Behind the scenes in the ETCR

This season, CUPRA has a powerful lineup in the WTCR, together with the Hungarian team Zengo Motorsport, boasting Mikel Azcona, Jordi Gene, Rob Huff and Bence Boldizs. The two Spanish drivers, Gene and Azcona, are also competing in the Pure ETCR championship alongside Mattias Ekstrom and Daniel Nagy.

The Spanish brand got its first points in the opening races of the WTCR in Nurburgring and Estoril, despite some issues. In Pure ETCR, things are going even better, where the CUPRA e-Racer has become the car to beat.

Azcona made history in the Vallelunga Circuit in Italy, scoring victory in the first event of the 100%-electric, multi-brand touring car championship. Ekstrom also got a podium, while Gene and Nagy finished fourth and sixth.

Before the premiere in Italy, the drivers of the team conducted an intense test program that is starting to bear fruit.

"We have been testing a lot before the first race now, especially here in Italy where it's very warm," said Ekstrom. "The tyres need to have a special treatment to stay alive. Also, with the set-up work with the CUPRA guys, we're spending a lot of effort to try and get the optimum balance.

"When it comes to me as a driver, I have already taken last year's good experience from rallycross because the Sprint races you have to fully attack from the first corner and also to have a really good spotter in your ears to tell you where the competitors are, so I feel ready."

CUPRA brought Gene back to racing, six years after his last complete season, with a dual program in WRTC and ETCR. The Catalan driver has been involved in the development of the CUPRA Leon Competicion, but the e-Racer proved to be competitive right away.

Gene said: "Between the Pure ETCR and a conventional combustion TCR car, especially to me, is the weight is what really makes it feel more different. The electric car is like 350 kilos heavier – this really makes it noticeable.

"We have batteries that are very heavy, we have an engine, inverters... There are also many parts we have on an electric car that make it heavier.

"But what this gives us on the other side is a lot of acceleration, a car that even if in the corners speed we are lower when the straight comes, we catch all this time that we lose so the acceleration, the straight, really disappear. It's a very astonishing acceleration and this makes the biggest difference."

CUPRA was born officiallyin 2018 as an independent brand of SEAT and electrification features in its production series cars.

"Cupra is a brand born in the 21st century and we want to contribute to reinventing the future of racing and Pure ETCR means electrification," remarks Xavi Serra, Technical Director of CUPRA Racing.

The SEAT headquarters are delighted with the work carried out by CUPRA in racing, and it expects to take advantage for its street cars too.

"The team has developed a brilliant car and we have offered that for the full race series, and now we are now competing here in Vallelunga and it's really exciting," said Werner Tietz, SEAT R&D Vice-President. "The team is doing well, and we learned a lot, not only to learn for racing we also to learn for the series production: how to improve the battery, how to improve the power train, and altogether how to improve the full car. And that's where to spend the time on racetrack."