Extreme E 2021: full preview and race guide

At first glance, the picture of a massive SUV crashing about rugged terrain in the icy wastes of Greenland, the arid desert of Saudi Arabia or the forests of South America does not scream ‘environmentally friendly’. But the appears of Extreme E are deceptive. It is a new job from Components E founder Alejandro Agag that combines head-to-head electric-automobile racing in some spectacular destinations with a programme of education, publicity and aid for the combat against weather improve and the environmental injury it causes.

Acquiring been rumoured considering that late 2018, the job was officially declared in early 2019. At the coronary heart of Extreme E is a reason-constructed off-street electric racing device, the Odyssey 21. With 536bhp, the one,650kg SUV can speed up from -62mph in four.5 seconds, at gradients of up to 130 per cent. Each individual a person is constructed all-around a deal of standardised parts, with a battery by Williams State-of-the-art Engineering, and Continental tyres.

Initially established to start out in Senegal in western Africa, Extreme E’s to start with year was pushed back again thanks to delays prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic. It’ll kick off in the desert of Al-‘Ula in Saudi Arabia on 3-four April, in advance of the rescheduled Senegal occasion, in Dakar on 29-thirty May. From there, it is north to Kangerlussuaq in Greenland on 28-29 August, adopted by Santarém in Brazil on 23-24 Oct.

The reshuffled calendar has also viewed a prepared occasion in Nepal dropped in favour of wrapping up the to start with 12 months of Extreme E in Patagonia, Argentina, on 11-12 December. The destinations, rather than being unspoiled, have been chosen mainly because they’ve experienced injury, this sort of as deforestation, desertification or retreating ice, in purchase to target interest on those people difficulties.

Speaking at a virtual start occasion held in advance of Christmas, Agag mentioned: “It’s a challenging time to be setting up one thing new we’ve experienced issues and we’ve put in time adapting our strategies. We have been extremely chaotic, and we’re now much more confident than at any time that Extreme E is the correct strategy. It is the perfect time to commence afresh just after a tough 2020.”

Agag and the Extreme E workforce are eager to emphasise that the championship’s ‘legacy programmes’ of environmental initiatives will be much more than just window dressing they’re being directed by a scientific committee of specialists, led by former Scott Institute director Professor Peter Wadhams.

“We think sport in typical, and Extreme E in particular, can be aspect of the solution to weather improve,” Agag ongoing. “Sport is the major entertainment platform
on the world, so we can both entertain and teach our viewers. Transport is liable for thirty per cent of world wide CO2 emissions we think motorsport can participate in a large job in the widespread adoption of cleanse mobility.”

The core purpose, Agag defined, is for Extreme E to be not just carbon-neutral, but carbon-good: removing much more carbon from the environment than its activities crank out. This has driven a number of facets of the collection: there’ll be no lovers travelling to show up at in person, and the Extreme E vehicles will be recharged making use of hydrogen turbines. The squander water from this will be recycled for use by the workforce on-site.

The ex-Royal Mail ship St Helena is a essential aspect of Extreme E’s scientific effort and hard work. It was chosen thanks to its means to have a mixture of passengers and cargo in accordance to the organisers, going the championship’s freight by sea will lessen carbon emissions by two thirds when compared with air freight.

The ship’s pool has even been replaced with a study laboratory. “Operating maritime study vessels is highly-priced,” Agag mentioned, “so we can donate time to other organisations. The science panel will satisfy on a regular basis to examine takes advantage of for the ship.”

Vital to the results of any new racing collection is attracting large names. Now verified are performs entries from Cupra, alongside with a collaboration amongst US squad Andretti Autosports and Anglo-American workforce United Autosport.

Andretti’s IndyCar rival Chip Ganassi Racing is also there, in addition motorsport management group Veloce, and Asian expenditure business Techeetah (which is also associated with the DS Components E workforce).

Earth Rally and Dakar legend Carlos Sainz will drive for the Spanish Acciona workforce, even though there are three F1 champions on the entry list, as well. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have started groups and, even though neither strategies to drive in the collection –  Hamilton has secured nine-time Earth Rally champion Sébastien Loeb and Rosberg has three-time Earth Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson driving for him – Jenson Button will be getting guiding the wheel for his workforce.

Hamilton mentioned: “With my platform and posture, I have a accountability to push for improve in the planet. I always wanted to commence my possess workforce, I just in no way realized when or where by it would come about.”

His squad will be recognised as X44, a reference to his race selection, and he states that furnishing possibilities for motorists, engineers and mechanics from varied backgrounds will be a precedence.

Another way Extreme E is getting a new tack on diversity is necessitating all groups to subject a person male and a person woman driver. It is a diverse method to that of the women of all ages-only W Collection, but feeds into Extreme E’s distinctive race structure, in which every single driver from every single workforce completes a lap of the course, meaning the strongest combination must emerge victorious.

Alongside with Claudia Huertgen, Laia Sainz, Sara Value, Christine Zonca, Molly Taylor, Cristina Gutierrez and Williams F1 tester Jamie Chadwick, Briton Catie Munnings, a European Rally Championship common, is between the woman motorists to safe seats, driving for Andretti United.

She states of Extreme E: “It ticks all the packing containers we’re pursuing our passion, it is critical racing, but at the we’re also offering one thing back again to the world.”

Acquiring tested the Odyssey 21 for the to start with time in France, she mentioned: “I started out contemplating it seemed enormous, but as shortly as you drive it, it feels considerably more compact. You don’t really feel like you’re in an SUV it is light, nimble and responsive. The suspension and brakes are incredible. It soaks up any bumps and stays stable, so you can manage it with the energy.

“Electric energy is a sport changer. In conditions of driving, and experience like you have to have momentum, you can likely get away with much more now mainly because you have that prompt energy as you push the throttle it is amazing as a driver to know you can rely on that.

“It’s likely a person fewer factor to think about that there are no gears possessing raced petrol vehicles my complete existence, it is a diverse ball sport. There’s other new factors: when you locked wheels, the to start with sign applied to be listening to it, then you’d get opinions as a result of the pedal. But which is gone, so you have to develop a different way of experience it as a result of the vehicle.”

The Extreme E race structure combines factors of rallycross and the Earth Rally Championship’s ‘super special’ head-to-head phases. Day a person of every single occasion will consist of qualifying rounds to determine who helps make it into the semi-finals. The major three groups development from the to start with semi, but in the second semi (which is being dubbed the ‘crazy race’) only the winner will make it as a result of.

Each individual course will integrate a bounce, and the workforce that manages the longest leap on the to start with lap will be given a energy enhance, which can be deployed at any position on the track. As with Agag’s previous job, Components E, lovers will be able to impact the action as a result of a technique recognised as Gridplay. The workforce that will get the most votes will be allowed to select their grid posture in the remaining or, if they don’t make the remaining, can ‘gift’ their votes to a different squad, opening up the probability of tactical selections involving championship rivals.

“It’s extremely diverse,” states Munnings. “Hopefully we’ll be able to do a track stroll or get GoPro footage or one thing, but we’ll have to perform out a technique. It appears like the tracks will be as well extended to converse about in conditions of ‘Turn one, Flip 2’ like you would a circuit, but also we don’t get to do a recce like you would with a rally. I think every single workforce will deliver strengths to the desk in this respect. Having said that you method it, you will need to have to be quick out of the box in the to start with qualifying session.”

British isles viewers can abide by the entire Extreme E year reside on ITV, setting up with this weekend’s Desert X Prix from Saudi Arabia. Protection starts off at midday on Sunday.

The destinations

Desert X Prix

3-four April

In Saudi Arabia, Extreme E aims to elevate recognition of the environmental penalties of desertification, and will perform with neighborhood and worldwide specialists in the subject on assignments that maintain and restore ecosystems that have been afflicted by weather improve.

Ocean X Prix

29-thirty May

In Senegal, Extreme E is teaming up with neighborhood NGO Oceanium to plant a million mangrove trees. The job will target on five regions masking a complete of 60
hectares, with the purpose of reforesting mangroves, furnishing education to neighborhood populations and bettering social cohesion.

Arctic X Prix

28-29 August

In Greenland, Extreme E will perform intently with Unicef and the renowned Arctic expert Professor Peter Wadhams to aid perform on weather-improve education, aiding youngsters across Greenland to recognize and handle weather difficulties, as well as supporting study into defending Arctic ice.

Amazon X Prix

23-24 Oct

In Brazil, aid for The Character Conservancy’s forest restoration programme in the point out of Pará will safe 100 hectares of current forest, restore 100 hectares
of native forest, and keep much more than 200 hectares of cacao-based mostly agroforestry, doing the job with fifty smallholders.

Glacier X Prix

11-12 December

Tierra del Fuego is a late addition to 2021’s Extreme E timetable, getting the put of a round at first prepared to come about in Nepal. The series’ science committee
is on the lookout into possible legacy Initiatives for Tierra Del Fuego, which will be declared about the coming months.

Watch the opening round of the Extreme E collection reside on ITV on Sunday at midday…