Extreme E has revealed the calendar for its inaugural season in 2021, with the five-race global voyage spanning four continents, featuring events in Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Greenland and Brazil.
This revolutionary off-road racing series has the intention of using motorsport as a vehicle for raising awareness about the increasing impact of climate change in some of the world’s most remote locations.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E said: “Finalising the first calendar is a great moment for any championship and today we have this moment.
“I had no idea what this journey was going to be like when we embarked on it a few months ago. I’ve been to five of the most spectacular, remote locations on the planet; each facing issues at the hands of climate change and human activity. It has been a life-lesson.
“In six months, I’ve seen the impacts of climate change first-hand and have met people that are experiencing the effects. For anyone that denies its existence or is unaware of the problems it is causing – just come with us on this journey.”
Taking the series on its voyage around the world will be HMS St. Helena as the former Royal Mail Ship fulfills the role of the championship’s unique floating paddock.
Extreme E’s debut outing will take place on the shores of the pink-hued Lac Rose on the West Coast of Africa, some 30 km from Senegal’s capital of Dakar, for the season’s ocean leg in mid-January.
Next on the schedule will be the ruggid terrain of the Saudi Arabian desert in Sharaan for round two of the season at the begining of March. The Kingdom’s spectacular yet unforgiving landscape will provide a canvas in which to create exciting technical stages, while puhsing the teams and drivers to the limit.
Acting as the host for the Mountain round is the Kali Gandaki valley in the Nepal Mustang District as the site of the deepest gorge in the world. On show in May, there will be no place more qualified to provide a stern test for all the competitors, while also demonstrating the huge and lasting effects of climate change.
Kangerlussuaq in Greeland will host round four in August’s Glacier round, which will take place in a landscape carved out by the extreme cold and once mighty glaciers. But the effects of climate change will be on full display here as Extreme E documents the changes that have occurred.
The finale of season one will take place in the state of Para in Brazil at the end of October in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest on a tract of land deforested and abandoned as a product of slash and burn agriculture in the region.
At each race event, Extreme E will work alongside local experts, governments and NGOs to implement positive legacy initatives to combat the local needs arising from climate change (deforestation, rising sea levels, melting ice caps, dersertification and plastic pollution).
The race weekend’s themselves will feature head-to-head races over three days within an area no bigger than 10 Kilometres squared. Careful planning and consideration has gone into carefully selecting course options which provide the most exciting action, while also minimizing any environmental impact.
Extreme E have said that race organisers will ensure that thorough environmental, social and governance assessements are carried out in each location with a third party to safeguard environmental protection, social inclusivity and fair political parties.
Provisional 2021 Extreme E calendar:
22-23-24 January: Lac Rose, Dakar, Senegal
4-5-6 March: Sharaan, Al-‘Ula, Saudi Arabia
6-7-8 May: Kali Gandaki Valley, Mustang District, Nepal
27-28-29 August: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
29-30-31 October: Santarém, Pará, Brazil
