Oliver Bennett says the Extreme E Championship fits him perfectly as its a series that not only offers competitive motorsport but is also good for the planet.
The Bristol-born competitor lines up for the Hispano Suiza XITE ENERGY Team in 2021, with the inaugural event, the Desert X Prix, taking place this weekend in the Al Ula region of Saudi Arabia.
And Bennett feels the all-electric rallycross series is a game-changing championship and one he cannot wait to get started with.
“Extreme E is the perfect fit for me,” said Bennett. “I’ve always loved motorsport and loved racing, but it’s been difficult to square that circle of how to race while looking after the environment.
“myenergi, XITE, Extreme E – so many games are being changed right now. We’re doing something amazing for motorsport this week – but even better for the planet.”
Bennett believes Extreme E is the future of off-road motorsport, and the big names involving themselves the championship shows the kind of potential it has.
He will be going racing alongside multiple world champions across many disciplines but feels Extreme E is exactly where he wants to be at this point of his career.
“Extreme E’s the future of off-road motorsport,” he said. “The competition, driving against Formula 1 world champions like Jenson Button and [team owners] Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as well as nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb or three-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson will be intense and maybe even a little bit daunting, but it’s exactly where I want to be at this point in my career.”
Bennett says he has been acclimatising himself to the climate and conditions in the Middle East ahead of the debut weekend of racing, and he cannot wait to get behind the wheel of his Hispano Suiza XITE Energy Odyssey 21 in the world’s largest continuous sand desert.
“I’ve spent the last few months in the Middle East acclimatising to the conditions out here and I feel absolutely ready for the first event now,” said Bennett. “There’s been so much build-up, so much hype in the media about this thing, I just can’t wait to put my helmet on, to unplug the battery and get out there and put some times down.
“For so many people, this week in Saudi Arabia is about the realisation of a dream and to be front and centre in that dream is pretty special.”
