The Extreme E electric off-road racing series enters its second season. At the wheel of the 544 hp e-buggy sits the who-is-who of the Kraxel steering wheel artists, including Nasser Al-Attiyah, the winner of the last Dakar Rally.
The names competing in the Extreme E racing series read like the who’s who of racing. Former Formula 1 world champions in particular find the wild hunt with electric SUVs in exotic locations quite exciting. Lewis Hamilton is team owner (X44) with rally champ Sebastien Loeb as driver, as well as Nico Rosberg (Rosberg X Racing) or Jenson Button (JBXE). Promisingly named Veloce Racing, the team brings together ex-Formula 1 driver Jean-Éric Vergne and Red Bull design guru Adrian Newey, who acts as lead visionary. The multiple world rally champion Carlos Sainz, together with his partner Laia Sanz, is again in favor of the Acciona | Sainz XE Team behind the wheel. The Abt Cupra XE team landed a coup by signing Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah and German off-road veteran Jutta Kleinschmidt.
The Spanish-German team has thus catapulted itself into the role of favourites. The Allgäu troops make no secret of their ambitions. “As much as we enjoyed our first season in Extreme E, this championship is still an unfinished business for us,” said Hans-Jürgen Abt unequivocally. “Our goals remain the same: we want to fight for race wins and the title. I have full confidence in our team, our car and our partners and can’t wait to see our two Dakar heroes, Jutta and Nasser, on the track.”
With five races, the inaugural season delivered spectacular images with breathtaking landscapes, such as the Artkis-X-Prix in Kangerlussuaq on Greenland. So now let’s move on. The motto is “Race for the Planet” and once again the e-racing series is visiting special places in the world. The first race will take place on February 19th and 20th in Neom, Saudi Arabia, followed by Sardinia. How things will continue in July is still in the stars: either back in Scotland, like at the end of the premiere season, or in Senegal. At the moment there are growing signs that Africa is the way. The second half of the X-Prix events are scheduled in South America, first in Antofagasta in Chile and then the final in Punta del Este in Uruguay.
Thrills are guaranteed. At least if you take the first season as a benchmark. After five races, the team standings were tied between Nico Rosberg’s Rosberg X Racing team and Lewis Hamilton’s X44 squad. The screenplay couldn’t have been written better. Former teammates and competitors from Formula 1 times also crossed arms in Extreme E and this time Nico Rosberg and his drivers Molly Taylor and Johann Kristoffersson had a razor-thin lead due to more races won (3:1).
In its second year, the racing series initiated by Alejandro Agag, founder of Formula E, promises to be a spectacle. It’s fast-paced action and wheel-to-wheel, rider-to-rider combat is the focus of each race. This season, too, the standard car from the previous year will be used. The Odyssey 21 is an electric SUV buggy with a peak power of 400 kW / 544 hp. The electric motors propel the vehicle, which weighs 1,780 kilograms, from a standing start to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. The maximum is double the speed. With this power, the high-stilted vehicles can handle gradients of up to 130 percent. The battery comes from Williams Advanced Engineering, weighs less than 400 kilograms and has a capacity of 54 kWh (40 kWh net). During the break between seasons, the teams have improved the cars within the limits allowed. The Abt Cupra XE team speaks of an “evolution” and renames the car. The e-Cupra Abt XE1 will become the Cupra Tavascan Extreme E this year.
The race format is intended to provide entertaining excitement. Action is trumps: long jumps, wheel-wheel duels and high-speed scrambles should inspire the spectators. Each X-Prix lasts two days: on Saturday qualifying takes place in tournament mode and on Sunday the main race gets down to business. In addition to environmental protection and sustainability, gender parity is also a concern of the electric racing series. A female and a male driver share a car and it is up to the team who gets behind the wheel and when. However, both must complete half of the run, be it in qualifying or in the X Prix.
Source: Stern
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