The Elite World Cup electric hypercar racing championship has been officially announced in Johannesburg, South Africa, by founding members Tokyo Sexwale, Liu Yu and Stephen Watson.
Described as a “first-of-its-kind racing championship”, the Elite World Cup will see South Africa and China join forces to create a new competitive motorsport platform, with plans to hold the first race between September 2024 and March 2025.
“The Elite World Cup is not just a racing competition,” said Sexwale, co-founder of the Elite World Cup. “It is a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation and sustainability.”
The Elite World Cup aims to attract drivers with high-end driver profiles, and an advisory board with a depth of motorsport credentials. At present, the preferred Elite World Cup hypercar is the Lotus Evija, with an all-electric drivetrain delivering more than 2,000ps and 0-300km/h in just over nine seconds.
“The Cup is called Elite for a reason as we will engage and invite experienced international racing car drivers that have competed across F1, IndyCar, NASCAR, WRC and the likes,” said Stephen Watson, co-founder of the Elite World Cup. “We want the drivers and teams who have established themselves and represented their countries in various prestigious motorsport championships around the world.”
The consortium intends to hold races on European race circuits, the streets of Asia and Africa, and also the landscapes of the Americas. A total of 8-10 World Cup race weekends are planned.
“We have run Team China in many prestigious racing championships since we first started racing internationally in 2004,” added Yu. “The automotive landscape has evolved significantly, and as the electric car industry is growing rapidly in China, we’re excited and proud to be at the forefront of this Elite revolution in sports.”
