Page 66 - Sharp September 2021

NICO ROSBERG, MOLLY TAYLOR, AND JOHAN KRISTOFFERSSON.
THE ELECTRIC ISSUE
Dune Landing
A travelling circus of electric dune buggies is the new favourite sport of Formula One drivers
LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF MAD MAX, A TRIO
of gnarly dune buggies streaks across the beach, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. As they enter the first turn, they’re side by side, drifting in unison and banging their wheels. After exiting the corner, the buggies reach a series of jumps, which send them into the air before they nosedive back into the sand. It’s chaos, Dakar rally-meets-demolition derby — but with a social mission.
This race on the shores of Lac Rose in Senegal, dubbed the Ocean E Prix, is just one race in the inau- gural season of the Extreme E championship, which is aiming for total carbon neutrality. The buggies are all-electric 550 hp monsters. And they’re criss-cross- ing the globe atop a boat — the St. Helena – that’s designed to act as a floating base for the new racing series, which is already making waves in Formula One paddocks.
Current and former F1 champions — including Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, and reigning world champ Lewis Hamilton — all have their own Extreme E teams. “I caught the off-road bug a few years back, which led to me entering my own team in a few races, including the Mint 400 and even the Baja 1000 — and I absolutely loved it,” says Button. He joined Extreme E for the racing, obviously, but also for its social mission. Each race is held in an area impacted by climate change; the series intends to shine a light on how individual regions are acutely experiencing the crisis while also trying to help find solutions by supporting grassroots projects from NGOs and local communities.
2022 will see more teams enter the series (including McLaren), plus a fresh calendar of globe-trotting races. As with any new sport, there are still some kinks to be worked out. But a sport that piques the interest of so many adrenaline-addicted F1 champs and also has a social mission? We’re sold.
66 AUTO • SEPTEMBER 2021
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