While certainly not how she would have wanted to do it, Klara Andersson will finally make her Extreme E début this weekend at the Copper X Prix. A Free Practice #2 crash on Friday resulted in Jutta Kleinschmidt being hospitalised for evaluation, throwing Andersson into the ABT CUPRA XE car in her stead as Nasser Al-Attiyah‘s team-mate.
While Kleinschmidt was not seriously injured in her FP2 incident, which entailed an especially rough landing that tore off her car’s nose, she was not cleared to take part in qualifying or any races over the weekend.
“After her accident in Free Practice 2 Jutta stayed in hospital overnight for further observation,” said the team. “The entire ABT CUPRA XE team is in close contact with Jutta and wishes her the very best.”
Andersson serves as Extreme E’s female Championship Driver, placing her in an advisory role to the series and first in line for a substitute position if any of the regular drivers are injured or otherwise unable to race. She initially began the 2022 season as a member of XITE Energy Racing, but a positive COVID-19 test ahead of the season opener in February sidelined her as the team elected to permanently roster reserve Tamara Molinaro.
In the meantime, she has focused on rallycross by competing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship‘s RX1e division for CE Dealer Team. She became the first woman to stand on a World RX podium when she finished third in Race #2 at Portugal, and is currently sixth in points.
“Competing for ABT CUPRA XE this weekend came as an unexpected Friday night surprise to me,” Andersson commented. “While I wish Jutta all the best and a speedy recovery, I am excited to be racing in Extreme E now.
“Nasser and the team gave me a very warm welcome and a quick course of the car, the regulations and all the procedures. Going straight into qualifying is of course a tough thing, but I enjoy this challenge and will do my very best to make it a good one for all of us.”
