E.ON Next Veloce Racing superb first win Season 4 Scotland

E.ON Next Veloce Racing take superb first win of Season 4 in Scotland

E.ON Next Veloce Racing took victory in Round 3 of Extreme E Season 4 in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. After a clean sweep in both Qualifying heats, Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor showed their speed once more to take their first win of the 2024 campaign at the Hydro X Prix.

(Motorsports news) E.ON Next Veloce Racing took victory in Round 3 of Extreme E Season 4 in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

After a clean sweep in both Qualifying heats, Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor showed their speed once more to take their first win of the 2024 campaign at the Hydro X Prix.

ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team (ASXE) finished in second place, while Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E rounded out the top three – with Catie Munnings securing a home podium for the second year running.

E.ON Next Veloce Racing now head the standings with 62 points, five clear of ASXE with the Hydro X Prix set to continue tomorrow (14 July).

Kevin Hansen, E.ON Next Veloce Racing, said: “What a day! In our first race we had to work really hard for it after an unlucky start, and again in the second race we had to do some overtaking to get through to the front, but that is where we really showed our pace.

“In the Final, Molly [Taylor] secured a mega start to get the lead, which made my life a lot easier. From there we both just tried to manage the race and manage the gap to the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team behind. All of last year I ended up starting in the Finals, so to actually cross the finish line to win today was an amazing feeling, and hopefully we can do the same tomorrow.”

Molly Taylor, E.ON Next Veloce Racing, said: “We’ve just finished Round 3 in Scotland and it feels great to take the win. It has been a really close battle all day, the pace has been really high from the other teams but Kevin and I managed to have a clean sweep today which is excellent for the championship points.

“The team did a great job. We progressed a lot throughout the day as we take on every little lesson and little boost that we can. The adrenaline is still high and we’ll be riding that momentum into tomorrow.”

Grand Final

E.ON Next Veloce’s Taylor seized the advantage at the start to take the lead for the British outfit, edging ahead of ASXE. As the leading duo broke clear, contact behind, between Andretti Altawkilat’s Timmy Hansen and Rosberg X Racing’s (RXR) Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, resulted in damage to the rear of the latter’s ODYSSEY 21, ruling Nico Rosberg’s outfit out of contention for victory.

A tussle between ASXE’s Laia Sanz and Hansen allowed Taylor to make some headway in the lead. It was fiercely-contested for second place with contact between the two, including a half-spin for Hansen as he attempted to overtake, but Sanz held on to her position as the drivers entered the Switch Zone.

Following the driver change, ASXE’s Fraser McConnell utilised his ENOWA Hyperdrive to close the gap on E.ON Next Veloce’s Kevin Hansen, but consistently impressive speed from the Swede saw him maintain the gap.

And Hansen held on to take his team’s first win of Season 4 – maintaining E.ON Next Veloce’s impressive record of scoring a podium in every round in 2024. The British outfit also claimed extra points earlier in the day for their Qualifying Heat victories and were fastest in the Continental Traction Challenge for Round 3.

Laia Sanz, ASXE, said: “It was a great day today and it was in the Grand Final where we found the most pace. I am happy about my start – I didn’t get much traction at first, but I held on and I didn’t back down. Then I defended from Timmy [Hansen], which was not easy, and then Fraser was able to push to the flag. I am happy about today’s work and proud of the team. Today we found ourselves in a tricky strategy, but we finished second and that’s very positive. Onto tomorrow!”

Catie Munnings, Andretti Altakwilat, said: “It’s been great to secure back-to-back podiums for the team here. It’s difficult to make the finals and the competition today was really tight – especially as it got a lot drier. The terrain changes so much here in Scotland, so it was important to stay on top of the conditions. I’m really happy with the result for the team today and look forward to racing tomorrow – hopefully climbing up a few steps on the podium!”

Redemption Race

The race began with a fierce battle between JBXE’s Amanda Sorensen and SUN Minimeal’s Timo Scheider, with Sorensen emerging ahead despite minor contact, leading the Redemption Race for Jenson Button’s team.

NEOM McLaren XE faced an early setback, retiring on the first lap due to a technical issue.

Legacy M.C.’s British driver Patrick O’Donovan made a charge, overtaking Scheider for second place and then executing a superb move to pass Sorensen to take the lead.

SUN Minimeal Team’s Scheider then began to close on JBXE’s Sorensen, getting ahead as the two made contact. Scheider slotted into second, but a technical problem for JBXE slowed Sorensen’s progress, dropping the team back.

After the Switch Zone, Legacy Motor Club’s Gray Leadbetter neatly preserved the advantage in her stint, crossing the line first ahead of SUN Minimeal Team’s Klara Andersson.

Grand Final
1. E.ON NEXT Veloce Racing 8:58.930 mins
2. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team +1.435s
3. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E +21.653s
4. Rosberg X Racing DNF

Redemption Race
1. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB IN ASSOCIATION WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON 9:48.880 mins
2. SUN Minimeal Team +3.533s
3. JBXE +1:26.823s
4. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team DNF

Championship Standings:
1. E.ON Next Veloce Racing 62 points
2. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team 57
3. Rosberg X Racing 54
4. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E 47
5. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team 34
6. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB 30
7. SUN Minimeal Team 18

Also read: Back-to-back wins for E.ON Next Veloce Racing in Scotland