Chile hosts Extreme E as Rosberg squad leads
ANTOFAGASTA in Northern Chile stages the Copper X-Prix, round four of the 2022 Extreme E season, this weekend.
The all-electric off-road race series competes in areas with vulnerable ecosystems around the world to highlight the effects of climate change and human interference.
In the case of Antofagasta, it’s heavy copper mining that has had a ruinous effect on the local habitat. This latest event marks the series’ first visit to South America.
The Rosberg X Racing pair of Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela AhlinKottulinsky had a mixed weekend in Sardinia, which hosted rounds two and three. The pair faced disqualification in the first final of the Island X-Prix weekend after Kristoffersson rammed Carlos Sainz into a dramatic crash, but made amends in the second round by beating the X44 team pair of Sebastien Loeb and Christina Guettierez.
Loeb and Gutierrez, who drive for Lewis Hamilton’s squad, were promoted to second spot after the ABT Cupra team was disqualified because driver Jutta Kleinschmidt was unable to secure her seat belts fully during a driver swap with teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Despite the setbacks, the Rosberg team still holds a comfortable lead in the overall standings; they sit at the top with 75 points, leading Sara Price and Kyle Leduc on 43 points. However, the Chip Ganassi Racing duo are just one point clear of Laia Sanz and Carlos Sainz, themselves a point ahead of Gutierrez and Loeb.
“The Extreme E series competes in areas with vulnerable ecosystems to highlight climate change”