Third crown in Sweden: Ogier/Ingrassia win with Volkswagen

Four wins in a row at the only winter rally in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC): Volkswagen won the Rally Sweden through Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) and remains unbeaten on ice and snow with the Polo R WRC. For Ogier and Ingrassia, this latest victory was the third success in four years at this classic rally and their 34th in total. The road to victory demanded a herculean effort from the three-time world champions, for which Volkswagen was rewarded with its eleventh win in a row and 36th triumph in 41 rallies. 

Among those on-site to watch the latest success was Dr. Frank Welsch, Board Member for Development. The duo overcame the challenge of opening the route on roads covered with a layer of fresh snow, and thus having to sweep the road clear for the following cars, with one of the best displays of driving and navigating in recent years. Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger (N/N) ended their home race in fourth place. In contrast, Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila had to abandon any hope of a fourth victory at the Rally Sweden on Friday, when they suffered a broken drive shaft.

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Sweden – Final Results:

01. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen, 1h 59m 47.4s
02. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (NZ/NZ), Hyundai, + 29.8s
03. Mads Østberg/Ola Fløene (N/N), Ford, + 55.6s

Jaguar to participate in Formula E Championship

Jaguar today announced its return to global Motorsport. In the autumn of 2016, Jaguar will enter the third season of the exciting FIA Formula E Championship as a manufacturer with its own team. FIA Formula E is the world’s first global single-seater championship for electric powered cars.

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Nick Rogers, Group Engineering Director for Jaguar Land Rover, said: "I am proud to announce Jaguar's return to racing with an entry into the innovative FIA Formula E championship. It is my belief that over the next five years we will see more changes in the automotive world than in the last three decades. The future is about being more connected and more sustainable; electrification and lightweight technologies are becoming more important than ever as urbanisation continues to increase. Formula E has recognised and reacted to these trends and the championship's exciting and pioneering approach is the perfect fit for our brand."

Williams Advanced Engineering will be Technical Partner to the Jaguar Formula E Team and provide extensive motorsport knowledge, combined with high performance EV Systems experience. Jaguar Land Rover has a long term relationship with Williams, who partnered with Jaguar on the development of the Jaguar C-X75 plug-in hybrid concept car. The team entry has been granted by Formula E and approved by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

Aditya Patel wins at Shanghai in the Audi R8 LMS Cup

Aditya Patel made India proud by winning the final race in the Audi R8 LMS cup at Shanghai on Sunday This was the support race for FIA World Endurance Championship.

Aditya Patel, the lone Indian racer went into the final race sixth in the driver’s standings and still had a slim chance of clinching the title. 

Race one did not go as per the plan. After the team worked to fix engine problems, Patel qualified second, alongside Alex Yoong. However, his joy was short-lived. The stewards took a decision to penalize Patel for a minor technical infringement, thereby putting him 17th on the grid for the first race of the weekend. He put in a stellar performance to move up to ninth place and set the fastest lap of the race which put him on pole position for race two.

Being a standing start, Aditya Patel quickly built a comfortable gap over championship rivals Yoong, Franky Cheng and Marchy Lee. From there on, Patel kept his calm and crossed the chequered flag in spectacular fashion to win the final race of the season ahead of Lee and Cheng. Former Formula one driver, Yoong was crowned Champion of the Audi R8 LMS Cup. Patel ended the championship fourth overall.

"It’s been a crazy year and there’s no better way than to top it off with a pole to flag victory in the final race. The team did a fantastic job to get the car ready for qualifying. The penalty after qualifying meant a change in strategy, and it turned out to be perfect," said an ecstatic Aditya after the race.