| 2022 ERA Championship | ||
|---|---|---|
 The inaugural ERA Championship was staged in 2022 | ||
| Season Information | ||
| No. Rounds | 1 (1 race) | |
| First Round |  2022 Zolder ERA Race
| |
| Last Round | ||
| Manufacturers |  Dome Co. Ltd.; Saroléa Performance Technology
| |
| Tyre(s) |  Goodyear
| |
| Drivers Championship | ||
| Season Guide | ||
| Previous | Next | |
| None | None | |
The 2022 ERA Championship, officially the 2022 Software AG ERA Championship is the inaugural season of the Electric Racing Academy Championship, an all-electric single-seater racing series aimed at junior drivers.[1] Based on a universal chassis and, for the first season, a universal powertrain, the 2022 season would see ERA run in support of the FIA ETCR series, ultimately appearing at three rounds.[2][3]
The Championship would ultimately consist of just one race, staged at Circuit Zolder, before the series would decide to focus on further development for a full series in 2023.[4] Ultimately, however, there would be no revival of the ERA Championship, which was quietly dismantled over the subsequent months.
Background[]
The ERA Championship was first conceived in 2018, and was formally launched on 31 March 2019, aiming to fill a void in the junior single-seater market for an all-electric racing series, akin to the FIA Formula E Championship at the higher end of the FIA ladder.[5] Created by The Driving Force, a Belgian racing group, the series would secure a deal with Dome Co. Ltd. to use a modified version of their 2019-spec FIA Formula 4 chassis, which was renamed as the Mitsu-Bachi F110e after being implanted with an electric powertrain assembled by Saroléa Performance Technology.[5] The series conducted its first test in January 2020, planning to launch that year, although those plans were halted in their tracks by the Covid-19 Pandemic.[6]
Recovering Momentum[]
After entering mothball status in 2020, the ERA Championship quietly got itself back up to speed during 2021, conducting more testing at the series' "Official Home Circuit", Circuit Zolder in Belgium, focusing on further developing the car and optimising it for racing.[7] Late 2021 saw the series move towards finding support, signing a deal with Software AG to sponsor the series, while also forming a partnership with the freshly renamed FIA ETCR eTouring World Cup, announced in January 2022.[2] The series would also sign a deal with Goodyear to supply tyres for the series, with a simple race format of 12 minutes + 1 lap to ensure that drivers could complete the race almost flat-out, but with a need to manage their energy use.[8]
Calendar[]
The initial ERA Championship calendar was revealed in January 2022, alongside the announcement that the series woudl partner with the ETCR series.[2] The series' inaugural season would open with a launch event in Pau, France, before the first round was scheduled for the ETCR's trip to the Beyoglu Street Circuit in Istanbul, Turkey, on 20 - 22 May.[2] The Hungaroring in Hungary would then host the second round on 10 - 12 June, before the series headed to Spain and the Circuito del Jarama for round three on 17 - 19 June.[2] ERA's home circuit of Circuit Zolder would then host the fourth round on 8 - 10 July, prior to the season finale in Vallelunga, Italy, on 22 - 24 July, with each round seeing two ERA races, one on each day.[2]
Altered Plans[]
After staging a successful launch at Pau, the start of the inaugural ERA season was delayed when the organisers of the ETCR round in Beyoglu delayed the event due to issues, first with the venue and then with scheduling for the replacement venue at Istanbul Park.[9] Furthermore, part delays and requests for further testing would see ERA cancel its next two rounds in Hungary and Spain, although the series would instead stage practice sessions at the circuits, effectively increasing its available testing time.[3] As a result, the series first round would be delayed to the Zolder meeting on 8 - 10 July, with the round reduced to a single race in order to allow for more testing for the drivers.[3]
On 19 July, just over a week after the Series' debut, ERA announced that it was to cancel the trip to Vallelunga, instead opting to re-focus on testing and development before rejoining ETCR for a final round later in the year.[10]
Schedule[]
The full calendar for the 2022 ERA Championship is outlined below:
| 2022 ERA Championship | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Event | Circuit | Date | Report |
| 1 | 2022 FIA ETCR Race Belgium[11]
|
Circuit Zolder
|
10 July 2022[2] | |
| Cancelled Rounds | ||||
| Round | Event | Circuit | Date | Report |
| CAN |  2022 FIA ETCR Race Hungary[11]
|
Hungaroring
|
11 - 12 June 2022[2] | |
| CAN |  2022 FIA ETCR Race Spain[11]
|
Circuito del Jarama
|
18 - 19 June 2022[2] | |
| CAN |  2022 FIA ETCR Race Italy[11]
|
Vallenlunga Circuit
|
23 July 2022[2] | |
| 24 July 2022[2] | ||||
| CAN |  2022 FIA ETCR Race Turkey[11]
|
Istanbul Park
|
November 2022[9] | |
| November 2022[9] | ||||
Testing Schedule[]
Outlined below is the testing schedule for the 2022 ERA Championship:
Entrants[]
Entry List[]
The full 2022 ERA Championship entry list will be outlined below:
| 2022 ERA Championship Entry List | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entrant | No. | Name | Rounds | |
| ERA Championship Mitsu-Bachi F110e |
2 |  Richard Morris
|
1 | |
| 3 |  Cameron Hawes
|
1 | ||
| 4 | Wout Colson
|
1 | ||
| 5 | Milan de Laet
|
1 | ||
| 6 | Michelangelo Amendola
|
1 | ||
| 7 | Christiaan Spelmans
|
1 | ||
| 8 |  Bob Stevens
|
1 | ||
| 11 | Ellis Spiezia
|
1 | ||
| Source:[12] | ||||
Season Report[]
Rules and Regulations[]
Technical[]
Sporting[]
Point Scoring[]
Outlined below is a full breakdown of the point scoring system for the 2022 ERA Championship:
| 2022 ERA Championship Points Table | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
| 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Standings[]
2022 ERA Championship for Drivers[]
The full 2022 ERA Championship for Drivers standings are to be outlined below:
| Results Key | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | |
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | |
| 2nd | Second | DSQ | Disqualified | |
| 3rd | Third | DNS | Did Not Start | |
| 7th | Points Finish | 16th | Non-Points Finish | |
| NC | Not Classified | CAN | Race Cancelled | |
| INJ | Driver Injured | Italics | Fastest Lap | |
| Bold | Pole Position | G | Group Fastest Lap | |
References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEra22A - ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 'ERA Championship joins FIA ETCR - eTouring Car World Cup racing package in 2022', erachampionship.com, (ERA 14/01/2022), https://www.erachampionship.com/news/era-championship-joins-fia-etcr-etouring-car-world-cup-racing-package-in-2022, (Accessed 11/07/2022)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 'Hungary & Spain: Extended Testing', erachampionship.com, (ERA Championship, 10/06/2022), https://www.erachampionship.com/news/hungary-spain-extended-testing, (Accessed 11/07/2022)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedWithdrawal - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jake Kilshaw, 'ERA CHAMPIONSHIP: Entry-Level Electric Open-Wheel Series to Launch in 2020', e-racing365.com, (John Dagys Media, LLC., 31/03/2019), https://e-racing365.com/other-series/era-championship/entry-level-electric-open-wheel-series-to-launch-in-2020/, (Accessed 22/01/2020)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedPlan20 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedRestart - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFormat - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 'FIA ETCR Race TR Statement', fia-etcr.com, (FIA ETCR, 17/05/2022), https://www.fia-etcr.com/fia-etcr-race-tr-statement/, (Accessed 11/07/2022)
- ↑ 'UPDATE 19.07.22', erachampionship.com, (ERA Championship, 19/07/2022), https://www.erachampionship.com/update-190722, (Accessed 24/07/2022)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 'PURE ETCR charges into new era with switch to FIA ETCR - eTouring Car World Cup', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 16/12/2021), https://www.fia.com/news/pure-etcr-charges-new-era-switch-fia-etcr-etouring-car-world-cup, (Accessed 11/07/2022)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEL