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Extreme E returns to Sardinia, Italy for the long-anticipated return of the Island X Prix.
With two years of racing legacy already under its belt, Extreme E's third visit to 'The Island' will be sure to reignite past rivalries and give a chance for the reigning champions to defend their victory streak.
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The purpose of Extreme E is to use electric motorsport to raise awareness of climate change and highlight the advantages of low carbon vehicles.
However, this crisis isn't limited to remote places. It's now impacting the planet as a whole, with areas like Sardinia facing rising temperatures, heatwaves, and wildfires.
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Racing Conditions
The Island X Prix returns to the historic Army Training area at Capo Teulad in Sulcis-Iglesiente in the island's southwest. The three-kilometer Teulada route offers a challenging contrast to the previous round, featuring a compact surface with rocks, bushes, and cracking riverbeds due to heat.
The Summer heat will create drier terrain, adding natural obstacles for drivers. The track aims to offer overtaking opportunities, fast sections, and tight corners, so the course walk prior to the race will be crucial for drivers to best prepare for race day.
The Island X Prix will be hosted by Extreme E in collaboration with Automobile Club d’Italia, Sardinia's Tourism Department, Ministry of Defense, and the Italian Army.
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Our Legacy Project in Sardinia
Our latest Legacy Programme in Sardinia focuses on blue and green carbon storage. In July 2021, Italy witnessed an unprecedented surge of 13,000 wildfires. This catastrophe wreaked havoc on livelihoods and nature, obliterating pastures, farmlands, and countless animals, including 30 million bees. Rebuilding the affected 20,000 hectares is estimated to take up to 15 years.
Beneath the waves of the Meditteranean Sea, a mere hectare of seagrass can yield 100,000 litres of oxygen every single day, as calculated by the Smithsonian Institute. However, these vital seagrass ecosystems are racing towards decline, with 29% already lost globally, with a further 20-30% predicted within a century.
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The Problem
In the 2023 Island X Prix, Extreme E persists in reducing future damage and restoring past destruction.
The series focuses on highlighting planetary warming, linked to widespread wildfires across Europe, America, and Australia. Collaborating with MEDSEA, a local NGO, Extreme E aids Southern Sardinia's forest restoration, tracking progress in the green carbon initiative. They also revisit the blue carbon project centered on Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows—an oceanic rainforest that remarkably stores more CO2 than its terrestrial counterpart.
Green Carbon
The first project in our Sardinian legacy initiaive will include returning to the communities impacted by the devastating wildfires in 2021. In 2021, fires blazed through 20,000 hectares of land, displaced over 1,000 people and killed around 30 million bees. Extreme E continues to help restore the historic olive groves lost to the wildfires in these areas and run a Fire Prevention Campaign within the local communities on forest fire prevention. We will also be revisiting to see the results of the tree planting over the past two years.
Blue Carbon
The second project aids Posidonia oceanica (seagrass) conservation, countering negative impacts of Blue Carbon in the Mediterranean. This crucial plant sequesters harmful 'Blue Carbon' and is endangered.
Seagrass is among the world's fastest declining ecosystems. Extreme E teams up with MEDSEA to analyze and replant seagrass along degraded Sardinian shores. Despite covering just 0.2% of the ocean floor, seagrass holds 10% of ocean carbon and can capture 30% more from the atmosphere than tropical rainforests. Safeguarding seagrass is pivotal against the climate crisis.
For two years, Extreme E collaborated with MEDSEA to restore Posidonia oceanica beds in Sardinia's Marine Protected Areas. This partnership continues into a third season.
