Jaguar will create the event this weekend by launching the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY, the first world championship of electric cars derived from production vehicles. For the first time in Saudi Arabia, women will compete against men and Katherine Legge, Célia Martin and Alice Powell will be among the first women to participate in a car race in the Kingdom.

  • Photo: DR

On the site steeped in history of Dariya, 11 pilots from five continents will compete on the winding circuit of 2,495km which begins and ends in the heart of the old city.

The competitors will be joined by Alice Powell, British racing driver and star. The 25-year-old was the first woman to win the Formula Renault championship, the first to score points in the GP3 championship and to become Formula Renault Asia Championship champion. Alice Powell was recently selected for the future W Series. As a 'Dare to be Different' ambassador, she supports young female karting talents and trains future women drivers.

The race will start on Saturday 15 December at 12 local time, before the main Formula E race. The free practice session will take place on Friday and the qualifications will start at 50 on Saturday. The race will last 7 minutes plus one lap at full power. Fans can watch the race for free on Jaguar Racing's social media (Facebook and Twitter) with comments from TV presenters Vernon Kay and Amanda Stretton live from Saudi Arabia.

We are very proud to enter this historic moment. We wanted to create an electric car race on the streets of big cities and showcase the qualities and power of the Jaguar I-PACE. And this weekend, our wish came true. We created this championship from a blank page and have managed to attract drivers, teams and sponsors from all over the world and this is just the beginning. - Gerd Mauser Jaguar Racing President

Congratulations and good luck to Jaguar Racing on this first in the history of electric motorsport. We are proud to add the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY to Formula E, which will undoubtedly thrill our fans. I can't wait to watch the race and see the first winner - Alexander Agag Former and CEO Formula E

I can't wait to drive the VIP car at the new Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY. Electricity is the future and we are therefore fortunate to participate at the very beginning of this new era of motor racing. I haven't been racing for three years so I want to thank Jaguar for giving me the opportunity to come back to racing - Alice powell

My main goal is to try to win this trophy, not as a woman but as a driver among many others. I am aware that Celia and I are going to be the object of a lot of attention in a country which has just recently allowed women to drive and I think that we are making our contribution to the presence of women in competition - alongside of the FIA ​​Women in Motorsport Commission. As I said before, the car does not make any difference between the drivers so I will focus on my task - Katherine legge

We did four days of testing on two circuits and under different conditions. In all fairness, it wasn't all easy because we had so much to learn. Driving an I-PACE is very different from the vehicles I have driven before. However, I think all the teams and all the drivers have come to the same conclusions and that is what makes this competition interesting and different. Katherine and I are determined to perform well not only for RLL but also because we have been selected to represent Team USA - Bryan sellers

To know more : https://www.jaguar.fr