Leilani Münter Is First American Driver to Join Electric GT Championship Drivers Club
Leilani is seeking partners for her move to the Electric GT Championship. Read the PDF about her racing and activism here. Music by Tiki Taane, download this song Tangaroa - God of the Sea here.
October 4, 2016 (Barcelona, Spain) Following the announcement of Stefan Wilson and Vicky Priria as the inaugural members of the Electric GT Championship Drivers Club, the world’s first 100 per cent zero emissions GT championship, today confirms Leilani Münter and Dani Clos will join them on the grid in 2017. Combining a sustainable ethos with entertaining racing in the fastest road-going electric vehicle on the market today, the Tesla Model S, the Electric GT Championship is an attractive proposition for professional drivers looking to make the next step in their careers and contribute their expertise to spreading awareness of our generation’s environmental responsibility.
A graduate of biology from the University of California and well-known environmental campaigner, Leilani Münter (@LeilaniMunter) is a natural fit with the values of the EGT championship. A regular in the high-speed ARCA stock car series, which races at iconic venues including the Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, Münter has given publicity to important environmental causes through her passion for racing and uses a Tesla as her everyday road car. Münter was also featured alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk in the Emmy-nominated film Racing Extinction, in which she drives a highly modified Tesla Model S. The American joins Priria in becoming the second female e-driver in the championship and the first to hail from the Americas.
27-year-old Dani Clos (@daniclos) will bring a touch of Iberian class to the EGT championship on his return to competition. The former Williams F1 and HRT test pilot is a proven winner in GP2, finishing fourth overall in 2010 behind three drivers who would all advance to Formula 1. Clos has since gone on to become a mentor in the GT Academy ‘gamers to racers’ programme and is the star of his own YouTube series.
Electric GT Championship CEO, Mark Gemmell said: “We are delighted to welcome Leilani and Dani into our EGT Drivers Club for the beginning of our revolutionary championship. Both enjoy a substantial profile on social media, which is crucial for projecting the values of our series to a modern audience, but most importantly they have talent in spades and we are sure they will have the chance to showcase that aboard our Tesla Model S EGT.”
Agustín Payá, Electric GT Championship Technical & Sports Director: "I know Dani very well and every team owner should know he is perfectly capable of winning the first electric GT championship. I haven't met Leilani yet but I look forward to working with her. It is fantastic to have Dani and Leilani with us for the start of the Age of Light and our new journey into the future of electric-powered motorsport."
The EGT Championship will consist of 20 international drivers, both male and female, racing for ten professional teams in identical Tesla Model S machines equipped with the latest OMP safety equipment and running on bespoke Pirelli tyres. The championship will race at seven permanent European circuits including the Nurburgring (Germany), Circuit Paul Ricard (France) and Circuit de Catalunya- Barcelona (Spain), as well as competing at three non-championship race events in the Americas.
About Electric GT Championship – New zero emissions motorsport category promoting sustainable mobility
The championship was announced on 9 March 2016, with the Tesla Model S chosen for the first season, which will get underway in 2017. There will be 10 teams and 20 drivers, who will compete across seven races during season one. Weekends will consist of a 20-minute practice session, 30-minute qualifying, a day race (60km) and a dusk race (60km). Each round will be a weekend-long festival of technology and innovation for sustainability, in and around the circuits. Fans will be able to stream races via Periscope, Twitch and YouTube, as well as interact directly with the teams using social media platforms.