Extreme E’s very first race weekend, the Desert X Prix, kicks off in AlUla, Saudi Arabia in just 5 days, and the bumper field of teams and drivers are all set for an epic adventure ahead.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E said: “The time has come to go racing and I can’t explain how proud and excited I am. A huge amount of hard work under unprecedented circumstances has gone on behind the scenes to get this revolutionary racing series together and I can’t wait to see some of the biggest names in motorsport go head-to-head in just a few days.
“But Extreme E isn’t just a race for a trophy, it is about something much bigger, the race for our planet is real and there is no finish line in sight., I’m delighted that we will reveal our all-important Legacy Programme here in Saudi Arabia later this week. Through the power of sport, we look forward to highlighting some of the environmental challenges the world is facing, and the solutions we can all take.”
‘Star Wars pod racing meets Dakar Rally’
Nine teams will compete wheel-to-wheel in an innovative format likened to ‘Star Wars pod racing meets Dakar Rally’. On Saturday 3 April, there will be four qualifying rounds each lasting 15 minutes, with the top four advancing to Semi-Final 1 with the remaining five going through to Semi-Final 2 – the Crazy Race – both of which will take place on Sunday 4 April.
The three teams topping the leaderboard in Semi-Final 1 and the first and second placed in the Crazy Race will progress to the Final later that same day, with the winning driver pairing taking overall victory to lift the very first Extreme E trophy.
The teams will be represented in the cockpit by some of the world’s biggest names in motorsport as follows:
ABT CUPRA XE – #125 – Mattias Ekström / Claudia Hürtgen
ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team – #55 – Carlos Sainz / Laia Sanz
Andretti United – #23 – Timmy Hansen / Catie Munnings
Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing – #99 – Kyle LeDuc / Sara Price
Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team – #42 – Oliver Bennett / Christine Giampaoli
JBXE – #22 – Jenson Button / Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky
Rosberg X Racing – #6 – Johan Kristoffersson / Molly Taylor
Veloce Racing – #5 – Stéphane Sarrazin / Jamie Chadwick
X44 – #44 – Sébastien Loeb / Cristina Gutiérrez
Each of the teams’ two drivers – one male and one female – will complete a lap before the ‘Switch’, and teams can choose which driver goes first. The course is centred around three canyons in the vast desert which surrounds AlUla. The full course layout will be revealed on Friday 2 April.
GridPlay
Fans can get involved too via GridPlay, which puts the starting line-up for the Desert X Prix Final in their hands. From 31 March until 60 minutes after the the start of the Crazy Race on Sunday 4 April, fans will be able to vote twice per day via the Extreme E website and on Twitter using #GridPlay #DriverName for their favourite driver, with the votes added together to complete the team standings.
The teams that don’t reach the concluding race have an important role to play too, in gifting their votes to a team of their choice, so every vote really does count. And the team with the most votes will then be able to select its starting position for the Desert X Prix Final, followed by the team with the second most votes and so on.
Environmental Impact
The deserts of Saudi Arabia were chosen to highlight a number of environmental issues – increasing temperatures, more frequent and longer periods of drought, deforestation and desertification – which are all in part instigated by human behaviour and our carbon-intensive lifestyle. The Kingdom is already taking measures to reduce its carbon impact via Vision 2030, a programme with many aims including increased usage of renewable energy.
Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), said “We’re thrilled and proud to be hosting the first ever Extreme E race and cannot wait for the action to begin. AlUla is not just stunning location, but also an appropriate backdrop to help raise awareness of the impact of climate change, particularly desertification. We want to become a global leader in tackling climate change and as part of Vision 2030, HRH Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has announced the ambitious Saudi Arabia Green and Middle East Green initiatives, aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 60%, planting 50 billion trees, combating pollution and land degradation, and preserving marine life. Extreme E enables us to shine a light on such an important subject as well as enjoying some incredible racing from some a stellar line-up of teams and drivers.”
This ambition is shared by Extreme E as the only motorsport series in the world utilising an all-electric SUV – the ODYSSEY 21 – which has been built to withstand some of the toughest conditions and terrains.
The ODYSSEY 21
Capable of reaching 100km/h from a standing start in just 4.5 seconds, at gradients of up to 130 per cent, the ODYSSEY 21 has been built and engineered by Spark Racing Technology. Williams Advanced Engineering has created the all-important battery, with the chassis constructed by Chassis Technology Supplier CBMM | Niobium and the tyres provided by the championship’s Founding Partner, Continental.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Charging
In a world-first, each car will be charged using zero-emission energy via hydrogen fuel cell technology created in collaboration with AFC Energy. The system offers a completely sustainable fuel production process, using water and sun to generate hydrogen power which will then be used to charge all the ODYSSEY 21 electric SUVs off the grid. Not only will this process emit zero greenhouse emissions, but its only by-product will be water, which will be utilised elsewhere on-site.
Expert voices behind the mic
Lead commentators Jennie Gow and Andrew Coley will be based out of a London studio, providing remote commentary for every X Prix. For the Desert X Prix, the pair will be joined by special guest driver analysts Karun Chandhok and Sam Bird, both well-known in the motorsport world. The former competed in Formula One and Formula E, while the latter is a current Formula E driver for Jaguar Racing and previously contested GP2 and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Legacy Programme
Extreme E is a sport for purpose and aims not only to highlight environmental issues, but also to leave a long-lasting positive impact in the locations in which it races through its Legacy Programmes. The series has been working with its Scientific Committee to identify the right project in Saudi Arabia, which will be announced later this week.
How to Watch
To minimise local impact, Extreme E races will not be open to spectators, with fans instead invited to follow the action through live TV broadcast on KSA Sports and MBC, and across social media via @SAMF_GOV, @GSAKSA and @ExtremeELive.
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