DS Virgin Racing is determined to show what it can do in Marrakesh, after missing the opportunity to win the season-opener in Hong Kong.

DS Virgin Racing is determined to show what it can do in Marrakesh, after missing the opportunity to win the season-opener in Hong Kong. For the team, round two is all about capitalising on the undoubted pace of the car and drivers to get points on the board.

Despite both cars qualifying on the second row of the grid in Hong Kong, DS Virgin Racing came away without scoring any points in the opening race of the 2016-17 Formula E season. The team is focused on rectifying this at the second round of the championship, as Formula E makes its debut in Africa at the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan.

Marrakesh is a track of significance to DS Virgin Racing, both to its drivers and engineers. “I’ve raced and won here three times before with the WTCC,” explains José María López. “It was a touch narrow. But then again, a Formula E car takes up less room than a WTCC car, so it should be a good fight.”

The team’s engineers have a history of racing and winning in Marrakesh and are confident this will give them an advantage. DS Virgin Racing’s track simulator testing has also revealed that the top achievable speed for a Formula E car is 210 km/h, faster than the WTCC’s 205 km/h.

The track is a dramatic departure from Hong Kong – twelve turns to Hong Kong’s nine and over half a kilometre longer. As the longest track on the Formula E calendar, the challenge for Marrakesh will be tactical battery preservation – something that Sam Bird displayed masterfully during Hong Kong, leading the pack for several laps before the car change.

This weekend’s Marrakesh ePrix coincides with the COP22 Summit: a meeting of the world’s leaders on sustainability and climate change. In tandem, DS Virgin Racing will be hosting an Innovation Summit in front of the team garage on 10 November, featuring international panellists discussing EVs and sustainable technology.

“We’ve gone to space, we’ve done biofuel flight and we were the first to go non-stop solo around the world. Virgin is all about making sustainability fast," states Team Principal Alex Tai. 

Pechito and Sam Bird arrive in Marrakesh with a point to prove after Hong Kong. “As far as I’m concerned, this is race one now. Let’s put points on the board,” explains Sam Bird.

Jaguar I-TYPE racecar makes first African appearance at the Moroccan ePrix, the first race on the African Continent.

• Jaguar I-TYPE racecar makes first African appearance at the Moroccan ePrix
• Panasonic Jaguar Racing hoping to build on solid start to the season on its second outing

From sweltering Hong Kong to the labyrinthine souks of Marrakesh – Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s second race in the 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship will offer a striking contrast thanks to the heady flavours of Morocco, as both the all-electric Jaguar I-TYPE and the series make their first appearances on the African continent on November 12.

The British manufacturer made a solid start to its motorsport return in October, but is hoping to use the lessons learned on the Hong Kong harbour-front street circuit for its second race. Britain’s Adam Carroll finished 12th in a hectic, safety-car interrupted race, while New Zealander Mitch Evans was forced into retirement by a technical issue.

The ‘Race to Innovate’, as Jaguar maintains the ethos created in the 1950s to bring major developments from the race track to the road, continues as the electric single-seater series reaches the final race of this calendar year. Carroll, 33, and Evans, 22, are hungry for a second taste of the 12-round Formula E championship, which concludes in Montreal in July 2017.

What have you and the team been up to since Hong Kong?

James Barclay, Team Director, Panasonic Jaguar Racing “Our first race left us with a lot of data to analyse which has been incredibly helpful for our engineers who have been requesting more information to accelerate our learning as a new team. Running the cars under race conditions was extremely valuable from a development point of view as all the information we can gather is key at this stage. Adam went over to Fuji for a round of the World Endurance Championship while the rest of us flew back to the UK.  Since then we have been undertaking simulation work in preparation for Marrakesh and both drivers have been in fitness training to prepare themselves for the warm conditions we expect the Marrakesh ePrix to serve up.”

The Marrakesh ePrix and Formula E is joining forces with the 22nd session of the Conference of Parties United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (COP22).  What do you think about this collaboration?

James Barclay “Panasonic Jaguar Racing is fully supportive of Formula E’s official partnership with COP22 for the inaugural Marrakesh ePrix.  We are Racing to Innovate through our involvement in the series and we are proud to showcase the all-electric I-TYPE racecar.  Jaguar Land Rover is committed to a future electrification strategy and we have some exciting plans to share very shortly.  It is great to be involved as the first premium manufacturer in the series.”

What impressed you most from your first Formula E race?

Adam Carroll, #47 “For me it was how busy the race was. It was elbows out from the first turn and everyone was fighting every second from start to finish. It was amazing racing and I literally can’t wait to do it all again in Marrakesh.”

How much did you have to adjust your driving style?

Mitch Evans, #20 “As always when you’re in a new car, you have to adjust your style a bit to figure out how to get the most out of the car. I’ve been working hard with the team to adapt my driving style to do that, particularly in regard to being efficient with energy management.”

What’s your take on the performance and energy consumption of the I-TYPE?

ME: “The I-TYPE is great to drive; it has incredible torque and is nothing like I’ve ever driven before. Our energy management was very positive in Hong Kong which is very impressive for a new team. There is still some speed to find as the season progresses but that’s part of finding our feet in the championship as a new team and with a new car.  We have a really exciting time ahead of us to see how much we can get out of the car before the season ends.”

How well have you got to know the team so far?

AC: “We had a good chance to bond as a team in Hong Kong so I now know everyone’s favourite Dim-Sum orders! Joking aside, all time spent together as a new team is extremely valuable as the better we know each other the better we will perform in stressful situations, which as a race team we will inevitably have.”

Jaguar will take part in the full calendar of races in next years FIA Formula e grand Prix, ending in New York City.

• “Home race” for Jaguar North America winds through Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood
• 1.21 mile race course includes iconic New York City backdrops of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty

Jaguar North America, headquartered in Mahwah, New Jersey, is excited to welcome the FIA Formula E Championship, the world’s first fully-electric racing series, to New York City.

At a press conference today in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, announced next year’s New York City ePrix double-header will be the first FIA-sanctioned open-wheel race to take place within the five boroughs of New York City in modern history.

Currently scheduled for July 29 and 30 of 2017, the two-day event will mark the final two rounds of the 2016/17 race calendar; winding its way along a 1.21 mile race course around Pier 11 and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal with iconic New York City backdrops that include lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Earlier this month, Jaguar announced its entry into the 2016/17 Formula E Championship with debut of the Jaguar I-TYPE 1 race car and the creation of Panasonic Jaguar Racing.

The brand’s return to top-level racing will push the boundaries of electric technology in a performance environment and underscores the importance of electric vehicles and alternative powertrains in the future product portfolio for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

In addition to the New York City ePrix, the 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship calendar includes 12 other races around the world, in Europe, North and South America, as well as Africa and Asia.

2016/17 FIA FORMULA E RACE SCHEDULE as of 09/21/16

R1	Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R	October 9	2016
R2	Marrakesh, Morocco	November 12	2016
R3	Buenos Aires, Argentina	February 18	2017
R4	Mexico City, Mexico	April 1	2017
R5	TBD	TBD	2017
R6	Monaco, Principality of Monaco	May 13	2017
R7	Paris, France	May 20	2017
R8	Berlin, Germany	June 10	2017
R9	TBD	TBD	2017
R10	Brussels, Belgium	July 1	2017
R11	Montreal, Canada	July 15	2017
R12	Montreal, Canada	July 16	2017
R13	New York, United States	July 29	2017
R14	New York, United States	July 30	2017

Sam Bird clinched pole position but finished 6th for DS Virgin Racing in the Long Beach ePrix.

Sam Bird clinched pole position but finished sixth for DS Virgin Racing in the Long Beach ePrix after contact with a tyre wall ruined his chance of victory.

Starting from pole position, Sam Bird maintained his lead over second placed Lucas Di Grassi for the first part of the race, before Di Grassi finally managed to pass him on lap 12. Bird was hot on his tail for the remainder of the first stint and, after a clean car changeover, Bird emerged just behind Di Grassi again as the battle for the lead continued.

On lap 23 the battle for first place came to a dramatic end – a small error saw Bird lock up his brakes and skid into a tyre wall at turn five. Whilst there was only minor damage to the car, Bird lost five places and his chance of victory.

“It’s a hard one to swallow knowing we could have scored 21 points and instead we only have 11. I was very comfortable in second place and was confident I could have pushed Lucas for the victory. But qualifying proved we are fast and that’s what I’m focusing on,” said Bird.

Bird was initially set to start the famous 2.13km track in second position behind Team Aguri’s Antonio Felix Da Costa after finishing top of his group during qualifying and second in Superpole with a lap time of 57.261. However, Da Costa was excluded and relegated to the back of the grid because of a tyre infringement, leaving Bird to start from the very front. Bird’s teammate Jean- Éric Vergne posted a qualifying lap that left him to start in 11th position.

After his incident, Bird fought back and continued the race behind Bruno Senna, applying huge amounts of pressure to force past, but Senna was able to defend until the end.

“Obviously I’m very disappointed as I believe it was a driver error and for that I apologise to the team. It’s difficult knowing that the final result should have been a lot better today, but the engineering capabilities of this team are extremely strong, qualifying proved that,” he said. “Starting from pole position the expectation was of a podium finish at a bare minimum, and I would have delivered that if not for the error. But I’m pleased that I could still bring some points home for the team.”

Further down the grid Jean- Éric Vergne was in a battle of his own fending off Antonio Felix Da Costa who was slowly climbing back through the pack. Vergne eventually finished 13^th.

“I’m looking forward to Paris, there’s still half of the season to play for and I am going to work hard to better understand the car so I can improve,” said Vergne. “Today was another difficult race and I believe it’s time to turn it around looking ahead to the European races.”

Despite the setbacks, Team Principal Alex Tai remains confident: “These things happen, the DS Virgin Racing drivers work very hard and it was an unfortunate error for Sam. What we need to focus on is that both our drivers did extremely well during qualifying, proving once again that we are a competitive team. Sam is still 3rd and as a team we are 4th overall in the championship.”

Amidst the disappointment on a podium lost, Head of DS Performance, Xavier Mestelan Pinon commented: “With regards to Jean-Éric, he has damaged the suspension during this race and I think he’s felt a little handicapped. We’ve worked hard to improve the DSV-01 and we will continue to do so, especially with Paris on the horizon.”

The Formula E series will be heading to Europe for the remainder of the season, starting with a specially-made track around Les Invalides in Paris, home to DS, which will take place on 23 April.

Pos	Driver	Team	Points
1	Lucas DI GRASSI	ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport	101
2	Sébastien BUEMI	Renault e.Dams	100
3	SAM BIRD	DS VIRGIN RACING FORMULA E TEAM	71
4	Jérôme D’AMBROSIO	Dragon Racing	64
5	Stéphane SARRAZIN	Venturi Formula E Team	48
6	Loïc DUVAL	Dragon Racing	48
7	Nick HEIDFELD	Mahindra Racing Formula E Team	39
8	Nicolas PROST	Renault e.Dams	38
9	Robin FRIJNS	Andretti Formula E Race Team	31
10	Daniel ABT	ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport	31
11	Bruno SENNA	Mahindra Racing Formula E Team	22
12	Antonio FELIX DA COSTA	Team Aguri	16
13	Oliver TURVEY	NEXTEV TCR Formula E Team	10
14	JEAN- ÉRIC VERGNE	DS VIRGIN RACING FORMULA E TEAM	6
15	Nelson PIQUET JR	NEXTEV TCR Formula E Team	4
16	Nathanaël BERTHON	Team Aguri	4
17	Simona DE SILVESTRO	Andretti Formula E Race Team	2
18	Mike CONWAY	Venturi Formula E Team	1
19	Jacques VILLENEUVE	Venturi Formula E Team	0
20	Oliver ROWLAND	Mahindra Racing Formula E Team	0
21	Salvador DURAN	Team Aguri	0

FIA Formula E Championship 2015-16 – Driver Standings

FIA Formula E Championship 2015-16 – Team standings

Pos.	Team	Points
1	Renault e.Dams	138
2	ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport	132
3	Dragon Racing	112
4	DS VIRGIN RACING FORMULA E TEAM	77
5	Mahindra Racing Formula E Team	61
6	Venturi Formula E Team	49
7	Andretti Formula E Race Team	33
8	Team Aguri	20
9	NEXTEV TCR Formula E Team	14