Competition is essential for the development of new technologies in the automotive sector, hence the involvement of firms in Formula 1, Formula E, Dakar Rally or WRC. Electrification is a dead end, so the first 100% electric touring car championship was to emerge soon and it is here: it is called PURE ETCR and it started with victory for Cupra. The person in charge of crossing the line first was Mikel Azcona, at the wheel of the Cupra e-Racer presented alongside the Cupra León. “We have made history with our victory in the first weekend of PURE ETCR,” said Azcona after getting off the CUPRA e-Racer and it is no wonder. This new championship, which we will echo in a matter of weeks, is at the helm of the “revolution in touring car racing”, as Azcona himself commented.
The Spanish rider, who also competes with the Cupra León Competición in the WTCR, was named the “ King of the Weekend ”, a recognition that will be awarded to the winner of each event after scoring the maximum number of points possible: 77 points . So, we are facing the first leader of the championship after his first appointment in Vallelunga (Italy) . All this after a very tight racing day, having to start from last position after a puncture.
How is the PURE ETCR made up?
This sister competition, but electric, the WTCR (World Touring Car) has, for now, three brands: Cupra, Alfa Romeo and Hyundai . The teams are made up of two drivers and all brands have two cars on the grid. Mikel Azona shares a team with Mattias Ekstrom , who finished third at the weekend with 69 points.
The format of the race is as follows : it starts on Friday with the practice sessions, which divides the 12 drivers into two groups by drawing lots. The competition will remain like this for the rest of the day and the six riders in the group will face each other. On Saturday the first 15-minute race is run, which will be repeated below and is called Pool A. The second test on Saturday is a 12-minute two against two and three are made for each group.
All this is adding points to the pilot based on his result. In the end, on Sunday you race with the six riders who have played in the group. It is a 20 minute race with the maximum power of the cars, which is 670 hp , which resulted in a 7-lap test.
The Basque rider led all the tests that put him in front of him, wearing the colors of the Zengő Motorsport X CUPRA team. What’s more, on Sunday he had to leave the last of his group after suffering a puncture in the previous classification. As he himself says: “ The Cupra has been fast all weekend and the team has done a great job. It’s an excellent way to start the season. “Jordi Gené, also a Spanish driver, finished fourth at the weekend and Nagy, the other driver from the Zengő team, had 31 points in the overall standings.
