To follow Extreme E, check out: www.extreme-e.com
should any of the teams need one. Defending champions Rosberg X Racing (RXR) secured the Saudi Desert E Prix win, fending off a nail-biting challenge by the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team. In a race where the lead changed several times, RXR’s Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin- Kottulinsky took the glory, defeating the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team’s duo of Mattias Ekström and Cristina Gutiérrez by just 0.167s. E.ON Veloce Racing completed the podium. “Starting this season with a win feels incredible. Johan handed over the car in a good position, but the competition was intense – especially my battle with Cristina. I was very happy to make the overtake and take the win,” Åhlin-Kottulinsky said. In 2025, Extreme E will transition into Extreme H – the world’s first hydrogen off-road racing series – with plans to be recognized as a FIA Championship from 2026. The final round of the 2024 season will be held in Phoenix, Arizona November 23 and 24. With changes coming to the series in 2025, the future promises to be even more exciting!
The spec championship cars are a fully electric SUV, named ODYSSEY 21. The car’s peak 400 kw (550 bhp) output can fire the 1780-kilogram, 2.3-metre- wide vehicle from zero to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, at gradients of up to 130 per cent. Built on a tube frame, they are equipped with standardized parts, including three-way adjustable twin-dampers, and hydraulic bump and rebound stop. They have 400mm suspen- sion travel, live Fox shocks, and six-pot brakes. Teams go out in groups of four for qualifying, with the top four heading to the main race and the last four in a redemption race. A driver change is required halfway through each race. Teams comprise a male and female driver, and final grid positions are decided by fan votes. “The course track markers stay the same, but the track changes every time you come to a new corner, which is amazing. There’s a lot of drivers on the grid who, unless they go out testing, don’t necessarily get the chance to gain lots of experience in the sand, whereas for other drivers… this sort of terrain can be quite common.” “My favourite part of this course has got to be the jumps. I don’t usually get a rush from these, but when you’re going over a dune and all you can see is the sky it’s totally different. It’s a rush of not being fully in control - just going flat out and hoping for the best,” said Extreme E Championship Driver Patrick O’Donovan. He acts as an advisor and back-up driver
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