Could motorsport tech improve your road car?

Jon Bentley is optimistic that the racing industry can once again give the average motor a meaningful jump start

- Jon Bentley

One of the justifications for car manufacturers spending millions funding racing and rallying teams over the years has been that motorsport technology filters down into their road cars, making them better. Examples include disc brakes, active suspension and steering wheel buttons – all inspired by the racetrack. But, if anything, in recent years the trend has been inverted. Hybrid powertrains and lithium-ion batteries, for example, appeared first on the road. But could that trend be about to switch back?

I recently visited the impressive new headquarters of Jaguar TCS Racing at Kidlington in Oxfordshire. It’s where the team’s very successful electric Formula E racing cars, now in their third generation, are engineered. All the talk was about how racing developments will help improve the company’s future roadgoing electric Range Rovers, Defenders, Discoverys and Jaguars.