PURE ETCR
- The third round of the PURE ETCR season takes place in the city of Copenhagen (Denmark), which hosts the first Pure ETCR race on a street circuit
- CUPRA has won the first two races so far, at Vallelunga (Italy) and MotorLand-Aragon (Spain)
- Mattias Ekström leads the drivers' championship and CUPRA X Zengő Motorsport also leads the teams' championship.
Copenhagen, 05-08-2021 - The inaugural season of the PURE ETCR reaches its halfway point in Copenhagen (Denmark), where the first street race in the history of the 100% electric championship will take place. CUPRA faces this great challenge with optimism and the sole objective of extending its winning streak, after finishing on top of the podium at both Vallelunga (Italy) and MotorLand-Aragon (Spain).
Mattias Ekström, crowned "King of the Weekend" at Aragon, defends the lead in the PURE ETCR drivers' standings with 146 points. The Swedish driver, who has been part of the development of the CUPRA e-Racer, has a 22-point lead over Frenchman Jean-Karl Vernay, whom he beat to victory in the Super Final of the last round of the season. Jordi Gené, also a CUPRA X Zengő Motorsport driver, follows closely behind Mattias, just 37 points adrift, in what is proving to be a good start to the championship for the Spanish veteran.
"The championship is very exciting! We knew it was going to be very tight, but we didn't expect to reach the halfway point of the season with this uncertainty," says PURE ETCR standings leader Mattias Ekström. "I know I'm in the lead, which is the perfect place, but there is still a lot at stake. In Copenhagen we will give everything again to be at the top and we will try to win the title!”.
His team-mate, Mikel Azcona, was unable to finish on the podium in his home race at Aragon after an incident in the Super Final with Augusto Farfus, in an action in which the Brazilian attacked Mikel with excessive force, causing him to retire. The driver from Navarra had won each of the previous battles and had also taken first place in Sunday's qualifying. He was undoubtedly the driver to beat, and the final victory was going to be between him and Mattias. Now, after what happened in Spain, Mikel is fifth in the overall standings, 42 points behind the leader, a gap he will try to close in Denmark. In the teams’ championship, CUPRA X Zengő Motorsport is the leader with a 41-point lead over the second-placed team.
The Copenhagen circuit is located at Bellahøj Park, five kilometres northwest from the city centre. PURE ETCR drivers, teams and cars will be competing on a street circuit –a 2.4-kilometre-long track - for the first time. Quick adaptation to the track will be key to pushing the 500kW (680 PS) cars to their limits. It will also be a good opportunity to show fans the benefits of zero-emission mobility and its possibilities, with thrilling races and intense door-to-door battles.
An event of great contrasts
The Copenhagen race is part of the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix programme, an annual event that combines historic car events and exhibitions with the most modern championships. This year, more than ever, it will be a huge contrast for fans to see cars that fought for victories half a century ago on the same track, only to be followed by the futuristic electric cars of the PURE ETCR.
The CUPRA e-Racer will not be the only CUPRA competing on the Danish track, as the CUPRA Leon Competición takes part in the TCR Denmark championship with private teams.
