Drivers Mitch Evans and Adam Carroll drive electric Jaguar race cars to 9th and 15th place finishes.
In the production vehicle world, the F-TYPE is Jaguar’s dedicated sports car. In Formula E, the I-TYPE is Jaguar’s trophy-chasing electrified race car.
On May 20, Panasonic Jaguar Racing drivers Mitch Evans and Adam Carroll used their I-TYPEs to gain two Formula E championship points in the Qatar Airways Paris ePrix. Evans and Carroll started on the grid in P8 and P19, respectively. A collision on the street course around the Les Invalides complex of buildings gave them an opportunity to roll into pit lane while all of the other cars were moving slowly under full course yellow flag conditions. Unfortunately, Carroll got dinged for finishing his pit stop less than a second under the minimum time allowed.
Evans ran into a problem, too. His second car developed a problem and cost him time. Ultimately, Carroll finished in 15th place. Evans crossed the finish line in 9th place, securing two Formula E championship points for Panasonic Jaguar Racing – and the third consecutive points finish of his rookie season. His team is now in 8th place overall with 19 points and six more races to go. Renault e.Dams is dominating the league with 190 points.
Evans said, “The team made the right decision to pit under the full course yellow but we had a small issue that lost me some time in exiting the garage and we’ll look into that after the race. Ultimately, I am really happy to score points for the third race in a row and I am determined to continue to learn and race hard in the second half of the season.”
That second half of the Formula E season starts June 10 and 11 at the Berlin ePrix. It will be the last race of the Formula E European leg, and the first race of three consecutive double-headers.
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.
