit of me being ropey. With the setup, it was a little bit challenging and there was a lot of bottoming in the car so you would get unexpected moments of understeer and oversteer and that’s what set Race One off. I think it was a little bit of me as well as the car.”

Racing News

DS Automobiles commits to Gen3 era of ABB FIA Formula E World Championship

Thursday, Feb 11

DS Automobiles has today announced that it has committed to the Gen3 era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship starting in Season 9.

The sole French manufacturer on the Formula E grid, DS Automobiles has been involved since Season 2, partnering with Chinese racing team TECHEETAH since the start of the Gen2 era in Season 5. Together, the duo has become a formidable force, claiming two consecutive driver and teams’ championships, seven race wins and 15 podiums to date.

DS Automobiles is the only competitor to have produced two different driver champions. French driver and DS E-TENSE ambassador Jean-Eric Vergne took the title in Season 4 and 5. His Portuguese team-mate, Antonio Felix da Costa, is reigning champion. The pair will look to make history once again behind the wheel of the DS E-TENSE FE20 in Season 7 this year.

Formula E enables DS Automobiles to promote its electrification strategy, contributing to it becoming the car manufacturer with the lowest CO2 average emissions in Europe in 2020. The race-to-road technology transfer can also be traced in the fully-electric DS 3 CROSSBACK and the DS 7 CROSSBACK, DS 4 and DS 9 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

The work that Formula E and the FIA have done to shape the Gen3 era focuses on delivering a new generation of progress both as a sport, reaffirming Formula E’s position as the pinnacle of electric racing, and in the future of electric mobility. Gen3 will bring performance and efficiency benefits including more powerful, lighter cars, faster charging and cost controls, all increasing the competitive and unpredictable racing Formula E has become known for.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF FORMULA E

JAMIE REIGLE

"DS Automobiles was one of the first manufacturers to join Formula E when teams began developing the powertrains of their racing cars and it is inspiring to see the extensive fleet of electric vehicles they have introduced to the streets since. I am delighted that Formula E's only back-to-back double champions have secured a place on the grid for Season 9 as it reaffirms Formula E’s position as a technology proving ground and marketing platform for the world’s leading automotive manufacturers. We look forward to breaking new ground during the next phase of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with DS Automobiles."

DS AUTOMOBILES DIRECTOR GENERAL

BÉATRICE FOUCHER

"Electrification is at the core of DS Automobiles’ global strategy. We have been the first premium car maker to enter Formula E and our brand has significantly benefitted from the work and the successes of DS Performance, both in terms of development and brand awareness. If today DS Automobiles is the multienergy constructor with the lowest average of CO2 emissions in Europe, it is also thanks to the expertise acquired in Formula E. Extending our commitment to 2026 will offer us new opportunities to continue our development work!"

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will make its Season 7 debut in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia with two night races, at 17:00 GMT (20:00 local time) on February 26 & 27.

Audiences can plug in and follow the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube. @FIAFormulaE #ABBFormulaE

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Adam Sinclair

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