South-west finale for electric off-roaders
Extreme E, the sport for purpose electric off-road racing series, has confirmed that its Season 1 finale, ‘the Jurassic X Prix’ will take place in Bovington, in the UK’S South Coast county of Dorset, on December 18-19 2021.
The exciting series sees electric SUVS competing in extreme environments around the world to promote the adoption of electric vehicles and clean technology solutions in the quest for a lower carbon future for the planet.
Its global voyage started in March 2021 and has so far included stops in Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Greenland, and includes some of the biggest names in motorsport, with teams owned by Lewis Hamilton, Frome flyer Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg, among more.
It’s also the first ever fully gender equal motorsport, featuring top British racers Catie Munnings and Bath-born Jamie Chadwick amongst its female talent.
Alejandro Agag, Extreme E Founder and CEO, said: “I’m very excited by this race location – our first event on UK soil. This move is a poignant shift in our mission to race in remote, far-away places to highlight the effects of climate change, as more increasingly, the issues we talk about are literally happening in our backyards so it felt like the right time to bring the spotlight home, and help the army reduce its own carbon footprint.
“The world needs to move forw ward when it comes to the combustion engine and many other practices, and what better way to symbolise that than with a Jurassic themed X Prix.”
Bovington is a well-known British Army military base and sits just off the Jurassic Coastline. Extreme E is working closely with the British Ministry of Defence and Army which has recently revealed its climate change and sustainability strategy. The strategy combines the mitigation of environmental impact whilst maintaining military output.
It aims to do this by reducing emissions and scaling up the transition to renewables, thus contributing to the UK’S aim to be net zero by 2050. Efforts have started already with the Army piloting electric armoured vehicles and carbon efficient accommodation.
Chadwick said: “It’s really exciting to see Extreme E coming to the UK for the final race of the year. The first season has been incredible in so many ways and to cap it off in Dorset is going to be really important for the British drivers and teams.
“The first race in Saudi Arabia was so different to anything any of us had experienced before and then we followed it up with an equally spectacular setting in Senegal.
“Obviously, I wasn’t in Greenland and I won’t be in Sardinia but they also look like venues that are pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible in this series, I’m sure the final round will be no different.
Extreme E is a partner to the UN’S Race to Zero campaign as well as Count Us In, which challenges its fans to take steps which reduce their own carbon footprints.
These collaborations are all focussed on tackling the global climate crisis and with road transport currently accounting for 75 per cent of the global emissions associated with transportation, accelerating the move to clean Extreme E will continue with its Legacy Programme format which aims to leave long-lasting positive impact in each country in which it races, with exact details to be revealed in the weeks leading up to the end of year event. Not only that, the thought leadership workshops are set to continue, and will be available to view online after the event.
The racing will be as exciting as ever with a course designed to include natural obstacles putting the all-electric ODYSSEY 21 through its paces to crown the eventual winning combination of car, team and driver. Each team fields both a male and female driver who will complete a lap each with a Driver Switch built into the format.
With points up for grabs throughout the race weekend, some of the best drivers in the world plus the instant speed of all-electric mobility, the concluding X Prix is set to be a showstopper.