Simon Evans made history in Saudi Arabia by winning the inaugural I-PACE eTROPHY race, the world’s first all-electric production-based championship.
When qualifying was cancelled due to heavy rain in Riyadh, the starting grid was based on the results of Friday’s free practice session, which saw Evans (elder brother to Mitch Evans) start in pole position. An extra non-competitive sighting lap was included due to changing conditions on the track to give drivers a clearer idea of grip levels at each section.
Kiwi Evans led the race from pole to flag, closely followed by Bryan Sellers until the penultimate lap when Sergio Jimenez overtook the American to take second place.
“It feels amazing to win the race,” said Evans. “It wasn’t an easy race, and it just shows from the practice times and the race itself that the pack is incredibly close. The very first win is the one everyone wants and hopefully we can continue the momentum to the next race in Mexico.” Katherine Legge, along with Alice Powell and Célia Martin, was among the first women ever to race in Saudi Arabia (the race was also the first time men and women have competed together in the Kingdom). She set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:32.36.
After starting in seventh position, Alice Powell overtook TWR TECHEETAH’s Stefan Rzadzinski and Saudi Racing’s Bandar Alesayi on the damp and challenging track, to finish fifth overall and win the PRO-AM category. Said Powell after the race, “The pace was there for me in the first half of the race, which was fantastic. I knew I had to make my way up in the first four laps, so in the first couple I made my moves and, from then on, the car was fantastic. It’s been great to race in Saudi Arabia. Hopefully, it will inspire more women to get racing – a big thank you to Jaguar for the opportunity.”
