Five-star schedule revealed for inaugural PURE ETCR season
PURE ETCR, the world’s first all-electric, multi-brand touring car championship, is extremely excited to reveal the provisional calendar for its inaugural race season in 2021.
A five-round schedule, featuring the most powerful and fastest-accelerating touring cars ever made, will get underway in Europe in June and end in Asia in October, with the world’s best touring car drivers going head-to-head in PURE ETCR’s knockout ‘Battle’ format.
Italy’s Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi has the honour of staging the first event of this new era of touring car racing on June 18-20; a summer date chosen to provide the best chance of avoiding the effects of the global pandemic.
This will be followed by a trip to Circuit Zolder, Belgium, on July 2-4 and then to MotorLand Aragón, Spain, the following weekend to create a festival of touring car racing with the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup.
The battle for glory continues in Denmark on August 8 as part of the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix; the temporary Bellahøj Park hosting PURE ETCR’s first street-circuit event.
The series concludes with a first overseas trip and a visit to Inje Speedium, South Korea – again with the WTCR – where the first King or Queen of PURE ETCR will be crowned on October 15-17.
PURE ETCR’s innovative schedule – thanks to a sea freight-only philosophy that is 100 times less harmful to the environment than air travel – ensures that the trip to Asia comes at the end of the season.
It is one of several sustainability commitments underpinning the season; others including an all-weather Goodyear tyre that reduces production and transport levels, and the use of hydrogen generators, ensuring only decarbonised electricity is used in the charging process.
Fans can watch every event live in 75 territories thanks to a comprehensive broadcast agreement with Eurosport, with additional live coverage packages set to be added worldwide ahead of the new season.
PURE ETCR 2021 calendar
June 18-20 – Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi, Italy
July 2-4 – Circuit Zolder, Belgium
July 9-11 – Motorland Aragón, Spain
August 6-8 – Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix, Denmark*
October 15-17 – Inje Speedium, South Korea
*Pending circuit homologation
Xavier Gavory, PURE ETCR Series Director, said: “We are delighted to present the calendar for the inaugural season of the world’s first all-electric, multi-brand touring car championship; something that’s been extremely challenging due to the uncertainty created by the global pandemic, and which has needed a lot of flexibility. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our team and collaboration from our stakeholders, we are proud to announce this schedule, which blends classic permanent racetracks, punishing street circuits and throughly modern venues across the full circuit-racing spectrum. By competing in countries with established touring car fanbases, as well as visiting growing motorsport markets, we’re sure many new fans will be introduced to PURE ETCR. These are the most powerful touring cars ever made, competing in an innovative knock-out circuit-racing format and I’m sure the racing is going to be ultra-close, as we expect in touring cars. We can’t wait to get started so we can show everyone just how thrilling electric racers can be.”
