One year down, one to go...

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: The RMS St Helena is docked on the Thames for the Global Launch of Extreme E, at HMS Belfast on January 31, 2019 in London, England. The vessel is to be transformed into a floating paddock for the new motorsport series which will see electric SUVs racing in some of the worlds most extreme locations. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images for Extreme E)
© Luke Walker

Extreme E has come a long way in just 12 months. A year ago to the day, the championship launched in front of the world’s media on the River Thames in London, aboard its unique floating paddock, the RMS St. Helena.

From that moment, the team at Extreme E HQ has been working all-hours behind-the-scenes to bring the series to life, with a number of significant milestones and landmarks chalked off in the past year taking the championship from a visionary concept to reality.

Five formidable events

After months spent on recces and in conversation with a number of governments and supporting organisations, December saw the finalisation of Extreme E’s five-race global voyage – it’s Season 1 calendar.

Its events will span four continents, and highlight the impact of climate change and human activity on some of the world’s most remote locations, while promoting sustainability and the adoption of electric vehicles to help protect the planet.

Provisional Extreme E Season 1 (2021) calendar:

22-23-24 January: Lac Rose, Dakar, Senegal
4-5-6 March: Sharaan, Al-‘Ula, Saudi Arabia
6-7-8 May: Kali Gandaki Valley, Mustang District, Nepal
27-28-29 August: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
29-30-31 October: Santarém, Pará, Brazil 

Completing the calendar was a seminal milestone for Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag.

“Finalising the first calendar is a great moment for any championship and today we have this moment,” he said.

“I had no idea what this journey was going to be like when we embarked on it a few months ago. I’ve been to five of the most spectacular, remote locations on the planet; each facing issues at the hands of climate change and human activity. It has been a life-lesson. 

“In six months, I’ve seen the impacts of climate change first-hand and have met people that are experiencing the effects. For anyone that denies its existence or is unaware of the problems it is causing – just come with us on this journey.

“I am incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from all of our hosts and I can’t wait for what is going to be a special, unprecedented odyssey which will drive real change to get underway for the very first time.”

The ODYSSEY 21 – Extreme E’s E-SUV

Following months of design, and working to an extremely tight build schedule, the ODYSSEY 21 was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed just days after the initial prototype’s completion – a proud moment for Alejandro and the entire team.

A run up the famous hill climb at the event marked its first public appearance, before manufacturers Spark Racing Technology set about its intensive testing and development programme in the lead up to the inaugural ‘lights-out’ in January 2021.

Gil de Ferran, who had a hand in the series’ inception after a get-together with friend and Founder Alejandro Agag, and Swedish Rally Driver Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky both had the honour of the ODYSSEY 21’s inaugural runs, with Alejandro also getting behind the wheel of his ‘new baby’, his ‘electric beast’.

The pioneering E-SUV is built to tackle the most extreme of conditions it will face across the five-race calendar when we go racing in our Arctic, Glacier, Rainforest, Desert, and Coastal locations. At 1.6 tonnes, 2.3 metres wide, and capable of 0-60mph in just 4.5 seconds, with the electric equivalent of 550hp, ODYSSEY 21 has over three times the torque of the Formula E Gen 2 car.

Put to the test

In October, at Chateau de Lastours in the south of France – used by a number of World Rally Championship and Dakar outfits as a proving ground – the ODYSSEY 21 underwent an intensive first week of off-road testing.

The four-day outing was run in conjunction with the championship’s Official Tyre Partner and Founding Partner Continental Tyres, as the company worked on its unique, bespoke high-performance tyres constructed specifically to tackle everything Extreme E’s five formidable environments can throw their way.

FIA World Rallycross front-runners Timmy and Kevin Hansen and TCR Scandanavia driver Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky took to the wheel, with first impressions extremely positive on the car’s first real outing since Goodwood.

Current World RX standings leader Timmy Hansen was the first to drive ODYSSEY 21 off-road and was impressed with the radical car’s characteristics and performance.

“As early as lap two I was able to push,” said the Swede. “The car felt nimble, agile and responsive – it definitely didn’t feel its size. It drifted as you’d want a four-wheel drive car to do then it pulls and recovers nicely when you apply the throttle. I already feel comfortable in the driver’s seat.”

The Dakar Rally

In October, it was announced that the car would be driven during shakedown for January’s legendary Dakar Rally endurance event in Saudi Arabia, with the E-SUV also set for the final competitive stage on the rally-raid route, alongside participants in comparable ICE and hybrid vehicles.

FIA World Rallycross driver Guerlain Chicherit strapped in for shakedown. His combination of FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies experience – a series which he won back in 2009 – and ten years competing at the Dakar Rally meant he was the ideal candidate to put the ODYSSEY 21 through its paces in its ‘natural environment’.

A test programme in Saudi followed shakedown, providing critical data ahead of next year’s Extreme E season-opener in January 2021, before off-road racing supremo and social media star Ken Block took the reins for the closing, competitive Grand Prix of Qiddiya stage.

It was a leap into the unknown for the ODYSSEY 21, still so early into its development cycle, but, in Block’s hands, the car completed the 20-kilometre Qiddiya route – securing the third-fastest time among established Dakar Rally outfits and major manufacturers on both Block and the E-SUV’s debut at the legendary event.

A real marker and a signal of intent, highlighting the car’s capabilities just six-or-so months after its first public appearance in prototype form back at Goodwood.

Teams join the fold

VENTURI threw its hat into the ring as early as May, with the pioneering Monegasque electric vehicle manufacturer becoming first team to join the electric SUV off-road racing series.

The outfit has a background in high-level motorsport and is a race-winning team in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, active as a competitor since the inaugural season in 2014.

The company has become renowned for pushing the envelope of innovation and adventure through its ‘VENTURI Global Challenges’ - a series of record-breaking automotive expeditions designed to demonstrate technological prowess and the capacity of electric power to perform in any circumstance.

VENTURI was followed by two German giants, HWA and ABT, joining just after the ODYSSEY 21 was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed back in July.

ABT Sportsline has enjoyed multiple championship successes across disciplines at the very highest level of motorsport over seven decades. It sealed no fewer than five Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) titles, and it was the team behind Lucas di Grassi’s ABB FIA Formula E Championship triumph in 2016-17 - having operated a top-three squad every season since entering the series in its inaugural 2014-15 season.

HWA AG’s introduction ensured that one of the sport’s deep-running rivalries, with ABT, would recommence in an entirely different sphere.

HWA is an enduring presence across disciplines at the highest level of the sport, and currently operates HWA RACELAB – HWA AG in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. It has tallied numerous titles and race wins in the DTM on its way to becoming one of the most decorated teams in the championship’s history. The German company is also a major backer of customers in a number of top-tier GT and open-wheel series.

In September, Veloce Racing announced its intentions and became the fourth outfit to sign-up for Extreme E’s inaugural campaign. Co-founded by the team behind its industry-leading sister organisation Veloce Esports, with Adrian Newey, Jean-Éric Vergne and four young motorsport entrepreneurs at the helm, the team harbours high hopes and ambitions.

Drivers’ intent

July saw six-time FIA World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier join Extreme E as a Driver Ambassador. Ogier threw his weight behind the series, and his expertise is being utilised across the board by Extreme E organisers in the lead-up to January 2021. 

Ogier advises and supports on everything from the Sporting and Technical Regulations to potential event locations and the design evolution of the ODYSSEY 21. His unparalleled off-road racing knowledge and ability will also be directly employed behind the wheel of the E-SUV as it is fine-tuned ahead of delivery to teams in summer this year.

In September, Extreme E launched its Drivers’ Programme, with a roster of world-class names expressing their interest in joining and competing in the revolutionary championship.  

The first to commit include multiple FIA World Rally Championship title-winner Sébastian Ogier, FIA World Rallycross front-runners Andreas Bakkerud and Kevin and Timmy Hansen, double DTM champion and FIA World Rallycross driver Timo Scheider, W Series winner Jamie Chadwick, leading female racers Katherine Legge and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, 2016 ABB FIA Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi; fellow Formula E racer and Le Mans winner, Andre Lotterer and Sacha Prost - ice racer and the youngest son of Formula 1 legend, Alain.

In November, a second group of inductees joined the programme, including; the first British competitor to win the Dakar Rally, Sam Sunderland; sportscar and DTM star Loïc Duval; former Formula E and Formula 1 driver Karun Chandhok; young British single-seater racer Billy Monger; ABB FIA Formula E racers Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Daniel Abt, Antonio Felix da Costa, and Oliver Turvey; Japanese superbiker Takuma Aoki; GT driver James Rossiter; European Rally Champion Chris Ingram, and Hungarian rallycross and rallying heroes Krisztián Szabó and Zoltán Bessenyey.

January 2021

One year down, one to go. Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E gives his thoughts on the state of play.

“In just one year, in January 2021, we will be on the beach, in Dakar, Senegal, showcasing the first of our five global challenges of Extreme E.

“For the first time with our electric SUVs, we will be bringing this epic race, this show, this global voyage to life as we raise awareness about climate change and the human impacts on our environment.

“Accomplishing everything we have so far in our first year, with Extreme E having been little more than an idea on a napkin back in January this year, is an achievement I am very proud of.

“The team has worked tirelessly behind the scenes up to this point and will continue to do so right up to January 2021.”

A raft of new announcements are on the horizon with a number of milestones to come in 2020 as the hard work continues apace on the cutting-edge, all-electric global championship.