BMW DTM racer Lucas Auer and Andretti Autosport Indy Lights racer Kyle Kirkwood will test the BMW iFE.20, BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s current Formula E car, in Marrakesh, Morocco, on March 1. All twelve Formula E teams are participating in the test, each with two drivers. As noted by e-racing365.com, drivers in the test include both experienced veterans from other series and newcomers to pro racing.
The test takes place the day after the Marrakesh E-Prix, the fifth race in Season 6 for the ABB Formula E series.
Both of BMW’s racers are committed to other series; Auer, recently named to BMW’s DTM team, will soon begin testing the M4 DTM in advance of the season opener in April, and Kirkwood, 21, will soon begin his first year running in Indy Lights for Andretti Autosport.
Neither driver has been in a Formula E car before, but both have visited Munich to run the car on BMW Motorsport’s simulator.
DTM racer Lucas Auer will test the BMW iFE.20 in Marrakesh.
Auer says, “It goes without saying that my number one priority is the DTM, and I can hardly wait to take to the track for the first time in the BMW M4 DTM at Monza. But until then, the Formula E test is a fantastic opportunity to learn something totally new for me. The preparation in the simulator has already made me very curious. I’m excited to see how the car will feel on the track in Marrakesh.”
Kyle Kirkwood will test the iFE.20 alongside Lucas Auer.
Kirkwood says, “As with Lucas and the DTM, the Indy Cars are my top priority at the moment, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to test a car as technologically advanced as the BMW iFE.20. The simulator gave me an impression of how complex the car is to drive. It will be a huge challenge and I will have to learn a lot, but I’m really looking forward to it.”—Brian Morgan
[Photos courtesy BMW Motorsport.]