FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup promise adrenaline, action and speed on breathtaking circuits. A calendar full of surprises will take over the sustainable series this year with an expanded schedule of seven races spread across Europe and Asia.

The green flag will officially be seen from May 6 to 8 in Pau Ville, France. There, the battle to crown a new champion will begin. Let’s remember that during the previous campaign and under the name of Pure ETCR, the winner was the Swedish Mattias Ekström, who raced under the colors of Zengo Motorsport X Cupra.

Related Content: Pure ETCR Reaches World Championship Level and Will Become FIA ETCR-eTouring Car World Cup

After getting off to a flying start on French soil, the adrenaline for speed will move to Istanbul, Turkey, from May 20-22. The third round of the championship will take place at the Hungaroring (June 10-12), a well-known and popular circuit in the world for hosting the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Quickly and just one week later, the category’s touring cars will compete at the Circuito del Jarama, Spain, from June 17 to 19. With the title at stake and entering decisive phases, the 2022 FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup will move on to the next target: Circuit Zolder, Belgium, from July 8 to 10.

The second-to-last race of the championship will be in Vallelunga, Italy, from June 22 to 24, to close the sporting action at Inje Speedium, South Korea. This entire seven-race schedule and under FIA world championship status will be a platform for the world’s car manufacturers to showcase their latest technology-laden creations there.

“This is a big step forward to electric touring car racing. We knew when we launched PURE ETCR that now was the great opportunity to not only give automakers a global showcase for their electrified vehicles, but also to present all the positive aspects of electric mobility; incredible power, efficiency and sustainability in the homes of a global audience,” said Rançois Ribeiro, Director of Discovery Sports Events, promoter of the FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

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For 2022, the competition will be called FIA ETCR-eTouring Car World Cup, in order to establish itself as a global event with the endorsement from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.

The FIA Touring Car Commission and the governing body’s World Motor Sports Council approved a series of innovations to the sports regulations for the 2022 season, in order to increase the audience and reach a younger public.

Read also: The Sustainable Legacy of Jean Todt to World Motorsport

Francois Ribeiro, Head of Discovery Sports Events, promoter of the eTouring Car World Cup, assured that this evolution means a big step forward for electric touring car racing, given that with the support of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, they hope to reach all corners of the world.

“The FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup will give electric mobility an even greater representation and within a recognizable sporting framework worldwide. With visits to Pau (France) and Istanbul to kick off the season, we can not only showcase the amazing performance of electric cars to fans on one of the world’s most iconic street circuits, but also introduce a large new audience to the concept,” he noted.

Schedule Unveiled

The competition will feature seven exciting races that promise a high-level motorsport spectacle, along with a sustainability strategy to do its part for the environment.

The schedule prepared by the series promoter, Discovery Sports Events, was also endorsed by the FIA Touring Car Commission and approved by the World Motor Sports Council in Paris. It is the first time that all-electric touring car drivers and manufacturers will compete for world titles.

The tournament will start on May 6 in Pau-Ville, France; on May 20, it will move to Turkey, and the next stages will be Hungary, Spain, Belgium, Italy and South Korea, where the grand finale will be held.

Alan Gow, Chairman of the FIA Touring Car Commission, described the announcement of the competition’s first calendar as a milestone. “We believe this new concept will be attractive and relevant to manufacturers, with a sustainable seven-day schedule as a good starting point. The calendar represents a good mix of established classic circuits with new locations, including street tracks.”

Sustainability as a Trademark

With most of the calendar focused on Europe, road transport will be used wherever possible, while travelling to the Asian finale at the Inje Speedium in South Korea will be by sea transport, with 90 percent CO2 emissions compared to the equivalent journey by air. 

The presence of HTWO’s hydrogen generators at the power station means that the only by-product of the refueling process is water, while Goodyear’s all-weather racing tire means that fewer units must be produced, transported and disposed of, again reducing the impact on environmental reductions. In addition, FIA ETCR will continue to work with sustainability partners to capture and reduce the environmental impact of the series across all countries visited.

With this announcement, FIA ratifies their commitment to fighting pollution and fossil fuel use, after also giving a World Championship label to Formula E, an electric single-seater series, in 2021.

Written by I Jhonattan González

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The race in France was organized at the last minute after the suspension of Korea as a venue due to COVID-19 restrictions. The competition’s directors pointed out that there was not enough time for the ship carrying everything related to the tournament to reach port due to the adverse conditions of the pandemic in Asia.

The president of the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA), Nicolas Deschaux, believes that the event, which was held in association with the WTCR (FIA World Touring Car Cup), was an appropriate combination of tradition and technical innovation.

Read also: Romeo Ferraris Reviews PURE ETCR First Season with Positive Results

The leader showed his satisfaction with the results and opened the country’s doors for more events of this type to take place, and that the PURE ETCR final will only be the starting point for the tournament to come back again

“Organizing a new energy-focused touring car series like PURE ETCR, on a circuit that is part of our national heritage of the sport, made the event unique,” Deschaux told the FIA Sport Newsletter, an official publication of motorsport’s world governing body. He emphasized that promoting this combination of innovation and tradition perfectly reflects the FFSA’s vision for the coming years.

Home Winner

The Pau-Arnos event was won by Frenchman Jean-Karl Vernay of Hyundai Motorsport N. Vernay led a one-two result for the team, ahead of teammate Augusto Farfus to finish the season second in the points.

A dramatic end to the campaign featured a first corner collision for series points leader Mattias Ekström, who was fortunate to return to the track after pitting to replace a flat tire, and went on to finish fifth with a damaged car.

That was enough for the Swede to seal the first all-electric touring car world title by just four points ahead of Vernay, and left a taste of a competition that, apparently, is here to stay due to the good reception it received from the fans.

Written by I Jhonattan González

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In this regard, team manager Michela Cerruti offered her point of view on the brand’s foray into the competition. “It was a very intense season for us in every way,” she said. 

“On track we had big uncertainties and many obstacles we went through before starting at the first race in Vallelunga, then conquering the first podium of the season in Spain; the first victory and the first double in Denmark; the overall podium in Hungary and the very tight French season finale,” she said.

Death of the Project Leader

Outside the tracks, Cerruti also highlighted the effort it took to be able to compete at the PURE ETCR. She assured that enormous corporate work was done, which was necessary to be competitive. In addition, the death of his father, Aldo Cerruti, also represented a strong blow, but at the same time an encouragement to finish the campaign with everything.

Read also: RCCO World eX Championship: First Indianapolis Race had a Thrilling Ending

“It is to him (Aldo Cerruti) above all to whom I want to dedicate the second place obtained on the constructors’ classification, because we achieved it by beating a giant like Hyundai Motorsport and fighting with Cupra. My thanks to all the guys at home and on track who have worked hard, day and night, to allow us to get here, and to a partner like M1RA, reliable and solid”, added Romeo Ferraris management.

The French round, fifth and last of the calendar after Vallelunga, Motorland, Copenhagen and Hungaroring, saw Romeo Ferraris conquered two podiums in the DHL Super Final, thanks to Luca Filippi’s second place and third place for Rodrigo Baptista. These points proved crucial for the constructors’ competition, where the Italian team took second place with 579 points, ahead of Hyundai Motorsport.

 The Gallic weekend also brought three wins out of four in Round 2 battles, with Filippi, Oliver Webb and Philipp Eng dominating Saturday’s heats. The Austrian, unfortunate protagonist of a contact at the start of the DHL Super Final B that took him out of contention, was the author of the team’s best qualifying performance, finishing second in Time Trial by just 91 thousandths.

 Luca Filippi, with 58 points, finished fourth, while the best Romeo Ferraris driver was Rodrigo Baptista, fifth with 248 points.

Written by I Jhonattan González

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In Group B Round 2, the Swedish driver showed all his skill behind the steering wheel without give any inch to his rival, Jordi Gené, who behind Ekström was the perfect teammate to given the goals he has for the championship, sacrificing his candidacy to be crowned as Champion in Pau-Arnos.

This means that only three drivers left in the race for absolute glory (Ekström, Mikel Azcona and Jean-Karl Vernay). On the other hand, Cupra’s Spaniard also dominated in Group A Round 2 to continue to pressure his teammate. However, the Swede is the one who has the best possible to be the king.

Ekström only needs to finish fifth in DHL SuperFinal B to make history in this new electrified vehicle series, who will start from pole position after leading Time Trial B on his first lap on the track with a time of 1: 26.187, to be faster than Phillip Eng aboard his Romeo Ferraris -M1RA Giulia ETCR, who stopped the timer 0.091 seconds behind the Swede.

Related content: Pure ETCR: Azcona and Ekström dominate Friday in Pau-Arnos while the first championship candidate falls

Vernay and Azcona need a practically perfect Sunday if they want to snatch the title from Ekström, in fact, a retirement would be ideal for them. The Swede has 273 points, the French has 244 points, while the Spanish closes the contenders title trio with 238 points.

About Pure ETCR

PURE ETCR is the world’s first all-electric, multi-brand, touring car series, and gives the world’s largest and most-recognisable brands the chance to fight for an official electric Manufacturers’ title. Underpinning this all-new race series is a forward-thinking technical concept, set out by ETCR creators WSC Group, aimed at showing off the most extraordinary performance elements of the world’s fastest-accelerating touring cars and creating exciting on-track battles.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

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Now, before that point, Azcona had his time to shine with an amazing performance totally necessary on track in Pool A Battle to obtain the best result. In addition, his teammate, Dániel Nagy, opened the door and gave up his position, knowing that the team’s goals are above everything else. However, his skill behind the steering wheel has led him to be in the stellar battle.

To give more excitement and adrenaline to the championship, the leader of Pure ETCR opening season is another teammate, Ekström, leaving the cards on the table for a great fight that will define the first champion next sunday, probably with one of them as King of the Weekend. However, he really can’t (no way) dismiss the rest of the candidates who have the opportunity to be champions.

Friday’s session had a touch of nervousness. Even when Azcona’s level was outstanding, in the free practice before the Battle, Oli Webb (Giulia by Romeo Ferraris) was faster than him, just by 0.082 seconds, leaving the expectation on top because the CUPRA X Zengo Motorsport man had to race with steady hand to dominate, and it has been so far.

Pool B Battle was an authentic heart attack fight that left out one of the five candidates for the title: Rodrigo Baptista. Now, the fight will be on fire between Mikel Azcona, Mattias Ekströs, Jean-Karl Vernay and Philipp Eng.

Related content: Bercella Developed Natural Fibers for Giulia ETCR by Romeo Ferraris

Without a doubt, the first 100% electric touring car series has exceeded expectations and aims to be even better in the next edition. On the other hand, regarding the fight for the title, prior to the weekend in Pau-Arnos, Azcona shares his opinion about who could be the champion.

“(It will be) A CUPRA driver certainly. I hope it’s me, but at the same time Mattias is very strong and is leading the points, so if I can’t win, I hope it’s him. It’s quite strange to be battling against a driver that I’ve never actually raced against this year. We share a car so it’s not possible to be drawn in the same Pool. If I could race against him then I’m sure I could take some points away from him, but that’s not possible. If he has a problem with his car, it probably affects me too, but we’ve been very reliable all year, so I hope that continues”.

Writte by | Ronald Ortega

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The sustainable Italian manufacturer was involved with the team’s project from the beginning, providing all the expertise at the design and construction stages of the initial carbon fiber bodywork. Now, all of the technical know-how, innovation and skill of Bercella will be available for the Giulia ETCR by Romeo Ferraris at the final round of the Championship, to be held from October 15 to 17.

The material used on the vehicle will be hemp fiber (plant), a sustainable material that is already environmentally friendly, the main mission and objective of Pure ETCR. In addition, the project is supported by other Italian companies: Fibertech Group as material supplier, closely cooperating with Linificio and Canapificio Nazionale.

All this has been a sign that the path of motorsports points towards sustainability, and the proof of this will be the composites based on natural fibers, exploring new technologies to be implemented on the racing vehicle driven by Rodrigo Baptista, Luca Filippi, Philipp Eng and Oliver Webb.

Related content: Bercella brings Maserati MV 3200 GTC to Life in a Sustainable Way

One of the goals of motorsports is to replace the carbon fiber used for years in this sector. Its properties of resistance and high flexibility make it an ideal material for practicing these disciplines. However, hemp fiber combines all of these properties together with the sustainability of the product.

“We are proud to have played our part towards the transition to a greener future, which even the motorsport sector can no longer ignore, as a laboratory at the highest level for the trends that will later constitute the road mobility of tomorrow. Compounding constitutes our corporate expertise and seeing this shift towards increasingly sustainable materials and processing techniques, confirm us as pioneers of new initiatives that embody the present at hand, and the opportunity to develop the future in a profound way,” said Massimo Bercella, CEO of Bercella Srl.

About Bercella

Bercella is a dynamic and innovative Italian company driving since 25 years the design and engineering of cuttingedge solutions using Advanced Composites and Light Alloys. Bercella is specialized in large and complex structures, providing critical industries with tailored high-performance systems, through a 360° service: from early design to engineering development to Advanced Manufacturing, all being vertically integrated in-house, for final turnkey solutions enhancing process control, costs reduction and efficiency.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post Bercella Developed Natural Fibers for Giulia ETCR by Romeo Ferraris appeared first on Green Racing News.

Motor, electricity, passion, speed and adrenaline are the main characteristics of green competitions. However, the recently described divisions transcend to another level by addressing important issues, such as climate change, gender equality, safety and social responsibility. Therefore, we invite you to review each of the strengths, visions and thoughts of these categories.

Extreme E

Julia Fry, Head of Communications for Extreme E, revealed important details about the 100% electrified off-road category, starting from sustainability and going a little further than what has already been done for this sector. “Alejandro Agag saw an opportunity to go further, something more extreme, complementing the idea by addressing climate change.”

Extreme? Yes, but behind the Odyssey 21 lie a plethora of values that Extreme E has taken it upon itself to promote as its primary mission. Gender equality is one of them. One male and one female driver are part of the teams that make life at each X Prix, visiting incredible locations, filling the fans’ screens with speed, but also promoting a second super important message: climate change through respected characters in motorsports (Carlos Sainz, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, among others).

“It’s about making people see that it’s all about responsibility. Motorsports is one of the most powerful platforms to reach people. It’s an important way to engage people about these (climate change) messages,” Fry continued. Of course, the competition has far exceeded expectations, reaching various corners of the globe in an effort to get its awareness message across.

“The reception has been incredible. Some 17 or 18 million people watching us… And we continue to grow. The feedback has been that (people) love to see a different concept of the sport. With three races so far we continue to grow and learn all the time.”

Fry explained that the key and main focus of Extreme E is to “take viewers to these locations (where racing happens) making it as entertaining as possible, but at the same time, opening their eyes to the issues affecting these regions”.

Pure ETCR

This 100% electrified division serves as the first touring car series, managing to reach the hearts of fans quickly due to the design of the cars, performance and racing concept applied by them, and this is how Xavier Gavory, Director of Pure ETCR, sees it, bringing a totally different panorama within the reach of fans since the series started in June, in Vallelunga

“We definitely have a lot of things in common with Extreme E. If you like motorsport and racing, Pure ETCR will delight you, because it has all the ingredients for it….. We are a new series that has been created in 2021. It was supposed to be in 2020, but we had to postpone it for the reasons you all know (COVID-19).”

The speed is present on the cars, making exciting battles on the tracks. “Here you have the possibility to see a real experience on touring cars, very different from normal ETCR cars. In fact, they can reach 500 kW, maybe, it doesn’t sound very appealing to motorsport fans but this comes to about 700 horsepower,” Gavory pointed out.

Beyond the on-track action, sustainability also plays a key role for them… “We have to stay focused on our initial mission, which is to promote electromobility to many audiences as a global social responsibility.” Without a doubt, Pure ETCR engages motorsport enthusiasts through the racing mode and multiple events that highlight a new side of racing that can easily engage fans of speed.

“It is a common goal and everyone must be reached (young, women, men, adults). With the format we are handling, we do something like a video game style, having drones flying around the tracks, which is unprecedented; we have Grand Slam tournament-type battle formats; sprint races; pick and choose formats on your cell phone where you can get in, get out. There you see one battle, then you see another one, you can log out and log back in. There are many possibilities to make Pure ETCR attractive.”

The ability to see everyday cars competing on the touring car category is an advantage within the sustainable automotive market, as it encourages people to take one of these models home. “With our work, I think we proved that electromobility is attractive, fun and provides thrills, especially for the vehicles of the division, which are sporty versions that you can buy on the street. So it’s very easy for people to say, ‘OK, I love this car, I want to buy it.’ That’s the idea.

eSkootr Championship

It set aside vehicles or motorcycles and focused on micromobility, taking this sector towards electrified motorsports. They are currently gearing up to debut in 2022 through their scooter division. Many talented riders will be there, reaching speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, but beyond that, the purpose of their message goes beyond clean energy to embrace safety, as Dr. Cristina Pace, Chair of the Sustainability Commission at eSkootr Championship, explained.

“eSkootr is a new championship that we will see next year, which promotes not only sustainability but education, safety and all these macro-mobility basics. We want to bring safety to become more and more mainstream.” In fact, raising awareness about the most important aspects when boarding a vehicle has become the main basis of the series.

eSkootr series has relied on the company YCOM to develop and optimize the official scooter of the championship, turning the piece into a lethal weapon when touring the circuits, without forgetting safety as the main emblem.

Enel X

Although they are not a sports category, their work plays a fundamental role for the operation, development and projection of sustainable mobility, both on and off the tracks. Studying, developing and promoting the use of clean energies is part of the company’s mission, and it has a strong involvement in several motorsport divisions. Michele Cecchini, Head of eMotorsport at Enel X, endorses the contribution of these categories and reveals how his company manages to work together for sustainability.

Enel X’s work plays a fundamental role in the operation, development and projection of sustainable mobility, both on and off the tracks. Studying, developing and promoting the use of clean energy is part of the company’s mission, and it has a strong involvement in several motorsport divisions. Michele Cecchini, head of eMotorsport at Enel X, endorses the contribution of these categories and reveals how his company manages to work together in favor of sustainability.

“What I think of these programs is that they do amazing things. Extreme E, Pure ETCR, eScootr, they have very different applications and requirements, but at the same time, they follow the same path, oriented to the use of green energy. We have been working with most of them and I can tell you that in order to manage the energy transition to a fully sustainable scenario, we have in mind that we all want to create renewable ways of producing and using energy.”

Technology development has a lot to do with it. Enel X takes advantage of this section and integrates it into their work program in order to extract as much potential as possible. “The mix is the key, because the technology mix, the way they integrate it and make it adjustable to the different requirements of their championships, I think that’s the trick. We’ve been testing, developing and using them, working together on new solutions, for example, hydrogen applications, chargers, super chargers, etc.”

“You have to keep in mind that the real vision is to make motorsport sustainable in the future. The key is to use what we have in the best possible way. Optimize and improve what is available without wasting anything, especially when we talk about energy.”

Michele Cecchini

Written by | Ronald Ortega

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Mattias Ekström, the current series leader, gave a very curious answer on how he was going about fine-tuning details ahead of the race in France, which replaced South Korea as the venue for the decisive stage.

Jokingly, the Swede told the category’s official portal that he will use Google and Youtube to learn about the Gallic track. “I don’t even know where the track is,” he joked. “I got to know not long ago, just before Hungaroring, that we were going there.

Related content: Aegerter Confident on Winning MotoE Title

“I’ll use those tools on the web and try to learn a little bit. I’m going there with an open mind and open eyes,” the CUPRA representative added.

Regarding his vehicle, he pointed out that they will try in advance to get the best set-up to win the race and clinch the title in the tournament’s debut.

Ekström’s main rival for the crown is Hyundai Motorsport N’s Jean-Karl Vernay, for whom the venue will be a home event. Mikel Azcona and Jordi Gene, plus Romeo Ferraris-M1RA driver Rodrigo Baptista are the other contenders for glory.

The final day of the PURE ETCR will take place from October 15-17.

The Track

The circuit near the city of Pau, southwest France, is hosting international touring car races for the first time and is one of the most advanced tracks in Europe when it comes to electric technology.

A series of improvements to the circuit in 2018 provided pit boxes with permanent electric charging stations, as part of its electric vehicle-ready infrastructure, as it aims to become a zero-emissions facility in the near future.

France was designated by the PURE ETCR organizers for the final day, due to the heavy travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19 countries, a situation that jeopardized the on-time arrival of all the machinery, which was to be transferred by sea to Korea.

Written by I Jhonattan González

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Behind the wheel of the Hyundai ETCR, the racer dazzled at the first race in Aragon, and has become one of the benchmarks. “What I’ve been able to bring to the project is my experience in car development, working as part of a team and things like that, but to be honest, it’s all so different compared to anything else, you can’t say it works like a GT car or whatever,” Farfus says of this new experience.

“It’s like comparing sushi and pizza, both are delicious and edible, but also completely different. It’s the same in this case, such a new and beautiful experience,” he added about the features of the PURE ETCR.

Related content: Introducing an Electric Boat with the Longest Autonomy Range

The ETCR cars are used in 300 KW and 500 KW configurations, and the Hyundai driver admits that driving these cars at maximum power is a big challenge: “It’s very difficult to drive with 500 KW because of the enormous power. You have a very small operating window in these cars, that’s why we’ve seen so many mistakes,” he explained.

“You stop 5 meters too late and that’s bye-bye, you won’t be able to stop it. This puts the drivers under pressure and you have very few free practice runs. We were able to test that at Vallelunga and it’s an incredible challenge,” expressed the Curitiba-born driver.

Cars Comparison

On this particular, Farfus stated that the power of the cars are similar. “All the cars have the same propulsion system, so the development is even more difficult, because you have a dominant factor in the car that you cannot modify.” 

“You have cars that, as similar as they are, are also completely different. For example, Williams has a standard traction control that is the same for all the cars, but whether it works on one model that doesn’t mean it will also work for the others, so it’s also an incredibly difficult job for them,” he detailed.

The Brazilian feels that the driving style required to push the ETCR cars to the limits puts an extra focus on the rider that is very appealing: “It’s a lot of fun because it’s difficult. The car is a different beast compared to yesterday, and you go out for time trials without knowing what the track is like, and you can’t even test it on the out lap because you have to save tires,” Farfus maintained.

“It’s very challenging because you get into it and you don’t know what’s going to happen, and it has 900 Nm of torque, which is the same as a Bugatti Veyron, and there’s no GT car like that,” he pointed out.

Tournament Planning

Farfus celebrated the PURE ETCR’s great organization despite being a new competition and the threat posed by COVID-19.  “It’s great to see that now everything is working as planned, I’m very happy. Considering the COVID and so on, it’s amazing what has been achieved.” 

“I am absolutely sure that this championship will take shape in the coming seasons and will be very popular. It will take a while for people to start watching this sport, but it will be a great spectacle, especially once more manufacturers enter the series,” he finished.

Written by I Jhonattan González

The post Augusto Farfus, Delighted with PURE ETCR appeared first on Green Racing News.