The ETCR series now has three brands, following the announcement of an Alfa Romeo project. Romeo Ferraris, which has been designing and producing Alfa Romeo cars for international TCR racing over the past five seasons, is developing a version of the smaller Giulia model for the electric championship.
The Alfa Romeo will join the Hyundai Veloster and the León produced by SEAT spin-off Cupra in the ETCR series, which is planned to launch in 2020.
Italian motorsport specialist Romeo Ferraris was attracted by the challenge of the electric series but was determined to remain faithful to the Alfa Romeo brand. The choice of model brings the Giulia name back to motor racing, 50 years after the Giulia Ti Super made its competition debut in 1962.
Motorsport engineering company Hexathron Racing – based like Romeo Ferraris in Milan, Italy – will also work on the Giulia program.
Romeo Ferraris’s operations manager Michela Cerruti is under no illusions as to the challenge presented by the new project. “We are taking a brave dive into the new ETCR series concept – we believe that electric is the obvious choice for the future, not only for auto mobility but also for motor racing,” he said.
“We are starting this journey later than the big car makers that have already been engaged in electric racing for some time, with way more resources than a private constructor like us – regardless of all that, we will do our utmost to keep our reputation high, as we have always done so far,” Cerruti added.
Marcello Lotti, president of WSC Group that has launched the electric championship, added, “Very few brands in motorsport history have such great tradition and appeal as Alfa Romeo. We are delighted and proud that Romeo Ferraris has embarked on such an ambitious program that involves another mythical name like Giulia.
“The company has proved its expertise and professionalism with the successful Giulietta TCR and I am confident that they will be up to the task in this new demanding undertaking.”
Cars racing in the ETCR series will use a specification electric powertrain. WSC is yet to reveal any dates or format for the series but has announced that the powertrains will be supplied by Magelec Propulsion. Magelec has been providing electric drivetrains to the Formula E single-seater series since 2014.
