NEXTEV TCR have announced that regular race driver Oliver Turvey will miss the Berlin ePrix, with fellow Brit Ben Hanley replacing him for the event.
Turvey has taken the decision to commit to his schedule in the Super GT championship with Drago Modulo Honda Racing, paving the way for a vacant seat at NEXTEV TCR.
The struggling outfit have chosen Ben Hanley as Turvey’s stand-in, having had a vast amount of open wheel experience throughout his career, including the World Series by Renault, the Euroseries 3000, and the short-lived Super League Formula. Recently the 31-year old has been taking titles in FIA karting categories, and he will also contest the European Le Mans series in the LMP2 class for Dragonspeed.
“We are delighted to welcome Ben to the team for the Berlin race,” NEXTEV President Martin Leach has said. “Ben has an impressive race history in both karting and single-seaters and we are confident that he is the perfect driver to fill in for Oliver.
“Although it is Ben’s first experience of racing in Formula E, we are confident that he has the right skills and attitude to do a good job for the team.”
Hanley is also delighted to be racing at the Berlin ePrix and says, “Formula E has grown to be one of the most exciting racing Championships, and I’m looking forward to racing against some of the best drivers in the world.
“The technology in Formula E is very different to any other racing series, so it will be a challenge to get to grips with a very unique type of car, but I will be giving it my all.”
With the performance of the NEXTEV car lacking compared to even those running the season one specification power train, all eyes will be on Hanley at the unique Berlin ePrix circuit to see if he can outperform the reigning champion in an equal car.
