ROME – Speed, motorsport, emotion and great attention to the environment. Welcome to the Extreme E formula; completely new competition in electrified odyssey format that from the first challenge in the Saudi desert scheduled for 3-4 April, will see the zero-emission Sport-utilities of nine different teams compete in five landscapes, from Greenland to Tierra del Fuego.
At each of the stages of a world championship that attracted cult drivers such as Carlos Sainz and Sebastien Loeb, the involvement of Hamilton, Rosberg and Andretti on the team side and which for the first time presents an equal distribution of the sexes at the wheel of the vehicles, corresponds to an ecosystem heavily affected by climate change. Not surprisingly, the logistics of the whole formula is entrusted to H / M St Helens – called Electric Odyssey – which in addition to the subliminal evocation of the vessels of Greenpeace and of the many research vessels engaged in solidarity and safeguard works, it is in any case less polluting than air transport. To further minimize the impact of the Extreme E caravan, the ship will be equipped with e solar panels fuel cells hydrogen. In this way the batteries of the Extreme SUVs produced by Spark will be recharged without generating emissions.
It is not hypocrisy because the importance of the bread and circuses it was already known to the ancient Romans and speed races, in one way or another, will exist forever. The difference lies in proposing a more reflective as well as sustainable alternative and the Extreme E chaired by Alejandro Agag, will be able to count on the added value of the beauty – elevated by the dramaturgy of the historical moment – of regions such as the Arctic, the coasts of equatorial Africa, the Amazon rainforest. and archaeological oases of Saudi Arabia; majestic places to catalyze further attention on the project now ready for official baptism. The St Helens ship is in fact already moored in the port of Jeddah and by the beginning of April, the Odyssey 21 (this is the name of the prototypes) will reach the race track in AlUlà; the nation’s first UNESCO World Heritage site and a thousand-year-old city in the desert belonging to the Kingdom of the Nabataeans and surrounded by mountains of sandstone.
The promised scenic effect of Extrem E will be an important ally to the true mission of the format: Raise awareness among spectators on the urgency of environmental issues. But to better communicate its sustainable intentions, the new formula strongly desired by the FIA will need to excite also and above all as a sporting competition on extreme surfaces. To do this, the organizers have devised an immediate and pressing format where the 1500kg and 550hp SUVs (obviously equipped with all-wheel drive and with an ultra-performing ATV look) will compete over seven races spread over two days. , there are no more times but only direct elimination clashes with semifinals and finals in which he will have to lead both the man and the woman with the obligation to alternate in the role of navigator. Each race will involve four Odyssey 21s simultaneously at a distance of about 15 kilometers equal to two laps of the track and in Formula-E style, there are bonuses such as Hyperboost; in practice, a performance surplus destined for the team that at the first jump of the race will have landed further away; the longest jump of the weekend is also worth an additional point in the ranking.
The teams participating in the Extreme E are Abt Cupra, Acciona Sainz, Andretti United, Hispano Suiza Xite Energy, JBXE, Rosberg X Racing, Veloce Racing, Segi Tv Chip Ganassi and Lewis Hamilton’s X44. The races are expected to be tight, adrenaline-pumping and fought with duels, traverses, jumps and overtaking with low grip in the heart of landscapes that are as extreme as they are fascinating.
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