Story By: EXTREME E – SCOTLAND – Veloce Racing took the win in Round 4, marking a second victory of the season and a return to the top of the standings on home soil at the Hydro X Prix.
Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor led from start to finish, fending off attacks from the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team, who secured their second-ever podium in Extreme E at also the team’s home event.
Coming in third were No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing, with a maiden podium for RJ Anderson and Amanda Sorensen having been in every Grand Final so far this season.
DNFs for both the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team and Rosberg X Racing (RXR) in the Grand Final see Veloce Racing pull away at the top of the championship standings by 11 points.
Winners of the Redemption Race were JBXE, having seen off Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E and ABT CUPRA XE, the only other contenders on course after two DNFs.
Kevin Hansen, Veloce Racing, said: “We had a tough weekend, much tougher than Saudi Arabia. We didn’t really have anything on our side yesterday, so to finally get into the Grand Final and have all our support on GridPlay really helped.
“It was nice after Friday, with our double P1s in Free Practice, to come back and actually get on top! It was a huge effort from the team to pull through in such difficult conditions. They gave me full reign for an hour before the Final and quick decisions on set-up and everything. It was really cool to pull it off.”
Grand Final
For the first time in Extreme E’s history there was rain falling during a Final, and it was hard to ignore as the cars battled the elements out on-course.
Veloce Racing’s Hansen secured the lead out of the first corner, something that proved crucial as visibility worsened in the increasingly challenging conditions.
Mattias Ekström and Tanner Foust kept the Swede close, as RXR’s Johan Kristoffersson pulled up alongside the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team and NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team cars in the slow zone by the cliff face – implemented off the back of earlier accidents in the sector.
As the ODYSSEY 21s progressed towards the ascent out of the quarry, Foust slotted into third for the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team behind Ekström and ahead of Kristoffersson.
With clear air ahead Hansen began to extend his lead for Veloce Racing, while behind Foust pulled off what felt impossible given the conditions. The American swung round the outside of Ekström in the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team car, finding the grip to complete the move and take second for the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team.
Following the driver change, where teams were able to clear the windscreens before the cars exited the Switch Zone, Veloce Racing’s Taylor picked up where Hansen left off with a confident drive to take a second victory for the team this season and a return to the top of the leaderboard.
Behind the Australian, more and more mud was being kicked up by the ODYSSEY 21s as the drivers gave it everything they had. RXR’s Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinksy and ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team’s Laia Sanz came head-to-head once again following their incident in Qualifying 2 – which ended with both teams out of the race.
The Grand Final told a similar tale, but this time it was the RXR car going into the back of the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team machine. As both drivers struggled with visibility and grip, they came into contact again as they tried to resume racing, leaving the door open for No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing to take third.
The damage caused from the incident left Åhlin-Kottulinsky with no choice but to come to a stop further down the course. Sanz still had some fight left in her, but it wasn’t long before the Spaniard found herself in the hay bales, which saw ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team drop out of contention and out of their top spot in the championship.
NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team’s Emma Gilmour and No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing’s Sorensen completed their runs without trouble in second and third place, respectively.
This marked a second-ever podium for the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team, following finishing runners-up at the Season 2 finale in Uruguay, and important championship points achieved on home turf.
Emma Gilmour, NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team, said: It’s been an amazing trip and it’s been very challenging – the weather conditions have made it even more so.
“It was very stressful, especially when there are slow zones and so many places where you can potentially make a mistake, but you are very happy when you can hand it over to your teammate having done a good job. To get a podium was a big relief for the team – just a great feeling – and everyone has put in so much work so we are all really happy.”
For No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing, it marks their first podium since Sardinia in Season 2, and a first podium with the driver line-up of Anderson and Sorensen, who now sit fifth in the championship just two points behind RXR in third.
Amanda Sorensen, No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing, said: “It’s the direction we want to be moving in, so I’m glad to see that we are still improving. There were a couple setbacks in Saudi and we are happy to have taken steps forward, it’s a positive sign.
“For the last four years I’ve been doing Formula Drift, which does have a slippery surface, in a sense. It’s on asphalt and has some grip, but it definitely translates over to this. For me I actually got to rip the e-brake this weekend which was very exciting – it felt like home for me! Knowing how to take the car into the turn and how to react when the car was getting sideways was something I definitely had in my favour.”
Redemption Race
With their best start of the Hydro X Prix double-header, JBXE’s Andreas Bakkerud charged to the front of the pack, which lacked a Carl Cox Motorsport car after the damage from the team’s crash in Qualifying 2.
Slotting into second was Timmy Hansen for Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E, with ABT CUPRA XE’s Nasser Al-Attiyah behind in third.
As the cars slid through the tricky slow zone section, X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell found himself first in the back of the ABT CUPRA XE car and then into the hay bales to his right, marking a disappointing end to the Hydro X Prix after the team’s win in Round 3.
The front three continued as they were into the Switch Zone, where their teammates picked up the mantle and overcame the challenge presented by the worsening weather.
JBXE’s Hedda Hosås crossed the line first, a win that brings redemption for the team after a tough weekend in Scotland that lacked results.
Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E’s Catie Munnings finished the race second, building on the team’s podium yesterday to add much needed points to their championship tally and move up from tenth in the championship to seventh.
Crossing the line third in the Redemption Race marked the end of a challenging weekend for ABT CUPRA XE which saw two crashes for the team, and they’ll be looking to come back fighting at the next double-header.
Extreme E returns to action in Sardinia for Rounds 5 and 6 in July (8-9). Find out where you can watch the highlights of the Hydro X Prix here.
RESULTS
Grand Final
1. Veloce Racing 12:52.663
2. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team +6.419
3. No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing +20.490
4. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team DNF
5. Rosberg X Racing DNF
Redemption Race
1. JBXE 12:19.448
2. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E +4.968
3. ABT CUPRA XE +30.534
4. X44 Vida Carbon Racing DNF
5. Carl Cox Motorsport DNS
Championship Standings
1. Veloce Racing: 80 points
2. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team: 69 points
3. Rosberg X Racing: 52 points
4. X44 Vida Carbon Racing: 51 points
5. No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing: 50 points
6. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team: 36 points
7. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E: 29 points
8. Carl Cox Motorsport: 23 points
9. ABT CUPRA XE: 20 points
10. JBXE: 15 points