EXTREME E – a new Racing Series revolving around the theme of sustainability and combating climate change has started its countdown of less than six months before the first race which is to bSe held on the 21st of March, at the first of the 5 unique locations the series will be visiting in Season 1, Al – ‘Ula in Saudi Arabia which is a Desert X – Prix. The racing series promises to provide extreme racing with electrical off – roading SUVs, and will be utilising a spec version of ODYSSEY 21 in the first season, with a diverse and really talented driver pool which consists of both male and female drivers, who will both drive the same car in the same race for the same team.
There will be 5 rounds in a period of 9 months, which will be accompanied by a ship moving to all these locations which are endangered by climate change and offer vastly different terrain starting from a Desert X – Prix and ending with a Glacie X – Prix. Each round will last over two days with two qualifying session, two semifinals and one final race.
The different terrains mean that different drivers can perform differently in each of the terrains and that adds to the excitement. The difference a driver driving at a proper track is evidently seen in races which take place on proper racing circuit tracks, and that will become even more prominent when the tracks surface completely changes, let alone the layout. The weather conditions mean that a lot of physical and mental fitness will be required to just be a part of the race, let alone taking part in an extremely close racing lap in the race.
The cars that are being used are also very exciting. They are great off – roading SUVs which are completely electrically powered and the only byproduct is Water. The cars are electrically powered and hence, do have that screeching kind of noise just like Formula – E cars, which is something that many people may not like but what the series does still promise, even with the sound, is some great racing. The Top Speed is just 200 kmph but offroading on surfaces such as desert, the amazon forest and glaciers means that it is not only about the speed of the cars but more about the handling of the cars.
The Gradient Capability becomes a very important factor and this car can manage some pretty great gradients and that will be essential to the handling of the car, which will also be dependant on the drivers as each driver has a different handling of the car and a different driving style which means that the drivers will need to be very very precise while handling the car and will need to understand how their co – driver also handles the car, in order to maintain and work the car better as both the drivers will be driving one lap each in the same car in the same lap.
Now, the racing format. The most exciting factor other than the locations and their difficulty. Extreme – E brings in a new racing format, which is a combination of many ideas and real formats. The format consists of two qualifying sessions and a gruelling semifinal and crazy race, followed by the Final Race. The Final Race is just 2 laps, but two laps is also a big task on the off – road tracks that have been created. To make it all the more inclusive and exciting, the Final Race’s each lap will be driven by a different driver for the team – one driver being male and the other female. The pool of drivers from where selections can be made and the already signed drivers for different teams are at the top of their class and have a lot of experience in racing.
“[T]he sporting format itself is revolutionary with men and women competing together and against each other. It’s so important for women to have the same material to compete on the same level.”
MICHELE MOUTON, FIA WOMEN IN MOTORSPORT
Apart from this it also promises a lot of fan engagement, especially with one feature – GRIDPLAY. GRIDPLAY. This enables fans to vote for their favourite driver, a driver of their choice, and this does not provide the drivers/teams with extra energy boost in the race, or extra points, but the whole liberty to, opportunity to, select their own grid position for the start of the race. That is of a lot of importance. The starting grid position can hold a lot of importance, especially in such an event, which is on such extreme terrains, where extremely closing racing is anticipated and the driver is swapped in the car after the end of Lap 1.
“As a series we are looking for innovative ways to engage fans making them feel part of Extreme E, and have a voice when it comes to racing, particularly as we won’t have spectators on site as part of our sustainability endeavours. This makes the way we broadcast our championship even more important and people can watch the action on a variety of global channels and through our digital platforms.”
ALEJANDRO AGAG, FOUNDER & CEO, EXTREME E
GRIDPLAY DETAILS
This is accompanied by other challenges and competitions that the fans can be a part of and especially the Trophy Design Challenge.
The fans may be missing at the venue but there is a lot of affect of the fans on the race and the ceremonies, the GridPlay feature can turn fortunes for drivers and teams. And all of this is accompanied by the DRS, or Attack Mode of this racing series – HYPERDRIVE. The team which will make the longest jump in the first jump of each race will get an additional boost power, which they can utilise at any point in the race. Which becomes a key factor.
With only 8 teams for the first season, and only 4 cars in the Fian Race, it may not be very very exciting but the first season may just act as an preview, and when more teams join and there is more competition to get though, it will become a crazy crazy extreme series.
|SOME EXTREME E RACING AWAITS|
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