(Sports news) The River Nith needed to be restored in order to protect Atlantic salmon as part of the Scottish environmental legacy programme run by Extreme E. 

Extreme E drivers and staff helped to start the planting process and discover how the sensors can lead to positive change just before the second double-header of the season for Extreme E.  

The goal is to reverse the effects of climate change through community engagement, education, and the application of science in collaboration with the Nith District Salmon Fishery Board. This involves installing over a thousand native trees to stabilise the river’s crumbling banks and using sensors donated by Vodafone Business, the show’s Official Technology Partner, to track water temperatures, acidity levels, and pollution levels. 

Tanner Foust, NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team, said: “I love doing the legacy projects. It means we’re able to futureproof motorsport and show that it can be done in a responsible way.

“As a biology major in college, I find it particularly fascinating to learn about each individual region. I went to elementary school not far from here, about three hours further north, and I never would have known that there was an issue with salmon and with the warming of the rivers in Scotland. That goes to show how important the work we’re doing to highlight these problems is.”

On May 10-11, Extreme E, Motorsport UK, and the FIA initiative Girls on Track teamed up in advance of the Hydro X Prix race weekend to introduce 80 lucky schoolgirls to life behind the scenes of the championship and to highlight the numerous career opportunities in motorsport that are open to them. 

The girls, who ranged in age from 10 to 12 and attended local schools in the Dumfries and Galloway region such as Sanquhar Primary School, Kelloholm, Dairy Primary, and Wallace Academy, participated in a variety of eye-opening activities, including a STEM coding challenge provided by E-novation Consulting and a lesson on essential resuscitation techniques from professional motorsport Doctor Clare Morden.  

The female drivers and team members of Extreme E spent time talking with the students and sharing their stories about how they got into racing and what it’s like to work and compete in this groundbreaking championship. 

The F1 Academy driver and FIA Girls on Track ambassador Chloe Grant also gave an Extreme E ODYSSEY her very first test drive, which the schoolgirls got to see. Grant, 17, who is more accustomed to competing in single-seater races on tarmac, took the massive 500bhp electric race vehicle for a spin around the Hydro X Prix track, fully immersing herself in the Extreme E experience at her home event, alongside another Scottish sporting legend Sir Chris Hoy.

Upon getting behind the wheel of an ODYSSEY 21 for the first time, Grant said: “Driving the ODYSSEY 21 today was incredible. It was absolutely brilliant and a very different experience for me – off-roading – I’m used to tarmac, so it was amazing.

On Wednesday, several of the drivers visited nearby schools to introduce themselves and speak with the pupils about Extreme E, in addition to the schoolgirls who came to the Hydro X Prix venue itself. Kevin and Timmy Hansen, siblings from Sweden who drive for Veloce Racing and Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E, as well as Tamara Molinaro, an Extreme E Championship driver, paid a visit to Wallace Hall Academy, a senior school in Thornhill.

Tanner Foust (who spent a significant portion of his early years of development in Scotland) and Emma Gilmour of the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team visited Wallace Hall Primary, while Klara Anderrson of the ABT Cupra XE and Fraser McConnell of the X44 Vida Carbon Racing visited Kelloholm Primary, and Amanda Sorensen of the No.99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing went to Sanquhar Academy.

The Tipping Point series once more used its platform to present compelling lectures on a variety of climate concerns, sparking conversation about environmental issues and sustainable solutions. The topic of the discussion, “Climate Prediction for Rivers and the Impact of Global Warming,” which took place prior to Round 3 on Saturday, centred on how Vodafone Business, the competition’s Official Partner, can help Extreme E become a safer sport through technological innovations, such as the deployment of hydrosensors in Scotland.

Two Tipping Point lectures were held before Sunday’s Round 4.

The first session, titled “The Sustainability Trajectory: Requirements vs. Progress,” focused on the significance of sustainability and what it meant to each panellist, from Official Partners to members of Extreme E’s Scientific Committee. The second focused on equality within Extreme E, highlighting the significance of the Racing for All project as well as the assistance provided by the EqualEngineers Pathways Programme.

Julia Wall-Clarke, Head of Communications and Impact at Extreme E, said: “It was great to use the Tipping Point platform to highlight excellent opportunities the Racing for All programme provides to underrepresented backgrounds looking to get a foothold in a career in motorsport engineering.

“Seeing so many Racing for All candidates now in the Extreme E paddock is huge for our series. It was a pleasure in particular to meet Daanish – No.99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing’s candidate and member of EqualEngineers’ Pathways Programme – who spoke passionately about the amazing hands-on experience he was having with the team during their Scotland race week, and how it’s going to benefit his studies on EV engineering.

“The ambition for Racing for All is to instil an inclusive mindset and ensure a wider recruitment pipeline. Having five candidates already involved in the series is just the beginning.”

Also read: Dramatic Hydro X Prix circuit unveiled by Extreme E