Jaguar has confirmed that its I-PACE eTROPHY series will be discontinued as a result of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, concluding at the end of its present season.
The championship, which became the world’s first international-level all-electric production car series, made its debut at the close of 2018 in support of Formula E for the first of three scheduled seasons.
Featuring 12 cars, the inaugural competition was won by Sergio Jimenez, however, despite technical advancements – including the introduction of Attack Mode – Season 2 failed to register additional interest.
With the grid size falling to 10 cars, the I-PACE eTROPHY completed its third race of the present campaign in Mexico City in Febraury and as per Formula E’s present suspension, has not raced since.
“Over the last two seasons, the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY has produced some incredible racing around the world and has been a valuable addition to the Formula E schedule,” said Jaguar Racing Team Director James Barclay.
“Along with our valued entrants and series partners, we are proud of having created a true world-first with the I-PACE eTROPHY. Together we have pioneered battery electric vehicle racing.
“We would like to thank them for joining us on this journey and turning the vision into reality, helping show the industry what is possible in terms of electrification in motorsport.
“The series has realised many of the targets we set out to achieve. However, during these unprecedented times of the coronavirus pandemic, we have reviewed our strategy and made the decision to withdraw the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY series after two successful seasons.
“We remain fully committed to electric motorsport and our Jaguar Racing Formula E programme as an important part of our transition to electric mobility and Destination Zero.
“I’m looking forward to the Formula E and eTROPHY seasons resuming if and when it is safe for our team, partners and fans to do so.”
Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle, added: “Jaguar are fantastic partners on and off the track. The success of the eTROPHY in taking the pioneering technology Jaguar developed through Formula E and applying it to high performance production cars is a testament to their branding and engineering capabilities.
“At Formula E, we’re delighted to have supported this project which showcases how we enable our partners to leverage our platform to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. We look forward to continuing to work with Jaguar Racing on their Formula E programme.”