Fourth Extreme E campaign gets underway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Season 4 of Extreme E gets underway this weekend (17-18 February), as E.ON Veloce Racing looks to pick up where they left off in the all-electric racing series, with the support of Title Partner E.ON.

It has been less than three months since Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor took victory in the last round of Season 3 at the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix in Chile. This marked Veloce’s third win of the season and third place in the championship for the British Squad, a career-best for the team who retain the same formidable driver line-up for 2024 as they push for a maiden title.

The deserts of Saudi Arabia have opened each of Extreme E’s three previous seasons. Another demanding Desert X Prix is expected, as the championship launches in Jeddah - home to the country’s Formula One races since 2021 – for the first time.

E.ON Veloce Racing took their inaugural Extreme E win at Round 1 of the 2023 Desert X Prix, the first of three wins in the season which would be the joint-highest across the grid. After claiming another podium finish in the second round of the Saudi Arabian double-header, Hansen and Taylor will be looking for an equally dominant start this time around.

Gil de Ferran

Veloce will not only be competing for the top step of the Extreme E podium, but also in honour of champion, icon, pioneer, and most importantly family member and friend Gil de Ferran. The two-time CART IndyCar Series champion and winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500, who passed away at the end of 2023, is sorely missed by the team and throughout the motorsport community.

As well as being a big part of the Veloce family, Gil was also involved in the launch of Extreme E. Over a coffee in London back in 2019, Gil and Alejandro Agag came up with the concept of electric SUV racing in extreme environments with the aim of showcasing EV technology and inspiring action against climate change.

Gil, 56, is survived by his wife, Angela, daughter Anna, and son Luke. E.ON Veloce Racing gives its heartfelt condolences to the family during this difficult time, and will be running a tribute to Gil on the team livery this season.

VEXT

The team will once again be sporting the bespoke VEXT livery which was first on display for the season-finale in Chile. VEXT token holders were given a choice between three unique designs, and the winning chrome scheme was applied to the Veloce ODYSSEY 21 and complimented by VEXT-inspired purple team kit.

The fan-based vote for the Extreme E livery marks an innovative example of Web3 and real-world racing coming together through VEXT, the digital currency which allows members to impact the direction of assets in a community-owned global sporting, entertainment, and media group.

VEXT continues to grow, and is now listed on Bitstamp, the most renowned cryptocurrency exchange in Europe. This achievement opens new avenues and opportunities for all VEXT token holders, with further exciting updates incoming. Announcements around Racino, giveaways, and top eight exchange listings are all to come in the next few weeks.

New sporting format

Eight world-class teams will be lining up on the 2024 Extreme E grid, but despite the new line-ups there are plenty of old rivalries waiting to ignite in each four-car Heat.

Each X Prix remains a double-header, playing host to back-to-back rounds across X Prix weekends. This means double the opportunity for wins, podiums, and crucial points across a ten-race calendar, with Hansen and Taylor looking to kick off the campaign once again with silverware in Saudi Arabia.

The strong partnership built by Hansen and Taylor in 2023 will come to the fore this year, as by the end of the campaign the starts by male and female drivers per team must be equal across the season, ensuring a wider variety of head-to-heads which will ask the most of the drivers. Further rule changes for 2024 will see Redemption Race victors receive 12 points, minimising the deficit between the winners and those competing in the Grand Final.

These changes to the sporting format promise to make this season even more competitive than the last, which saw five teams in the running for the championship trophy come the season-finale in Chile. As E.ON Veloce Racing embarks on another spectacular season, Taylor, Hansen and the rest of the team have their eyes fully set on the 2024 title.

Molly Taylor, Veloce Racing driver, said: “We’ve put the hard work in throughout the off-season as we prepare for the start of the Extreme E season, including a few days of desert-driving in Saudi Arabia ahead of the opening rounds in Jeddah this weekend.

“We have some great memories from the Desert X Prix last year, and we are confident that we can be leading from the front this weekend to start Season 4 with a win or two.”

Kevin Hansen, Veloce Racing driver, said: “The team spirit within E.ON Veloce Racing is high as ever and we’re ready for the Desert X Prix double-header in Saudi Arabia.

“I’m feeling fully prepared heading into this Extreme E campaign, and while we don’t have access to our ODYSSEY 21 just yet, the team pulled out all the stops with their efforts towards a racing programme here in Saudi Arabia.

“Everything is in place for us to start the year off with victory, so now Molly and I need to go out there and push ourselves to the limit this weekend.”

Daniel Bailey, CEO of Veloce Racing, added: “We couldn’t be more excited to kick off our fourth campaign in Extreme E, and after a successful 2023 season, the team is fully focussed on besting our third-place finish last year.

“Kevin and Molly’s teamwork continues to shine through as we make our final preparations for the opening double-header in Saudi Arabia, and everyone at E.ON Veloce Racing has worked extremely hard to put us in the best position possible heading into Season 4. We can’t wait for the racing to start this weekend and we'll be pushing for a repeat of last year's Desert X Prix victory.

"This will be a tough weekend for my family and myself; competing for the first time since the passing of Gil – a much loved family member and close mentor – he played a big role in advising us throughout our careers and especially on the changes we made towards the end of Season 2 to become more competitive; we’ll aim to do him proud on track all season."