How ASXE kept its championship challenge on track in Scotland
After taking a victory and a fourth place at the Desert X Prix, the team led by Carlos Sainz ensured its 2024 title challenge remained in good shape after two second-place finishes in Scotland, behind closest rivals E.ON Next Veloce Racing for both rounds.
Despite springboarding past early championship pacesetters Rosberg X Racing (RXR) over the course of the weekend in Dumfries and Galloway, the Spanish outfit had to settle for staying second on the Season 4 leaderboard by virtue of E.ON Next Veloce Racing’s double success in Scotland.
Laia Sanz and Fraser McConnell ensured ASXE maintained its 100 per cent success rate of reaching every Grand Final this season with strong qualifying performances at the Hydro X Prix, but it was not enough to take the lead of the standings.
ASXE head to Sardinia just seven points off the top of the championship lead, with plenty of twists and turns expected in the double-header event on the Italian island.
Laia Sanz, ASXE, said: “I think we can’t complain. Although we have been second twice this weekend, the truth is that the Championship is super tight this season and even qualifying for the Grand Final is already very difficult. I think we have to be happy and proud of our work.
“You are left with a bittersweet feeling when you are so close to winning, but I think this will give us some extra motivation for the next round to keep on working hard and keep on fighting for the Championship.”
Fraser McConnell, ASXE, added: “It was an incredible weekend. Securing back-to-back second places and even the Continental Traction Challenge in the Round 4 Grand Final really showed our speed. For sure it would have been nice to go one step further, and I think that if there had been just an extra corner we would have had a better chance at attacking for the win on the last lap, but consistency is key in this championship and we showed as ASXE that we can do it.
“The pace was there, but it’s just that not every weekend can be yours. We need to fight another day and we look forward to the next challenges.”
The Spanish outfit has a good record on the terrains of Sardinia, which should bode well with four rounds to come and a huge opportunity to score a significant amount of points as the championship battle gets ever closer.
The team secured three podiums from four races in 2023, including victory in Round 7 of Season 3, and will be hoping for similar success come September, when Extreme E returns for Rounds 5-6 (September 14-15) and Rounds 7-8 (September 21-22) of the 2024 campaign.