Extreme E heads to Sardinia for the next double-header event of the 2023 season
The Island X Prix (8-9 July), co-organised and coordinated by the Automobile Club d’Italia and Regione Sardegna, will mark the championship’s return to the Italian island for a third successive year.
The electric off-road racing series will be returning to the familiar setting of the Italian Army Training area at Capo Teulada in Sulcis-Iglesiente. The Teulada route provides a challenging backdrop for the course, with some changes to this year’s configuration netting out at a track distance of around three kilometres.
Due to the hot summer conditions in July, the drivers will navigate a tougher, more compact surface compared to the Season 3 race locations so far. Riddled with rocks, bushes, and dry riverbeds cracked from the heat, the Sardinia course promises exciting wheel-to-wheel action across the two days of racing.
The series was created to raise awareness about the effects of climate change and sustainable solutions in the most remote corners of the planet. However, Sardinia has shown that the problem does not only concern places located at the most extreme latitudes.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “It is great to be returning to Sardinia for Rounds 5 and 6 of Season 3.
“Sardinia has proved to be a popular venue with drivers and teams in the past and has provided fantastic racing in our previous two events there. We are expecting more of the same in July, and with such a competitive grid in 2023 as the championship hots up, we look forward to a really special event.
“Our Legacy initiatives remain ongoing, while we hope to announce some new projects prior to this Island X Prix, and we are excited to see how they have developed alongside our supporting partners.”
Extreme E has been working closely with Automobile Club d’Italia – the national sports federation co-organising and coordinating the event – the Region of Sardinia, and its Tourism Department plus the Ministry of Defense and the Italian Army, to deliver what promises to be a thrilling weekend of racing action.
Angelo Sticchi Damiani, President of the Automobile Club d’Italia, said: “We are very pleased that this now-traditional appointment with Extreme E continues at Capo Teulada, where Extreme E is practised using technically sophisticated cars powered by electric innovation in a beautiful mix of extraordinary and wild nature.
“Motorsport is always a test bench for manufacturers, it subjects cars and innovations to very demanding tests that will later be used in series productions, and it is important that in Sardinia, there is this combination of sport, nature and technological innovation, especially when it comes to zero-emission engines.
“A particular pride comes from having created, together with the Automobile Club d’Italia, Aci Sassari and its president Giulio Pes di San Vittorio, the conditions for Extreme E to bring one of the five stages of the series to Sardinia, thanks to the support of the Regional Council, the President Christian Solinas and the Regional Assessor for Tourism, Gianni Chessa. My thanks also go to the Esercito Italiano (Italian Army), which has always shown great vision and made the Capo Teulada Training Area available, with a good understanding of the environmental and technological development reasons for this. I am particularly grateful for this response.”
It is becoming more prevalent that Sardinia and many other environments are increasingly susceptible to rising temperatures, heatwaves, and wildfires.
Continuing to work alongside the MEDSEA (Mediterranean Sea and Coast) Foundation, the series will build upon its existing Legacy projects in the region. Further detail around how Extreme E will highlight climate change issues and support the local community are to be revealed soon.
Nico Rosberg’s Rosberg X Racing (RXR) are the most successful team when it comes to the Island X Prix, with two victories from three races on the Italian island since the series launched in 2021.
Sardinia has also proven to be a special event for No.99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing, with the American outfit picking up their maiden championship win there last year.
Veloce Racing currently leads the Extreme E Season 3 standings after two victories in 2023., ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team are a close second with 69 points – 11 off the lead – while Season 1 Champions RXR sit third. Last year’s winners, Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon Racing, are fourth in the standings.
With three different winners across just four rounds, the double-header format means more points up for grabs and more opportunities awaiting the 10 world-class teams in Rounds 5 and 6 of Season 3 in Sardinia. The countdown is on!
