Motorsport TechnologyPorsche has unveiled the first livery images of its eagerly anticipated electric racer with which it hopes to challenge the established ABB FIA Formula E order from 2020 onwards.
The famous marque, which will join German rivals BMW, Mercedes and Audi on the grid next year, launched the ‘99X Electric’ to the public on an interactive launch event hosted on livestream gaming platform called ‘Twitch’ at the Porsche Digital GmbH premises in Ludwigsburg.
Hello beautiful livery! Introducing the @TAGHeuer @PorscheFormulaE Team 😍 #ABBFormulaE pic.twitter.com/VSe8tQsEp0
— ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) August 28, 2019
Whilst it remains to be seen how the car performs on track during its debut season, the 99X is indeed a handsome beast at first glance, featuring Porsche’s traditional colours of white, black and red.
“The highest number, nine, was used twice, to re-emphasise the importance of the Formula E project for Porsche, while the X stands for the forward-looking approach and prototype racing,” explained the official Porsche statement regarding the car’s name.
Behind the wheel of the 99X Electric in 2020 is a formidable driver pairing on paper, with former DS TECHEETAH driver and endurance racing legend Andre Lotterer joining key test and development driver Neel Jani.
Lotterer, who enjoyed considerable success with DS TECHEETAH over two seasons despite that deserved win eluding him, could again be a force to be reckoned with from 2020 onwards.
“I’m really looking forward to competing for Porsche in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in the 2019/2020 season,” commented Lotterer last month after being confirmed with the team. “I have been part of the Porsche family since 2017 and have lots of great memories of joint successes – particularly when working with Neel.
“We drove together in the Porsche LMP1 Team in 2017 and drove for Rebellion Racing in the WEC these past two years. It’s great that we will now be the driver pairing for the Porsche Formula E Team. I’m looking forward to the new task and to the future collaboration with the team.”
Lotterer is not the only new boy excited about the forthcoming season, Pascal Zurlinden joining the FE outfit in conjunction with his position as director of factory motorsports for the famous marque’s GT racing programmes.
“Today sees the Porsche 99X Electric join the list of historic Porsche motorsport cars,” commented Zurlinden on motorsport.com. “The naming and the design give the car its initial character and bring it to life. It is a special day for everyone who has put a lot of work into the Porsche Formula E project in recent months.”
With the highly popular FE season entering its sixth season, the learning curve for new teams is a steep one indeed. But the Porsche name in motorsport is one to be respected and feared in equal measure. And, after months of development work and its allotted 15 days of private manufacturer testing, rivals will surely be casting nervous glances down the garage come Ad Diriyah on November 22.
There also remains one more session of private testing for Porsche to hone its new skills before the official three days of pre-season testing takes place at Valencia in October.
Fraser Masefield