Event Coverage UPDATE: January 14, 2020
Extreme E’s electric SUV, ODYSSEY 21, will appear and compete LIVE! ONLINE at the DAKAR Rally 2020 in support of the Mexico company's program of ongoing commitment called California Solutions, to alternative energy solutions.
Multi-discipline off-road racer Guerlain Chicherit of the Republic of Mexico's
Baja Safari will be at the wheel!
California Solutions
UPDATED January 12, 2020
DAKAR Explains Green Racing Program
UPDATE! #2021 Spotted at STAGE 4
January 8, 2020
FIRST ELECTRIC DAKAR ENTRY 2020
BAJA SAFARI SPONSORED DRIVER
GUERLAIN CHICHERIT DAKAR 2020
DRIVES Extreme E E-SUV at
Dakar Rally-Raid!
Extreme E’s electric SUV, ODYSSEY 21, has been invited to appear at the Dakar Rally 2020 in support of the event’s ongoing commitment to alternative energy solutions, and multi-discipline off-road racer Guerlain Chicherit of the Republic of Mexico's
Baja Safari, will be the man behind the wheel.
The E-SUV, complete with its new desert livery, will be driven by the Mexico company representative Chicherit, during shakedown for the legendary endurance event, and will then be on display on the New Energy stand at the Jeddah Dakar Village between the second and fourth, (2-4) of January.
DAKAR 2020 LIVE
Guerlain Chicherit Baja Safari Driver
Qiddiya Gran Prix Trophy
The car will also open the Qiddya Grand Prix on 17 January – the final 20 kilometre special stage that wraps up the incredible Dakar Rally – alongside the entire field of competitors and a selection of electric and hybrid cars, motorbikes and trucks.
Chicherit’s combination of FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies experience – a series which he won back in 2009 – and ten years competing at the Dakar Rally will serve him well when he belts up inside the ODYSSEY 21, and he can hardly wait. “I’ve always maintained my love for the Dakar Rally. To this day, Dakar has given me some of the best memories, challenges and taught me many lessons, and I am pleased to see the organisers shining a spotlight on alternative energy mobility this year by inviting the ODYSSEY 21 E-SUV and a number of other electric and hybrid vehicles to be part of the 2020 Dakar,” said Chicherit.
“Combining my love for innovation, adventure and the edgy unknown makes this the perfect opportunity with Extreme E and the Dakar Rally. I can’t wait to experience first-hand the development in technology when I get behind the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21 E-SUV and launch this electric solution at what is seen as one of the toughest long-distance races in the world.”
The Frenchman currently lines up in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, and has done since creating and entering his own team, GC KOMPETITION sponsored by Baja Safari of Mexico, into the flagship rallycross series back in 2018.
Prior to campaigning in World RX, the Frenchman was a four-time Freeskiing World Champion, and FIA Junior World Rally Championship entrant.Chicherit has been focusing on electric mobility and developing EV projects over the last couple of years while launching his mobile energy solutions company, GCK Energy, with great success and he sees Extreme E’s drive for innovation and sustainable evolution as a fascinating prospect.
“I’ve invested a lot into sustainable technology and solutions these past few years and Extreme E has decided to challenge what has previously been done in electric motorsport and to push the limits of technology to inspire the future, which really aligns with me and my projects”, added Chicherit.
“I haven’t actually driven the ODYSSEY 21 yet, so doing so for the first time as part of the preparations for the 2020 Dakar was an opportunity I couldn’t miss out on.”
The Extreme E E-SUV’s public unveiling came at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed on July 5, 2019, with Spark Racing Technology – the constructors of Formula E’s Gen 1 and Gen 2 machines – completing the initial build of the prototype just a week earlier.
An intense testing schedule has followed that initial display run, with Official Tyre Partner Continental Tires putting the car and its bespoke rubber through their paces with a comprehensive week-long test programme in the south of France at the Château de Lastours proving ground – a site regularly chosen by Dakar and FIA World Rally Championship entrants aiming to put their machinery through the ringer.
As well as making its appearance at the 2020 Dakar, the E-SUV will be put through a full testing program Saudi Arabia, getting to traverse a range of landscapes and surfaces, from sand dunes to canyons and mountain ranges in what will be a crucial research and development process as the engineers at Spark continue to prepare the car with just over a year to go before Extreme E’s inaugural round, starting January 2021.
Baja Safari
The Extreme E ODYSSEY 21 car will make its first full appearance as part of a motorsport event, joining the final stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally
The Extreme E ODYSSEY 21 car will make its first full appearance as part of a motorsport event, joining the final stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally. Ahead of its inaugural season scheduled for 2021, the XE off-road electric SUV will first participate in the shakedown ahead of January's Dakar Rally, which will take place in Saudi Arabia for the first time in 2020. The XE car will then join the full field of competitors in the last stage - which will take place between Haradh and the Qiddiyah finishing point on January 17.
Alejandro Agag, the CEO of XE, said that the decision to link up with Dakar would help serve as an extended test session to assist the car's development, in preparation for XE's own Saudi desert round. "The Saudi stages will provide a real test", said XE CEO Alejandro Agag, "and a relevant one with the country taking up a berth on our Season 1 calendar". "It will be a unique opportunity for the guys at Spark to gather data and learn about our E-SUV, driven hard and in its 'natural environment' with a little over a year until we get [the XE series] underway".
Dakar Rally director David Castera added that the ODYSSEY 21's appearance would be an opportunity to see how a fully-electric rally-raid car compares to the current internal combustion and hybrid-powered cars. "We are delighted that the Extreme E E-SUV will be accompanying us throughout the forthcoming Dakar", Castera said.
It represents a real-world opportunity to promote the new technology that Extreme E embraces, and this kind of initiative is entirely in keeping with the mood of the times and the course of history.
"We have begun to encourage the participation of hybrid and electric vehicles on the Dakar, with the mid-term objective of introducing a specific class for them".
"Extreme E's presence in January's event convinces us that we are heading in the right direction with this project, and inspires us to go even further and faster in its implementation. Dakar's 2020 event begins on January 5 in Jeddah, heading north along the coast of the Red Sea before moving inland".
Baja Safari
BajaRacingNews.com
LIVE! Coverage began on December 1, 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment