Why one series' cancellation is a stark warning for others

The coronavirus pandemic has been a reminder that motorsport is peripheral. This is no longer an era of Enzo Ferrari - manufacturers exist to make cars and money first, and go racing second. As such, the continuation of teams and championships are at the mercy of spreadsheets and economic analysis.

Jaguar Land Rover's finances have been under scrutiny for some time. Last year, long before factory shutdowns and working from home, it announced a cut of 4500 jobs. Anyone who's been to Bruntingthorpe Airfield will have seen the hundreds of Jaguar and Land Rovers sitting dormant. It's more cost effective to churn out a load of unsold cars than it is to cease production lines and disrupt supply chains.

Therefore, it's not wholly surprising to learn that the Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy is to be killed off after only two seasons of its three-year deal to support Formula E events. In all likelihood, and however bleak, it's the first of several motorsport casualties as the toll of the pandemic on the global economy will be felt for years.

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FE co-founder and chairman Alejandro Agag (below left) predicted as much to Autosport last month. He said: "We are going to see a lot of consolidation in the motorsport industry and I think it will now happen by necessity, because some series are not going to survive on their own.

"Already some series were struggling, there were too many series. But maybe it doesn't need 35 different series around the world. Maybe with... six or seven series around the world it's enough to cover the needs of the fans.

"Because at the end, motorsport is a service to the fans and a laboratory for technology, but that part can be done with a small number of series."

Whether or not he knew that the first "consolidation" would be so close to home is a different matter.

As a one-make series, the business model for the I-PACE eTrophy is sound enough. In the first instance it exists to promote the all-electric SUV and reap sales in the showrooms. More than that, when you own all the assets to a championship, if one of the cars sustains a damaged bumper, wing mirror and so on, there's only one place teams can go to buy spares and repairs. In the case of the eTrophy, where many of the body panels are carbon fibre, replacements aren't cheap and the car makers can name their price.

But if you're working in accounts, the figure commanded to freight the series to Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Berlin, New York and more is going to stand out on the computer screen. Cancelling the championship amid the current economic fragility is a decision that's easy enough to understand.

The eTrophy has done plenty of good. Motorsport is often seen as a field of trickle-down technology, and the I-PACE road car receiving a software update that increased range by 12 miles is a case in point. Engineers realised that despite the intensity of racing on track, the powertrain's durability wasn't impacted, so Jaguar increased the battery capacity available to real-world owners.

The bigger point though is how many more championships will fall prey to the coronavirus pandemic

Then, to boost media coverage of the championship, the likes of Champ Car race winner Mario Dominguez, W Series runner Alice Powell (below centre) and IMSA Sportscar driver Katherine Legge all made appearances and achieved moderate success. They are noteworthy cameos.

Against the eTrophy, unfortunately, is the racing itself. The cars are the best part of 2150kg, including drivers. That is colossally heavy by any motorsport measure. In turn the cars both look and are slow.

The carbon brakes make an unpleasant rubbing noise and, with no exhaust note to drown it out, the unrelenting tyre squeal isn't great for the ears either. Perhaps that's a touch superficial and it won't have played any part in the championship's demise, but these are the things that matters to fans and it's what spectators take away from their experience in the grandstand.

The bigger point though is how many more championships will fall prey to the coronavirus pandemic. Will the Pure eTCR concept ever come to fruition, or will it follow the path cleared by the now-silent Electric GT Tesla series?

What is the fate of the DTM now that Audi has followed Mercedes out the door? That said, Audi's withdrawal was provoked by the repercussions of parent company Volkswagen's 'Dieselgate' scandal, as opposed to COVID-19.

Jaguar FE team director James Barclay said: "During these unprecedented times of the coronavirus pandemic, we have reviewed our strategy and made the decision to withdraw the Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy series after two successful seasons."

On the one hand, you might expect other manufacturers to evaluate similar 'realignments'. On the other, you might boil it down to the fact that the I-PACE eTrophy peaked with 12 entries per race but that soon fell away to just 10.

If you compare that to national motorsport in this country, according to the official Motorsport UK regulations any category that doesn't average 16 entries could lose its championship status, in theory.

For now, the I-PACE eTrophy will complete its final season but quite what form that will take is still unknown. The FE season is suspended until the end of June and there are currently no more rounds scheduled following the cancellation of the New York and London E-Prix.

In time, FE will look to replace the Jags with another support category to bolster its timetable. But the broader question is who or what will step into that gap, and where will more motorsport casualties rear their head as we step into a global recession?