German tuner ABT Sportsline has reached an agreement with the organizers of the Formula E Championship that will see it become the seventh team and the only German outfit to enter the new electric car racing series. Its team will compete under the banner ‘Audi Sport ABT Formula E Team’ though automaker Audi won’t have any direct involvement.
The Audi Sport ABT Formula E Team name is based on the name used by ABT Sportsline in the DTM touring car series, in which it is part of an Audi factory team. Team principal for the new Formula E team will be Hans-Jürgen Abt, who has Audi’s backing.
Audi Sport ABT Formula E Team will now be put forward to the FIA for final approval as the seventh outfit to enter the new global electric race series. They join IndyCar outfits Andretti Autosport and Dragon Racing, Asia’s China Racing and Super Aguri, and European squads Drayson Racing and e.dams. A total of ten teams are planned for the inaugural season of Formula E, whose first race will take place in September 2014.
Ten races will be held, with Los Angeles and Miami among the destinations. Each of the races will take place in a single day, including qualifying and the actual race, and each driver will have two cars each (the driving range of each of the cars will only cover half of the hour long races so two are required).
All teams will use a common chassis known as the Spark-Renault SRT_01E. Peak output of the cars will be roughly 200 kilowatts (270 horsepower).
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