Formula E – First successful run for the Spark-Renault SRT_01E

The Spark-Renault SRT_01E was presented last September in Germany at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It remained to see it in action. It's done, since the car made its first laps recently on the Ferté Gaucher circuit, near Choisy-le-Roi, in Île-de-France (see video here and pictures here). At the wheel, Lucas di Grassi, development driver. “It’s great to be able to drive the Formula E, underlines the Brazilian, official Audi driver in Endurance. I can assure you that all drivers will have a lot of fun driving this car. It has a lot of grip and the torque from the electric motor is enormous. »

During the two days of driving scheduled, 40 laps were completed in order to check that all elements were functioning correctly. As a reminder, the SRT_01E was designed by Spark Racing Technology. The chassis was designed by Dallara, the electric motor, gearbox and electronics by McLaren Electronics Systems, batteries by Williams Advanced Engineering while Renault took charge of the overall systems integration. As for the tires, they are supplied by Michelin.

“Everything went very well, rejoices Frédéric Vasseur, president of SparK Racing Technology. It was a very positive first run. The car completed around 40 laps without encountering any particular problems, which is encouraging in terms of general reliability. We were driving with a smaller battery than the one we will use, which only provided 25% of the expected power, which gives us confidence to move forward. The next test session is planned for the coming weeks. We want to increase the mileage covered by the car and continue until we are able to complete a race simulation. » And Alejandro Agag, CEO and promoter of Formula E Holdings added: “Frédéric, with his team and Lucas, will now cover a good number of kilometers with the car, with an emphasis on reliability. This period of development is exciting. We can't wait for the first race in Beijing (China. Editor’s note) in September 2014 and see the 20 cars lined up on the starting grid. »

As a reminder, seven teams have already formalized their commitment, namely Andretti Autosport, Dragon Racing, Drayson Racing, Super Aguri, e-Dams China Racing and Audi Sport ABT Formula E Team.