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- The new electric SUV series will take place in extreme environments around the world affected by climate issues
DUBAI: Extreme E鈥檚 first ever race is just one month away, and with 10 teams ready to compete, fielding a legendary line-up of champion drivers, the series is gearing up for an epic opening weekend of action when it all kicks off in AlUla, 抖阴短视频, on April 3-4.
Extreme E is a new racing series, which will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues.
鈥淲e are a motorsports obsessed nation, with a long and proud history of hosting some of the world鈥檚 most famous rallies, and of our own drivers participating internationally,鈥� said 抖阴短视频鈥檚 Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal.
鈥淲e have been honored by Extreme E choosing the dramatic natural landscape of AlUla to host its maiden race in April and we can鈥檛 wait to offer all of our support to ensure it goes down in history as an unforgettable new chapter for motor-racing.鈥�
There are 10 teams signed up for Season 1 including three owned by current and former Formula One World Champions, with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button founding X44, Rosberg X Racing and JBXE respectively.
Joining those teams will be ABT CUPRA XE, ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team, Andretti United, Chip Ganassi Racing, Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team, Team TECHEETAH and Veloce Racing.
The teams and cars are now making their way to Saudi.
鈥淭he St. Helena ship is on her way to 抖阴短视频, and it all feels very real.鈥� Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said.
鈥淭his momentous moment is the culmination of years of hard work and planning, and I know AlUla will capture our audience when they get to see this incredible place, such a special setting for our first race.鈥�
The Extreme E driver line-up brings together champions from a variety of motorsport disciplines spanning single-seaters to rallying, rallycross, Dakar and sportscar racing: Mattias Ekstr枚m and Claudia H眉rtgen (ABT CUPRA XE); Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz (ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team); Timmy Hansen and Catie Munnings (Andretti United); Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price (Chip Ganassi Racing); Oliver Bennett and Christine Giampaoli (Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team); Jenson Button (JBXE); Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor (Rosberg X Racing); St茅phane Sarrazin and Jamie Chadwick (Veloce Racing); and S茅bastien Loeb and Cristina Guti茅rrez (X44).
鈥淲e鈥檙e only three months in, but 2021 has already been a monumental year for motorsport in 抖阴短视频, with our second Dakar Saudi held in January and our third Formula E race weekend in February,鈥� Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), said.
鈥淣ext, we combine what makes those two events so special 鈥� the unrivalled yet testing beauty of our vast desert landscape, and clean energy racing 鈥� in hosting Extreme E鈥檚 first ever event.鈥�
Not only will Extreme E bring wheel-to-wheel racing to a global audience through its more than 40 international broadcasters, it has a wider purpose 鈥� to highlight the climate emergency affecting everybody worldwide.
Each destination has been chosen with a different environmental issue in mind: the Desert X Prix in 抖阴短视频 will highlight desertification, the Ocean X Prix in Senegal rising sea levels, the Arctic X Prix in Greenland the melting ice cap, the Amazon X Prix in Brazil deforestation and the Glacier X Prix in Patagonia glacial recession.
The goals of Saudi Vision 2030 have driven considerable investment by the Kingdom into hosting some of the world鈥檚 biggest sporting events.
The aim is to introduce millions of Saudis to sport and promote wider sporting activity nationwide to ensure a healthier, more active population.
Phillip Jones, Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) Destination Management and Marketing Officer, is looking forward to offering AlUla鈥檚 desert landscape for the inaugural Extreme E X Prix.
鈥淎s a newly developing tourism destination, AlUla is uniquely positioned to get the foundations right from the outset,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here are many initiatives underway in alignment with our 12 key strategic principles to develop a responsible tourism destination that focuses on safeguarding the natural and cultural landscape, sustaining eco-systems and wildlife and light-touch tourism experiences.
Members of Extreme E鈥檚 Scientific Committee have been working with the championship over the last two years to ensure the series leaves a long-lasting positive impact in each location through Legacy Programs, which include planting one million mangroves in Senegal and reforesting 100 hectares of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
The Legacy Program plans for 抖阴短视频 will be revealed in the days leading up to the first race.
The Desert X Prix, AlUla, kicks off on Saturday, April 3 with the qualification rounds, and the final plays out on Sunday, April 4. Extreme E X Prix races are not open to fans to attend in person, but qualifications will be shown live on the Extreme E website, with the Finals broadcast live on MBC in the Middle East.
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