The Norwegian team, Holten Motorsport AS, are the first to announce their commitment to Projekt E and will enter the inaugural 2020 electric series with a Ford Fiesta-based Projekt E race car.
Projekt E is a collaboration between STARD (Stohl Advanced Research and Development) and IMG, the promoter of the FIA World Rallycross Championship and will feature as a support series at select European rounds of the world championship weekend.
As the progression to electrification in motorsport gathers momentum, Holten Motorsport AS were keen to be among the first to make that move.
Holten Motorsport Project Manager Nils Reimers, who also represents his own technology investment company, Ing Nils Reimers AS (INR) a majority owner of the Holten Motorsport main partner Tomax, said: “This move to Projekt E will push us in the right direction for EV technology development.
“It is a fact that motorsport is the spearhead for new automotive technology and Projekt E brings us on to a technological platform that makes our advances and learning relevant in a changing automotive industry,“ he said.
Team Manager Svien Bjarte Holten also stressed the advanced technology of Projekt E, which is being provided to teams in the series at a cost-effective level.
“Projekt E is a ground-breaking undertaking and enables private teams to enter the world of electric motorsport with an unmatched level of road car electric powertrain relevance thanks to STARD´s technical concept which is as simple as it is innovative and affordable,“ Holten said.
Holten Motorsport has had a long association with World RX and European Rallycross competition. Most notably, Daniel Holten was the first driver to campaign a Volkswagen Beetle in the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2015 in partnership with Eklund Motorsport.
The previous year he raced a Ford Fiesta ST at world level and also competed in Euro Supercar. He has also competed in RX Lites and RX Sweden since making his debut in 2010. Earlier this year Holten was crowned Norwegian Rallycross champion in a TouringCar Fiesta. Holten have yet to announce drivers for Projekt E.
Michael Sakowicz, CEO and Founder of STARD is delighted to welcome Holten Motorsport to Projekt E. “The official Projekt E presentation by STARD and IMG was just a few weeks‘ ago, yet we are already starting to see commitments from teams as they prepare for this new undertaking,“ he said.
“We are delighted that Holten Motorsport are the first team to officially announce their participation. Projekt E is here. We were not talking two years in advance – you can buy the kit and race in 2020. It´s as simple as that.
“At a recent meeting in Vienna we were able to provide the team at Holten AS with the opportunity to drive the car and this totally sold the concept. We are now looking forward to working with Holten AS as our customer on their path to a new era of racing.”
2020 Projekt E Calendar
