Pure ETCR: Pure voltage under power 🎥
PREMIERE WITH POWER From June 18 to 20, the new Pure ETCR racing series for all-electric touring cars will celebrate its premiere in Vallelunga and Cupra will be there. The Spanish brand is buzzing to the start with the e-Racer. The events are divided into battles. A maximum of three vehicles take part in these over a few laps. Among the drivers [...]
The events are divided into battles. A maximum of three vehicles take part in these over a few laps.
As for the drivers, Cupra is relying on a quartet with a mix of experience and plenty of talent: In addition to the veterans Mattias Ekström from Sweden and Spaniard Jordi Gené, his compatriot Mikel Azcona and Dániel Nagy from Hungary will be driving the electric race cars with up to 500 kW (equivalent to about 680 hp) at the five events.
Level playing field for all competitors
The Cupra e-Racer is powered by two synchronous motors on the rear axle. Similar to the early years of Formula E, the organizers are also relying on a unit drive system in the premiere season. Cupra is thus using the same motors, inverters, batteries, control units and cooling systems as its competitors..,
The manufacturer teams competing alongside Cupra are Hyundai with the Veloster N ETCR and Romeo Ferraris with the Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR. Changes could only be made to the chassis to adapt the race cars to the appearance of their production models.
Motorsport with electric drive important pillar
Xavi Serra, Head of Development at Cupra: "The design and development process of the e-Racer has been one of the most exciting and challenging projects I have been involved in. Motorsport with electric drive is an important pillar for Curpra. In the Extreme E and the Pure ETCR, we want to gain further insights for the development and production of our electric production models."
Ten runs and time trials in one event
Unlike in classic touring car motorsport, the Pure ETCR race format is based on rallycross: the events are initially divided into so-called battles. A maximum of three vehicles take part in these short races over a few laps.
In each race, the drivers start from their own pit with a barrier, comparable to the procedure in motocross or horse racing. In this way, ten races are held on a weekend, followed by a time trial in which the drivers compete for the starting positions in the two final races.
The door-to-door duels promise excitement
Mattias Ekström: "I drove the e-Racer for the first time back in January 2019 and was thrilled right away. The whole team did a great job and I'm very excited about the first race, especially the door-to-door duels after the start. When we approach the first corner with three cars side by side, it promises to be a lot of fun."
In the Battles no race longer than 15 minutes
Not only the drivers, but also the fans get their money's worth in the closely timed format. In the battles, no race is longer than 15 minutes. The Superfinals are scheduled for a maximum of 20 minutes.
Another important element of the race format is power boosts, which give drivers the opportunity to call up the maximum power of 500 kW for a set period of 20 to 60 seconds.
Premiere season starts with five events
A total of five events are planned for the premiere season. The first round in Vallelunga will be followed by events in Aragón (Spain) and Copenhagen (Denmark). After the fourth race weekend at the Hungaroring near Budapest (Hungary), the season finale will take place in Inje (South Korea).
The Pure ETCR can be followed free of charge on YouTube. On TV, it can be seen in our latitudes only on the pay-TV channel Eurosport 2 on Sunday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and in the evening (summary).
