Katherine, this year you are driving the Jaguar I-Pace. How much does driving it "go against" you racing instincts?
-"It's different, that's for sure(laugh). It's very different to drive, but I also drove the Formula E car, when that began so I kind of knew what to expect. It's a lot of fun to drive, and the future of motoring is going electric so for me it was great to be a part of it, we've gone to some really good places, drove some really good tracks. It's been great racing with Brian (Sellers) and Rahal-Letterman. It's a different racing experience to what I'm used to."

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Besides being electric, in which racing category would you put the I-Pace eTrophy, Touring Cars?

-"I honestly have no idea where to classify it. Electric Touring Car, that would be a way to put it."

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How do you comment on your season in the I-Pace eTrophy and what are your expectations for the season
finale in New York?

-"In the beginning of the season, both me and Brian were very competitive, but we were a team without an engineer. We wanted to do everything ourselves, but after some time we couldn't setup the car like professional engineers, so a professional engineer was brought in for us, and hopefully we will be competitive again in New York. It's our home race, and we are very keen to show our best there."

Celia, how did it come to be that you decided to be a racing driver?
- Actually I started to drive at 10, and it was my secret target for a long time because nobody in my family was really into motorsport, and we didn't have the money. When I drove for the first time on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, I was like, I can do something there for sure. I decided I would do everything for that, that is why I came to Germany, because it's a bit easier to get into motorsport. That's how it started.
 

Did you have any idols, people you looked up to, or people that influenced the way you approached racing?
- I have two people actually. One is Lewis Hamilton. It's not necessarily about the driving technique, it's more about how he prepares himself and the way he is handling all the media. He is doing a great job at this.
 

The second will have nothing to do with racing, and it's Arnold Schwarzenegger. He came from nowhere, he just wanted to be a famous movie star, and he did it. I you know his story, you know why - he worked hard on it, and like he did for the bodybuilding too, it's about getting the right mentality to do it, and this is what's inspiring me.
 

How are you getting to grips with the Jaguar I-Pace?
- Today, this weekend, is so hard. We are struggling a lot, because there is no grip, the tires are getting hot a lot, but this is the first time that we got this problem. Normally, it is quite ok, we can manage good things, and the only thing we have to deal with is with torque management more or less, and how we can be earlier on the throttle, that's the main thing.
 

How much would you say is there thinking versus feeling when you are driving the racecar?
- That depends on what you're doing. If I'm doing the shakedown or free practice I am thinking, and when you are doing qualifying, you should just drive, and it's the same for racing. You should just race, drive, don't think, which is sometimes quite hard for me.
 

Why is that?
- I don't know, maybe because I am a woman, we think more, and I think the men have the ability to switch off the brain a bit easier than we can do.
 

You mentioned that your first challenge was driving the Nordschleife. That's obviously not an easy challenge for a first drive. How do you approach driving on a circuit like that?
- I liked it all from the beginning. The atmosphere, the whole package. I went in and I have done a lot of laps, somewhere about 200 laps in 6 months, and from that moment I thought I can do something there.
 

When you are not participating in any race weekends, how do you prepare yourself for upcoming racing obligations?
- I'm doing a lot of fitness for sure, gym training, weight training, for the physical condition, you have to be ready. It's important because the stronger you are, your brain is not putting the energy on maintaining the heat or stuff like this. After that, there is sim training, and also mentality setup, trying to be relaxed.
 

How you compare driving the I-Pace to other cars you've driven?
- You said it, it's everything else, and you cannot really compare it. The Jaguar weighs two tonnes, because of the battery, so you have to handle the weight on this car and we are racing with street tires, which are different to what I am used to. You might think - ok, it's not a fast car - but that makes it difficult too, because then you have to be very precise.
 

Do you follow any other racing championships?
- Besides electric racing, I follow the VLN. It has also always been my target to go on VLN and do the 24 hours of the Nurburgring.
 

Will that happen soon?
- I plan to do it next year, but I have to see how I will do for the end of the season, because I am racing until July in eTrophy, so I can't do anything before that. I will have to see if I need more time or not.
 

Are there any other championships that you would like to compete in?
- I'm very open actually, I would like to try everything, to test everything. They are all different challenges and I like it.
 

Is there anything interesting about you outside of the racetrack? Do you have any talents?
- I don't play any music, but I love horse riding, and I think I am good in that.

BATTERY

The I-PACE eTROPHY is powered by the same 90kWh lithium-ion battery as the I-PACE production. Its design and state-of-the-art thermal management system allows for unrestricted full-power racing.

 

POWERTRAIN

The powertrain found in the I-PACE production was the blueprint for the I-PACE eTROPHY. Providing 400PS and 700Nm of instant torque, it serves up a 0-60mph in just 4.5 seconds.

 

INVERTER

The I-PACE eTROPHY inverter is identical to the one in the I-PACE. Taking the direct current (DC) stored in the battery pack it turns into the alternating current (AC) that feeds the motor.

 

ALUMINIUM ARCHITECTURE

The lightweight aluminium architecture used in the I-PACE production has been modified slightly for the I-PACE eTROPHY to allow for the FIA safety roll cage.

 

TYRES

A single set of 22” Michelin Pilot Sport tyres per driver per race, treaded to deliver competitive performance whatever the weather and whatever the type of track surface, while reducing the amount of tyres used throughout the championship.

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Key Specifications

Length: 4.85m

Width: 2.145m

Structure: Lightweight all-aluminium structure

Brakes: Bespoke AP Racing system/11-settings Bosch Motorsport ABS

Suspension: Race-spec knuckles and springs

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Performance Stats

Acceleration: 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 4.5s Maximum

Speed: 195km/h (121mph)

In 2016, Jaguar was the first premium car manufacturer to join Formula E. As the main support series to the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY Championship reinforces Jaguar's commitment to electric vehicles.

 

THE CHAMPIONSHIP

● The world’s first all-electric support series for production based cars

● First official support race to the ABB FIA Formula E Championship

● 10 rounds will take place from Formula E season five onwards in some of the world’s most celebrated cities ● Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racecar is a modified version of the I-PACE production car, Jaguar’s first all-electric performance SUV

● ‘Arrive and Drive’ package provided for up to 20 drivers

● With identical specification I-PACE eTROPHY race cars going head to head, it comes down to the drivers and their individual driving styles to be crowned champion

● Different VIP entrant to compete at each event

● License: FIA International C and above

● Prize fund in excess of £500,000 per season, plus the chance to drive Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s I-TYPE 3

 

WEEKEND FORMAT

● Saturday: Shakedown + Free Practice sessions

● Sunday: 1x Qualifying Session

● Sunday: 1x 25 min +1 lap Race