Evans got ready for his next Formula E race by zooming around The Big Apple in a custom-wrapped Jaguar F-TYPE.
Until recently, New Zealander Mitch Evans had never been to New York City before. That had to change. He has a big FIA Formula E Championship race there coming up soon, so he had to get familiar with the area before he races through it as part of the Panasonic Jaguar Racing team. How did he prepare himself?
By driving through NYC in a Jaguar, of course.
Jaguar wrapped his F-TYPE SVR research vehicle in the Panasonic Jaguar Racing livery. July 15-16, Evans (and teammate Adam Carroll) will pilot a Jaguar I-TYPE electric race car covered in the same graphics through a 1.21-mile course around NYC’s Pier 11 and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal as part of the Qualcomm New York City ePrix. If he looks quickly, he’ll be able to catch glimpses of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty in the distance. (Unfortunately, his helmet won’t allow him to eat a big, delicious slice of New York pizza at the same time.) He’d better make his visits count – and not just for his team. This month’s Formula E race is the only one scheduled in the U.S. for the entire season.
“As a native New Zealander I have never visited, let alone driven in, New York City before, so the announcement that Formula E would race here was particularly exciting for me,” Evans said. “I am thrilled to be part of the Jaguar brand’s electric future and return to motorsport. I am incredibly honored to race in one of the most iconic cities in the world.”
Following June’s race in Berlin, Panasonic Jaguar Racing is in ninth place with 0 wins and 20 Formula E Championship points, right behind Venturi Formula E with no victories and 21 points.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
