London: The innovative off-road racing series Extreme E on Friday confirmed that it is actively looking for alternate locations for the last two races in Season 1 due to the current COVID-19 situation in South America.

Extreme E was due to stage its Amazon X Prix at Pará in Brazil during October 23-24, before moving further south in Patagonia, Argentina to hold the Glacier X Prix on December 11-12. However after assessing the global situation with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, a decision has been made to postpone touring the region until Season 2.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “We’ve been closely monitoring the situation regarding all Extreme E locations for 2021 and have chosen to make this preemptive decision on racing in South America this year. As a new series embarking on our opening Season, our priority is to deliver a five-race calendar of events which are safe and responsible for our global participants, partners and staff to travel to and attend.

“This was not a decision made lightly, however current travel advice and restrictions have also meant we have been unable to visit the race areas in advance to undertake the necessary reconnaissance visits, which are especially vital due to the remote nature of our operations.

“We will of course continue to support our important reforestation and agroforestry initiatives which are already well underway in the region thanks to the help of Dr Francisco Olivieira and our partnership with The Nature Conservancy in Brazil. We would also like to thank the local authorities in Brazil and Argentina who have been supportive throughout the whole process and we hope we can return in 2022.”

Alternative racing venues are currently being explored and will be confirmed in due course. Options include the possibility of the Western Isles, Scotland before Glasgow hosting COP26 in November.

The series has already concluded two of its five X Prixs in its maiden season – the Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia and Ocean X Prix in Senegal – and is now preparing for its Arctic X Prix, to be held in Greenland at the end of August.

Extreme E, through each of its X Prix event uses its sporting platform to underline a different environmental issue our planet is facing, alongwith raising awareness about these problems and highlighting solutions  leaving a long-lasting positive effect in its race locations through its Legacy Programmes.