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TECHEETAH Formula E Team today officially revealed its new team logo, car livery and driver line-up ahead of the opening round of the 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship.
Ma Qing Hua will partner Jean-Eric Vergne behind the wheel of the new chrome gold/matt black car equipped with the Renault Sport Z.E.16 powertrain.
Managing Director of the TECHEETAH Formula E Team, Ivan Yim said: “TECHEETAH is building a strong team for season three. Our drivers bring experience and the outright pace of Jean-Eric Vergne who has proven his speed in Formula E and F1, along with Ma Qing Hua who came from WTCC with two wins on the world stage in Russia and Portugal. We opted for the championship winning Renault Sport Z.E.16 powertrain which is race-tested over the past two seasons. TECHEETAH is positioning itself as a competitive team with its new powertrain package and drivers. We are a team which is not intricately linked to an OEM, and in that sense, we might be viewed by some as an underdog. We are taking it one race at a time with applied learnings from the pre-season Donington tests, and also from each upcoming race; it’s a process, and we’ll continue to optimise the powertrain’s performance. We have an experienced team principal and race director in Mark Preston and Leo Thomas respectively. TECHEETAH may be new to the series but we have a blend of the relevant experience in Formula E, and with that, we’ll be charging forward. We have set ourselves lofty but attainable goals. The belief is in pushing ourselves from the outset, know the boundaries, and push through."
Earlier this year, leading Chinese sports development and management company SECA announced its acquisition of Team Aguri and re-named the team TECHEETAH.
“SECA is committed to building iconic sports intellectual property (IP) since its inception. Today marks another milestone in our course of IP development and internationalisation”, said Sheng Li, founder and CEO of SECA. “Formula E represents a global vision for the future of motor racing, meanwhile it fits strategically within China’s current framework for its transformation to renewable energy and eventually, a new leading economy. I believe an international team with Chinese influence will attract the attention of millions of Chinese and global racing fans, hence providing a perfect marketing platform for Chinese brands expanding internationally, and international brands developing a business footprint in China.”
The 2016 FIA Formula E HKT Hong Kong ePrix gets underway on Sunday, October 9