Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal James Barclay is incredibly excited for the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix this weekend, with the Jaguar boss being from South Africa, meaning this weekend is an incredibly “proud moment” for him.
After an inaugural FIA Formula E World Championship race in India just over a week ago, the all-electric series moves onto another new venue, in the beautiful Cape Town for round five. Whilst the weekend will be incredibly memorable for Barclay, there is no hiding the fact that the team need a massive performance, after both Sam Bird and Mitch Evans retired in Hyderabad.
The duo retired after Bird accidentally crashed into the New Zealander, who was running in third at the time after claiming pole. It meant the side left India empty handed, despite having shown such impressive pace. Leaving South Africa without any points simply can’t happen, with the side having lost significant ground on the Porsche-powered teams in the Constructors’ Championship.
Despite their Hyderabad disaster, Jaguar can enter this weekend feeling somewhat confident, with their powertrain having shown great pace at every venue so far this season.
Barclay recognises that his side have a “fast and highly competitive car”, and is hopeful that “points and podiums” will be on the cards come the race.
“As a team, we took another step forward in terms of performance in Hyderabad and demonstrated that, with the Jaguar I-TYPE 6, we have a fast and highly competitive car. Our goal coming into this weekend in Cape Town is to put ourselves into a position to race for points and podiums.
“Having grown up in South Africa and watched the last World Championship race there in 1993 at Kyalami, it is a proud moment for myself and the other South African members of the team to be part of the return of top tier racing to this passionate motorsport country. The track is fast and challenging and will be a test for the teams, drivers and cars, and played out with the backdrop of Table Mountain, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.”
