Extreme E: Gender equality
THERE'S NEVER BEEN ANYTHING In the fundamentally new electric off-road racing series Extreme E, the races from 2021 onwards will feature both women and men. This will ensure identical competitive conditions. Teams will be made up of one male and one female driver, who will compete together as pilot and co-pilot in each two-lap race. Each will contest one lap [...]
The teams are made up of one male and one female driver who compete together as pilot and co-pilot in each two-lap race. Each takes the wheel of the Odyssey 21 electric SUV for one lap, resulting in an adjustment in the race format.
Equality
It is up to the teams to determine drivers that best suit their strategy. The only differentiating factor should be driving ability.
Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Extreme E: "With our format, we ensure that male and female drivers from different backgrounds can compete with the same tools at every event. We strive for equality, and this sporting format most closely reflects that goal. Everyone will race together, and the most effective combination of female drivers, riders, team, engineer and car will win."
A chance for female racers
As President of the FIA Commission for Women in Motorsport, former professional rally driver Michèle Mouton is delighted that this premiere has come about.
Michèle Mouton: "A great opportunity for women and men to compete with and against each other on the same material. This helps to highlight the skills of female racers. It will be interesting to see the team lineups."
Jutta Kleinschmidt as a good example
Apart from the Frenchwoman, who won the World Rally Championship as a factory driver for Audi, no one can judge better than Jutta Kleinschmidt. The German was also the only woman to win the Paris-Dakar Rally. The stages in Africa can certainly be compared with the conditions to be expected in Extreme E.
She is FIA President of the Cross-Country Rally Commission and a member of the FIA Commission for Women in Motorsport.
Jutta Kleinschmidt: "Extreme E addresses two very important forward-looking issues: Environmentally friendly technologies in motorsport and support for female racing drivers. Both are very important to gain further support for motorsport in the future. In addition, women have the opportunity to compete against men under equal conditions and show their potential."
Attention to environmental issues
Drivers will race head-to-head on the same stages in the Extreme E in the same 550-hp e-SUVs, using the same customized Continental off-road tires in the heats, semifinals and finals. The new electric racing series will start in 2021 in five stunning environments in remote regions, including Greenland.
Extreme E will not only be used as a platform for equality and promotion of electrification, it will also highlight the impact of climate change at the venues. The full race and championship format is nearing completion and will be announced in the coming weeks.
