March 23, 2020 |
New “Extreme E” Electric SUV Racing Series is about to Take Off
- Continental special tyres for the E-racing ODYSSEY 21 race car
- Tyre developers and test drivers are working under time pressure
- The racing series launches in January 2021 at Lac Rose in Senegal
In January 2021, the spectacular new off-road racing series will be launched under the name "Extreme E", bringing professional motorsport with electric SUVs to the remotest corners of the earth. Continental is a founding partner and exclusive tyre supplier.
It has been more than one year since the collaboration was made official, and participants still have nine months to overcome the extraordinary challenges, and the tension is rising as the preparations become real.
"By the time the event calendar was officially presented, every interested party realised that we are part of a completely new and unique project," said Sandra Roslan, who is responsible for the Extreme E project at Continental. “And the schedule is tight. Unforeseen delays will be almost impossible to make up for."
On January 22 of next year, the starting signal for the Ocean stage will be made between a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Atlantic Ocean. On the banks of Lac Rose, not far from the Senegalese capital of Dakar, the series will begin, with organisers hoping to make motorsport an ambassador for climate protection. By choosing routes close to threatened habitats, the Extreme E racing series aims to raise awareness of climate change among motorsport fans worldwide, as well as politicians, residents and local authorities at the venues, and encourage them to step up their efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
"From then on, things really take off," continued Roslan. “In March 2021, we´ll start in the desert of Saudi Arabia, in May in the Himalayan mountains. Not only must the tyres function on a completely new vehicle, but also on extreme courses, in vastly different climatic environments."
When you consider that the development of a new tyre for conventional cars generally takes three to four years, it becomes clear the immense challenges the tyre developers at Continental have to overcome. "The ODYSSEY 21 is an extraordinary vehicle which is roughly similar to commercial SUVs in length, width and weight, but, with its electrical equivalent of 550 HP, has three times the torque of the Formula E Gen 2 vehicle," she continued.
The intensive test phase has been underway since October of last year, and Continental is relying on people like Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, the Swedish motorsport driver, who is the only woman to have won races so far in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship. The test vehicles are equipped with a custom-made model based on the successful Continental CrossContact series model. "As of today, we can say that the tyres and vehicles are harmonising well with each other," said the Continental project manager. From now until the start of the first race, it's a matter of tailoring the profile as best we can to the various extreme challenges. With the aid of ContiPressureCheck technology, tyre data such as air pressure and temperature are also displayed for drivers on a screen in the cockpit during the races.”
The vehicles will be handed over to all teams in August, but until then there are plenty of test drives still on the agenda for Continental and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky.
Extreme E is organised in cooperation with Formula E. From 2021 onwards, Continental will be a premium sponsor of the Extreme E racing series. The technology company will equip all vehicles in the races with tyres for the different and very demanding situations. The organiser, Formula E Holdings Ltd., expects ten teams in the first year of the series. The following dates are planned:
- Ocean Stage: from January 23 to 24 at Lac Rose, Dakar, Senegal
- Desert Stage: from March 6 to 7 in Sharaan, Al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia
- Glacier Stage: from May 14 to 15 in the Kali Gandaki Valley, Mustang District, Nepal
- Arctic Stage: from August 28 to 29 in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
- Rainforest Stage: from October 30 to 31 in Santarém, Pará, Brazil
Source: Continental
