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IndyCar delays hybrid racers to 2023
IndyCar has pushed back the use of hybrid engines in racers until 2023 due to the pandemic.
Hyundai's next electric race car hints at the future of sporty road-going EVs
Hyundai has unveiled its next electric race car, the RM20e, and it points to where road-going N sports cars are headed.
Daniel Abt will race again after virtual Formula E cheating scandal
Remember Daniel Abt? The Formula E driver was disgraced after secretly subbing in an 18-year-old esports professional during a virtual 'Race at Home Challenge.' Abt was suspended from the competition, ordered to make a 10,000 euro (roughly $11,279) charitable donation and dropped by Audi, the team he had been driving for that season.
Formula E returns August 5th with six races around an old Berlin airport
The Formula E season will resume -- and end -- with a six-race series around a Berlin airport starting August 5th.
Jaguar ends I-Pace electric race series due to COVID-19
Jaguar is ending its electric I-Pace eTrophy racing series as the pandemic and other realities set in.
A virtual race will replace the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June
The 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans has been postponed, so organizers will put on an esports race using rFactor 2 on the originally scheduled date, with teams using pro and esports drivers to compete in the endurance event.
Porsche's track app uses CarPlay to show lap data while you drive
Porsche's Track Precision app now displays lap data on a big screen through CarPlay, and it'll even track your fast-beating heart through your Apple Watch.
Eurosport follows ESPN in airing an esports racing championship
Eurosport has signed a deal to air Torque Esports' The Race All-Star Series now that conventional sports aren't available.
Formula E team fills the sports void with online marble races
A Formula E team has formed a partnership that will see it stream marble races.
NASCAR is replacing canceled races with esports featuring pro drivers
Sports leagues and broadcasters are scrambling to fill the void now that many live competitions are cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for NASCAR and Fox Sports that means venturing into relatively uncharted territory. They've announced an inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series that will replace canceled NASCAR races with "simulation-style" esports competitions. These will involve top-tier competitors, too -- you can expect Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin among other racers and luminaries from various NASCAR series.
Jaguar's I-Pace software update boosts the range by 12 miles
Car makers frequently make vague claims that their racing technology leads to improvements in road-going vehicles, but this is one of those precious few moments where the gains are very tangible. Jaguar is delivering an update to its I-Pace EV that promises up to 12 miles of extra range thanks partly to know-how gleaned from the eTrophy race series. The automaker has boosted the efficiency of the car's AWD torque distribution, reduced use of the radiator vanes that keep it cool (improving aerodynamics) and allowed the battery to run to a lower state of charge without compromising performance or durability.
Formula E will be elevated to World Championship status for 2020
As much as Formula E has grown, it still plays second fiddle to Formula 1. It's about to get more legitimacy going forward, though. The FIA is granting World Championship status to the electric racing league starting with the 2020-2021 season, making it the only FIA single-seat competition beyond Formula 1 to receive that distinction. It'll now be known as the (lengthily-worded) ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and the driver who wins will be deemed a world champion. There's no mention of Formula E getting practical benefits from the title, but it does show that the race series is important in the FIA's eyes -- it's not just a sideshow next to the main event.
VW's factory race teams will exclusively drive electric cars
Volkswagen may have a long way to go before its road-going cars are all-electric, but its racing division doesn't have to wait that long. The German brand has revealed that its motorsport group will drop "factory-backed commitments" to race cars with combustion engines -- it's either electric or nothing. Customer sports will continue, but VW is scaling back there as well. While you'll still see VW produce the Polo GTI R5 for customer teams, production for the track-ready Golf GTI TCR will end once 2019 is over.
Hyundai's first electric race car is a souped-up Veloster
Hyundai is joining the ranks of automakers with electric race cars -- if in a somewhat predictable way. The company has started work on the Veloster N ETCR, a race-tuned EV edition of the Veloster N built for its namesake ETCR championship starting in 2020. There aren't many performance claims at this stage, but it'll have a mid-mounted motor and rear wheel drive to meet race regulations. The gigantic spoiler and race-ready wheels make clear that this isn't just a simple conversion, and we'd expect the inside to be stripped down to the bare essentials.
VW's electric ID.R racer smashed a Nürburgring efficiency record
VW's ID.R wasn't just running laps around the Nürburgring in June to set electric performance records. The automaker has confirmed that the EV also set an efficiency record while blasting through the Nordschliefe, using 24.7kWh to complete a lap in 6 minutes and 5.34 seconds. The car was not only faster around the circuit than a Porsche 911 GT3, according to VW, but used a quarter of the energy. While that's not a figure you'd brag about to your fellow car enthusiasts, it could make a compelling case for EV racing going forward.
Watch VW's electric race car smash a 20-year-old Goodwood record (updated)
VW clearly wasn't satisfied with setting the electric car record for the hill climb at 2018's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The automaker's ID.R racer (driven by Romain Dumas) returned to this year's festival in grand style, setting a hill climb time of 41.18 39.9 seconds -- fast enough to break an overall hill climb record that had been set 20 years ago by Nick Heidfeld in a McLaren MP4/13 Formula 1 car. That was no mean feat given its lower power (500kW versus an equivalent 574kW). You can see the achievement below.
Mercedes unveils its first Formula E race car
Mercedes-Benz said it would participate in Formula E this year, and now you know what it'll bring to the track. The tri-star badge has unveiled its first racer for the all-electric league, the EQ Silver Arrow 01 (no real relation to the Silver Arrow concept), and it's clear it will at least be competitive. The machine will pump out up to 340HP during qualifiers and in FanBoost mode (272HP in normal racing, 306HP in attack mode), and hit 62MPH in a brisk 2.8 seconds. There's a 52kWh battery to keep it humming throughout the entire race.
BBC will broadcast every Formula E race this season
The BBC may have lost Formula 1 coverage years ago due to budget limits, but it's making up for that in style. The broadcaster has reached a deal to air every race of Formula E's 2018-2019 season in the UK, starting with the December 15th race in Saudi Arabia. In other words, it'll be very easy to follow the electric racing league if you live in the country. This is also important for exposure -- availability on a free-to-air TV network could introduce Formula E to people who otherwise wouldn't know it exists.
Roborace won't use a fully driverless car for its first season
Roborace has long talked of completely driverless cars hitting the track when its first season gets underway, but the company has had a change of heart. CEO (and Formula E winner) Lucas di Grassi has revealed to Motorsport.com that Roborace's "Season Alpha" will use a new DevBot 2.0 car with space for a human driver. The organic crews will take the wheel for part of the race, with the autonomous component taking control for the rest. Why the more conservative approach? It's a combination of shaping public perception and the nature of racing itself.
Jaguar's next-gen Formula E race car packs more power
The next wave of Formula E cars is finally trickling out, and it's clear they're considerably more exciting this season. Panasonic Jaguar Racing has unveiled the next generation of its racer, the I-Type 3, and it's a dramatic improvement even compared to Jag's last outing. The new machine is 25 percent more powerful than its predecessor without a significant change of weight, producing as much as 250kW (330HP) with a 0-62MPH time of 2.8 seconds. That's important when the league is introducing an "attack mode" that boosts the power to 225kW when a driver just has to overtake a rival.
