RACING TO SAVE THE PLANET: THE CALENDAR

DESERT X PRIX ALULA, SAUDI ARABIA

Stuff witnessed the first race, designed to heighten awareness of the effects of desertification (which could displace 700 million people). The series has also set up a conservation fund for the Red Sea’s endangered hawksbill turtles.

3-4 April

OCEAN X PRIX LAC ROSE, SENEGAL

The next one takes place on Africa’s Atlantic coast near Dakar. Drivers will contend with sandbars, saltbeds, gravel and rocks, while drawing attention to fragile marine ecosystems. XE has committed funds to plant a million mangroves.

29-30 May

ARCTIC X PRIX KANGERLUSSUAQ, GREENLAND

Round 3 focuses on the melting ice caps and rising sea levels: scientists predict there will be no summer sea ice in the Arctic inside a generation. XE’S cars will race across land that was until recently a glacier. 28-29 August

AMAZON X PRIX PARA, BRAZIL

Round 4 races around the rainforest on the banks of the Amazon – ground zero for deforestation and wildfires. Rainforests are of course essential to life, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

23-24 October

GLACIER X PRIX TIERRA DEL FUEGO, ARGENTINA

The finale takes place near Ushuaia, the Patagonian town known as ‘the end of the world’ and the gateway to Antarctica. Some of the biggest consequences of climate change are being seen in the glaciers here. 11-12 December