Nine teams are ready to race the inaugural Extreme E Series in Saudi Arabia this weekend. Among those drivers will be Sara Price and Kyle Leduc. Both have been training to drive the Extreme E electric vehicles for the last several months under the Ganassi racing banner. Their car will resemble the Hummer EV.
“The time has come to go racing and I can’t explain how proud and excited I am. A huge amount of hard work under unprecedented circumstances has gone on behind the scenes to get this revolutionary racing series together and I can’t wait to see some of the biggest names in motorsport go head-to-head in just a few days,” said Extreme E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag.
Each race will incorporate two laps over an 18 kilometre (11.18 mile) distance. Each team will field a male and a female driver to promote gender equality and set a level playing field among the competitors. It is up to the teams to decide which driver starts the race. The other teams do not know which driver will be in the seat until the last minute making the competition even more interesting. Strategy will be key in winning the event.
Two time trials will take place on Saturday. Starting positions will be held in a random drawing. On Sunday, the races begin. The teams will go head to head in three car races. The top three teams advance to a semi-final. The middle teams race a “crazy race” The winner advances to a final. The bottom teams from the first races race a shootout, much like a last chance qualifier. The Desert X Prix will take winners from both the Semi-final and Crazy race.
All races will be broadcast on Extreme E’s website and their social channels.