Extreme E: What is this championship where Sébastien Loeb competes?
This page is translated from the original post "Extreme E : quel est ce championnat où court Sébastien Loeb ?" in French.
- 13/09/2023 17:53
The nine-time World Rally Champion, Sébastien Loeb, is joining Cupra in the Extreme E electric SUV championship.
There’s no need to beat around the bush: the messaging of Extreme E is somewhat shaky, even demagogic. This championship was founded in 2018 (the first races took place in 2021) by Alejandro Agag, the very person who initiated Formula E, the series of electric single-seaters.
Extreme E rides the same wave of electric competition, but this time with large 4×4 vehicles whose power can reach 400 kW (550 hp). 0 to 100 km/h is achieved in 4.5 seconds.
The same old commercial spiel hinges on a post-it note: raising awareness about the planet’s fragility… while simultaneously trampling it with heavy machinery weighing 1,780 kg. The slogan is “Race for the Planet.” Quite a program!
The series features identical vehicles — all competitors own the same car, with only minor customization possible on the bodywork to create some distinction. Instead of flying to each race, participants travel by an old postal ship, the Saint Helena, armed in 1990.
The destinations are all symbolic of the acceleration… of climate change: Saudi Arabia (which isn’t very fond of electric, by the way), Scotland, Sardinia, and Chile in 2023. In the past, there have been Arctic, Fireland, the Amazon rainforest, or Senegal.
The races are called xPrix and feature 10 teams with mixed crews to better align with the goal of acceptability. These xPrix are then divided into four qualifying heats (Q1 Heat 1 and Heat 2, Q2 Heat 1 and Heat 2).
The top 5 crews advance to the Grand Final, while the other 5 may take solace in the Redemption Race.
In 2021, the inaugural year, the duo Johan Kristoffersson / Molly Taylor won, followed in 2022 by Sébastien Loeb / Cristina Gutiérrez. The Frenchman then did not race in 2023, only filling in with Cupra as a substitute for the main driver Nasser Al-Attiyah. This substitute appearance seems to have pleased the Spanish manufacturer, which has now decided to enroll Sébastien Loeb full-time.
Finally, as a little story, the next electric championship launched by Alejandro Agag under the same concept will take place on water, with aquatic “Formula 1” cars: the E1 Series. Perhaps to raise awareness about overfishing?
ALSO READ: Sergio Pérez dives into the E1 Series
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