Rounds 7 and 8 of pioneering racing series Extreme E take place this weekend (16-17 September) in Sardinia, as the 2023 championships heads towards a dramatic climax.
The electric off-road racing series will be returning to the familiar setting of the Italian Army Training area at Capo Teulada in Sulcis-Iglesiente, co-organised and coordinated by the Automobile Club d’Italia and Regione Sardegna.
The Teulada route provides a challenging backdrop for the course, with some changes to the configuration creating a unique challenge for the 10 teams and 20 world class drivers.
ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team (ASXE) currently leads the Extreme E Season 3 standings with 109 points, with Rosberg X Racing (RXR) a close second with 105 points – four off the lead – while two-time race winners in 2023, Veloce Racing, sit third. Last year’s champions, Sir Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon Racing, are fifth in the standings behind No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing.
With four different winners across just six rounds, Season 3 is the most closely-fought campaign of Extreme E to date and plenty more action and drama is expected as the championship returns to the Italian island.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “We are delighted to be returning to Sardinia as Extreme E Season 3 heads towards a critical stage in the championship. With so many contenders for victories and podiums, anything can happen in Extreme E and we are eagerly looking forward to the battles on track.
“Sardinia has been the setting for some thrilling on-track moments since we launched, and has become a permanent fixture on the championship calendar ever since.
“It is a spectacular location, and from a climate crisis perspective it is a region with an important story to tell given all that has occurred across Europe in terms of extreme weather conditions, especially this summer. Sardinia and the Mediterranean has faced multiple challenges throughout the summer as a result of the heatwave and rising global temperatures, and it is important for us to shed light on the climate emergency experienced there.”
An exciting new course has been adapted especially for this event, which will once again be based in the familiar setting of the Italian Army Training area at Capo Teulada in Sulcis-Iglesiente, and hosted in collaboration with Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI), Regione Sardegna, and the Italian Army.
Out on the track, one name who will be returning to Sardinia after a successful return to the series in July is Sébastien Loeb.
The nine-time World Rally Champion will partner Klara Andersson once again, replacing Nasser Al-Attiyah. Loeb made his debut for ABT CUPRA XE in July, his first Extreme E appearance since winning the Extreme E Season 2 title with Sir Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon Racing last season, finishing fourth and sixth place, respectively, at the Island X Prix.
Rising rallycross star Patrick O’Donovan will also continue in the role of male Championship Driver after a successful stint at the previous X Prix in Sardinia, undertaking duties alongside home favourite and female Championship Driver Tamara Molinaro.
Enno Straten, Head of Strategy, Analytics & Marketing – EMEA at Continental, said: “With the race in Sardinia, the next highly exciting battle of Extreme E is coming up. We are again looking forward to tough duels and a fair fight for the top positions.”
Nico Rosberg’s Rosberg X Racing (RXR) are the most successful team when it comes to the Island X Prix, with four victories from five races on the Italian island since the series launched in 2021, including in the previous visit in July.
No. 99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing are the only other team to take victory on the Italian island, claiming their debut series win in Sardinia last term – and have a strong record on the region’s terrain having secured a further podium in Italy earlier this year.
With 14 points separating the top three in the championship standings, and eight of the series’ 10 teams having already taken a podium finish this season, it is all set for another Extreme E classic in Sardinia.
The racing action, and further details about the series’ Legacy Programme in Sardinia, can be viewed on ITV in the UK across the weekend. Outside of the UK, please visit here for broadcaster details.
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