London: The innovative off road racing series Extreme E is all set to stage it's second X Prix , the Ocean X Prix this weekend (29-30 May) in Lac Rose, Dakar on the West African Senegalese coast.
Rosberg X Racing (RXR) emerged victorious in the debut X Prix last month in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, but with the top three ranked sides within seven points of each other, the Ocean X Prix guarantees to offer exciting motorsporting action in a location brimming with its heritage.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO or Extreme E said: “I am delighted to be back in Dakar, a place with a vast motorsport heritage, and I can’t wait to see our world-class line-up of drivers compete on this latest course we have devised. The Desert X Prix delivered some truly thrilling racing with a stunning backdrop and I’m sure Senegal will provide the same.
“But in Lac Rose we find an area suffering at the hands of the climate crisis, which is the true reason we are here. It doesn’t take long upon arrival to see one of the biggest issues, plastic pollution, which is affecting the local community and its marine life. Through our Legacy Programmes, we are supporting the local community to make change, and I can’t wait to see it for myself and help where I can.”
Nico Rosberg, RXR Founder said: “The team did an incredible job in Saudi Arabia to get the win and we’re very proud to be the first X Prix winners in Extreme E history, but we know we need to stay focused if we are to remain at the front. The series is already so competitive, but this team loves a challenge, and we can’t wait to go racing again in Senegal.”
Dakar, situated 37km from the capital, it's shores of Lac Rose was the host for the finish of the world’s most famous cross-country rally – the Paris-Dakar – on several occasions between 1979 and 2007. It will now serve as host to the Extreme E's second race, the Ocean X Prix this weekend.
Once again, nine teams and 18 drivers will be seen competing, but in a slight amendment to the Saudi Arabia race format, the Final will be a four-car contest, with two sides from each of the two Semi-Finals advancing to the summit race of the weekend.
Saturday 29 May
Qualifying, just like the Desert X Prix, will consist of 2 rounds of time trials. The starting order of the team will be decided by a draw for Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2. All races have two laps with the incorporated feature of driver ‘Switch’
Sunday 30 May
Three races are scheduled as follows:
The teams will be listed 1st to 9th place based on the total combined time of each team’s two Qualifying runs.
The top three teams go into the Semi-Final 1, where the top two finishers claim spots in the Ocean X Prix Final.
The middle three teams (4th, 5th, 6th) go through to Semi-Final 2, where again the top two progress to the Ocean X Prix Final.
The bottom three teams (7th, 8th and 9th) head to the Shoot Out.
Four cars will feature in The Ocean X Prix Final – The top two finishers from each Semi-Final.
Teams can also take advantage of a HyperDrive boost, which will be available to each driver on each lap of the race. They will enjoy an extra push of continuous power for a few seconds that will be activated after the driver presses a button on the steering wheel.
New in the Ocean X Prix is the ‘Super Sector’ – a section of the course where the fastest driver in that section over the weekend will bag five points for their side. This will ensure that whatever position the sides find themselves in there will always be an incentive to push to the limit to gain more points.
The teams and driver line-up will take charge of the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21 – a 550 bhp all-electric SUV charged with zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Teams-
ABT CUPRA XE – #125 – Mattias Ekström / Claudia Hürtgen
ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team – #55 – Carlos Sainz / Laia Sanz
Andretti United – #23 – Timmy Hansen / Catie Munnings
Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing – #99 – Kyle LeDuc / Sara Price
XITE ENERGY RACING powered by myenergi – #42 – Oliver Bennett / Christine GZ
JBXE – #22 – Kevin Hansen / Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky
Rosberg X Racing – #6 – Johan Kristoffersson / Molly Taylor
Veloce Racing – #5 – Stéphane Sarrazin / Jamie Chadwick
X44 – #44 – Sébastien Loeb / Cristina Gutiérrez
For each race, teams can decide as to which driver goes first, and decisions are kept secret until the last minute.
Shakedown and qualifications will be aired via Extreme E’s official website – www.extreme-e.com and social channels (@extremeelive on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch).
The Finals will be aired in over 180 nations by 75 broadcasters including Fox Sports in the USA, ITV, Sky Sports, BBC and BT Sport in the UK, Teledeporte in Spain, Proseiben MAXX in Germany, Mediaset in Italy as well as Eurosport across most European Markets and SuperSport in Africa.
