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Bird makes first appearance for Jaguar as the team extends technical partnership

Sam Bird has completed his first day of testing for the Jaguar Racing team. This is the first team switch the Brit has done in six years of Formula E racing. 

The Brit, who is the only driver to have won a race in every Formula E season so far, will be making his first appearance for a team other than Virgin in Formula E’s seventh season.

Bird was pleased to have hit the ground running with his new team, commenting that “I’ve just completed my first day behind the wheel with Jaguar Racing in our development Jaguar I-TYPE 5. After some time in the simulator, it was great to get back in a Formula E car”.

“I felt very proud to put on the Jaguar overalls this morning for the first time and follow in the footsteps of the great drivers that have competed for Jaguar. I’ve been getting up to speed with my engineers and there is already a great relationship to build on”, he added.

About this new venture with another Formula E team, the Brit commented that “There are lots of new names and faces and I am enjoying meeting and getting to know all the team. Mitch and I have also spent some time together and we are both hungry to bring more success to the team”.

“We have a long season ahead but we’ve made a good start and are looking forward to the season 7 car launch next month and the official pre-season test in Valencia”, concluded Bird.

The team has also confirmed that GKN Automotive has extended its partnership with the outfit as the official eDrive partner for the team. The move will also include specialist software engineers form GKN Automotive joining the team to help with powertrain development.

The partnership announcement also highlights that what has been learned during races will be fed back into GKN’s technologies for road vehicles.

Jaguar Racing’s team principal, James Barclay commented that “We are extremely pleased that GKN Automotive will continue the valued partnership with Jaguar Racing. As a key technical partner, their expertise and facilities will play a key role in supporting the performance of the team and the I-TYPE 5″.

“The partnership goes beyond the race team as GKN Automotive also plays an important part in developing automotive products across a variety of Jaguar Land Rover models. Together we’ve had a very successful partnership over the last three years, and we look forward to continued success in the future”, he added.

Liam Butterworth, CEO of GKN Automotive, added that “Renewing our partnership with Jaguar Racing is a testament to the strength of our relationship. As a global leader in eDrive systems for electrified vehicles, GKN Automotive is proud of its long relationship with Jaguar Racing in Formula E Pushing our technologies to the limits on the race track will speed up innovations, further advancing know-how”.

Rob Lomas

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