50 replies to this topic

[Alan Lewis]

Season 3 begins at Neom this weekend:

https://www.extreme-e.com/

For UK viewers, ITV4 is showing coverage at 16:00 today (Saturday) and 12:00 tomorrow.

This is perhaps one of the most low-key international series in motorsport, but for me that is part of its charm. Plus the racing is often excellent. I'm well aware there aren't many of us on RC, but I like Extreme E.

The conspicuous non-consumption of graphical resources in this OP is deliberately in keeping with the series' environmental aesthetic. 😊

(plus we're having lunch with our youngest daughter in an hour so I have to dash...)

[Muppetmad]

Thanks for the heads up! I had absolutely no idea the season was beginning this weekend, which is my major beef with the series, because I want to watch it.

[jonpollak]

I enjoy the racing too.
I think I can watch on Discovery + at my leisure as well.

Last season was a popular watch at the pub.
Jp

[thegamer23]

Didn't knew it was on this weekend, thanks for the reminder.

Extreme E is always a fun watch, drama is pretty much guaranteed.

[Speedometer]

Looking forward to see how McConnell  does for X44

[Alan Lewis]

Back from lunch, with a quick visit to the https://www.mucklebrewing.co.uk/ stall at Hexham Abbey market for a couple of bottles of red ale to accompany the racing.

Life is good.

[jonpollak]

Live on ITV 4 right now.
Nice looking track.

Ironically Andretti is wrecking yet more cars.
Jp

[Muppetmad]

I hadn't realised they'd switched to a double-header format (which, I should stress, makes sense), so missed all the action yesterday. I'm sad Loeb and Sainz are off the grid, although that was always a matter of time.

[jonpollak]

Cheering for Al Attiyah !!!

 

Jp

[Alan Lewis]

Good opening weekend, with a bit less carnage today. Nice to see Sainz get a win.

See everyone back here in mid-May for the Hydro X-Prix in Mrs Lewis' reliably damp home country.

[Muppetmad]

Yes, I was happy to see Sainz take a win. I'll try to catch up on yesterday's action beyond the summary in today's programme.

[Alan Lewis]

Extreme E comes to the UK this weekend. Specifically, to the former open cast coal mine at Glenmuckloch in the wilds of Dumfries and Galloway in south west Scotland.

Closed in 2016, the site is now being transformed into a wind farm and pumped storage hydro facility, hence the event's title of Hydro xPrix.

Like all of this year's rounds, this is a double-header, with one full qualifying and race program on Saturday and another on Sunday.

UK viewers can watch two hours of live coverage on the main ITV channel on each day from 13:00 to 15:00 BST.

The Extreme E website has posted the course layout and it looks like this...

https://www.extreme-...o-X-Prix-course

Free practice today saw Veloce fastest from X44 and Abt...

https://www.extreme-...o-X-Prix-course

Edited by Alan Lewis, 12 May 2023 - 18:29.

[Muppetmad]

Seems like an ideal location for an Extreme E event! Thanks for posting about it: I look forward to watching 

[chdphd]

Looking forward to it.

 

No spectators allowed so I heard.

[Alan Lewis]

No, the series has always restricted the numbers on site to minimise the environmental impact; no spectators and only eight people per team.

Some of the venues have been more remote than others, of course. Glenmuckloch is only about 100 miles west and north of where I sit typing this...

[Muppetmad]

Q2, heat 1 isn't proving especially racy so far, although it's nice to see a circuit with some elevation changes. The commentary team isn't proving especially sharp today.

[Muppetmad]

Ooof, big crash to open Q2 heat 2.

[Alan Lewis]

The in-car replay suggested lack of visibility played a part. I couldn't see much anyway...

The survivors are off again.

[Muppetmad]

Redemption race now. If Gilmour can keep in touch here, Foust will be well placed to push forward after the switch.

[Muppetmad]

Foust barely ate into Sanz's lead. She's come such a long way since she debuted in season one.

[Muppetmad]

A dramatic finale overall; it was a shame Andretti lost it through a silly mistake, but that's racing. Kristofferson's crash was so strange.

[thegamer23]

The racetrack was very cool this time around. 
Quite an iconic scenery

Edited by thegamer23, 13 May 2023 - 15:34.

[Muppetmad]

Main show for day two beginning now.

[Muppetmad]

Whoops - three cars drop it in the muddy conditions!

 

Edit: ...and a silly turn 1 crash in heat 2, with X44 as the innocent victim. RXR needed to leave more room for Acciona Sainz.

 

Edit 2: Redemption race has become a mess.

Edited by Muppetmad, 14 May 2023 - 13:12.

[Muppetmad]

Truly brutal conditions, but still a fun race for the grand final: Foust/Gilmour kept Hansen/Taylor honest there. Foust's pass around the outside was a thing of beauty.

[Alan Lewis]

Missed the first ten minutes after being held up getting back from the weekly food shop, but caught the rest of it.

I guess if they come back next year they'll have to give thought to widening that first section, and particularly to the visibility issues that seemed to be behind several of the incidents there.

Probably not surprising the mud is particularly clarty if it's full of coal dust.

[balmybaldwin]

Let's face it. the Wipers are useless.  They look like the ones off a citroen picasso with stupidly long levers and move about as fast as my gran and for gods sake why don't they have squirters?  It's not the first time visiblity has ruined the racing

 

Good 2 days of action.  Liked the course, but it really fell apart today. I don't think it's acceptable to start races with yellow zones because barriers are missing, but when the course got really bad down there (and the bales were back) the slow zone was understandable but they should probably have told the drivers about it before the redemption race.  At one point yesterday they were watering that section because it was too dry!

 

Good to see Mclaren finally get a result.  Gilmour always looks shattered at the end of her stints (emotionally and physically).

 

Also good to see Andretti do well yesterday, shame about the penalty, and Munnings had a great run in the redemption race.

 

I thought Sanz was very good yesterday but pretty poor driving standards today.

 

Edit to add:

Realised from re reading my post that I'm very focused on the female drivers in this series, mainly because they WERE so slow, I find it very interesting how quickly they are being developed. Without being unkind, they were clearly the differentiator in the driver pairings in the last 2 seasons, and clearly the teams have recognised this and are working very hard to help improve their pace. The Sanz vs Hansen run was very impressive.

 

I wonder if this could help with the general development of female drivers in the sport?  It strikes me the obvious series for this would be a Lemans class

Edited by balmybaldwin, 14 May 2023 - 23:00.

[Muppetmad]

I agree, the pace development of the women has been very impressive. The days are gone when Kristofferson/another experienced man can jump in at the switch zone and easily overcome a huge gap on the women ahead.

[Alan Lewis]

Apparently, there's a Formula 1 movie being made in the East Midlands this weekend. Meanwhile, in the world of real motorsport, the main event is clearly the third running of the Island xPrix at Sardinia's Capo Teulada military training range; the only venue to have featured in all three seasons so far. A new circuit layout, faster than previous years, has been unveiled:


https://www.extreme-...course-revealed


A few driver announcements have been made in recent days. Firstly, reigning British Rallycross Champion Patrick O'Donovan has joined the series as the male reserve driver, replacing Andreas Bakkerud for Neom and Tommi Hallman for Glenmuckloch. O'Donovan will line up alongside Tamara Molina, who has been the female reserve at each round so far:


https://www.extreme-...pionship-driver


Meanwhile, Christine GZ is being replaced as Timo Scheider's partner at Carl Cox Motorsport for this weekend and the rest of the season by American teenager Lia Block - the daughter of the late and very much lamented Ken:


https://www.extreme-...ort-in-Sardinia


Finally, reigning Extreme E Champion and all round legend, Sebastien Loeb, will be making his seasonal debut in Sardinia, replacing Nasser Al Attiyah alongside Klara Andersson at Abt Cupra. Al Attiyah is in north east Italy this weekend, contesting the 30th Italian Baja at Pordenone, the third round of the FIA Bajas World Cup. Having claimed both opening rounds in Saudi Arabia and his native Qatar, Al Attiyah is eyeing a second title to add to his 2008 Bajas crown:


https://www.extreme-...r-Island-X-Prix


X44 topped today's practice sessions from Carl Cox Motorsport and Andretti:


https://www.extreme-...n-Free-Practice


Qualifying is 09:00-10:30 BST on both Saturday and Sunday with the finals from 15:00-17:00. However, as UK Freeview viewers will know, daytime coverage for ITV4 (the network's main sports channel) is all about the Tour de France at this time of year, and the channel will only be showing highlights programmes at 20:00 each evening. There are, of course, a multitude of other viewing options available: Eurosport, YouTube,... See the Extreme E website's "How to Watch" page for details of what's available on the part of the oblate spheroid you happen to be standing on:


https://www.extreme-...e=Europe/London

Edited by Alan Lewis, 07 July 2023 - 22:08.

[Muppetmad]

Just caught up with today's action. It's really unfortunate this is the one venue they've come back to every season, because I think it's easily the worst one. It has no character, and has never produced good racing.

[Alan Lewis]

They could do with making that funnel at the start wider, that was never going to end well.

Of course, it is a military range so I suppose there are restrictions on which areas they can use and which they can't.

[Muppetmad]

I only just caught up with Sunday's action: this was night and day compared to Saturday! Some really great action; this was a pleasure to watch. I know we've said it before, but the pace of the women has improved so much. In the grand final, Bakkerud exited the switch zone about 15 seconds or so behind, and finished about 13 seconds behind: he barely made a dent, and he's no slouch.

[Alan Lewis]

Yes, that was noted by the commentators, if I remember right.

Lia Block had a decent debut, I thought, no dramas. Not bad for someone who won't be 17 until October. Ken would have been proud.

Mid-September for the next outing; 16th-17th. Venue still TBA, either the Amazon or USA.

[Muppetmad]

Yes, she had decent pace and no major issues - definitely one of the best debuts I can remember.

[chdphd]

Chip off the old...

[Alan Lewis]

The projected American round scheduled for a couple of weeks' time (16th & 17th) has fallen by the wayside. Instead (like last year) there'll be a second trip to Sardinia.

https://racer.com/20...s-fall-through/

Shame not to be going somewhere new but, as the article says, the size of the Capo Teulada ranges means they can use an entirely different course to July's, so it won't be entirely same old same old.

[Muppetmad]

It's unfortunate - not least since I haven't always been convinced by the racing in Sardinia - but it's a perfectly reasonable solution in the circumstances. Hopefully the "new" circuit will deliver.

[Alan Lewis]

The second visit to Sardinia is this weekend and the new circuit layout has been revealed...

https://www.extreme-...Sardinia-return

UK viewers can watch both days live on ITV3 at 14:00 today and tomorrow (note ITV3 - the network's usual sports channel of ITV4 is, of course, wall-to-wall Rugby World Cup for the next month).

[Alan Lewis]

Well, that was a fun weekend. The new circuit was much better, a far wider start straight than the funnel layout they had in July led to some good racing throughout. A few mechanical issues but that's racing (especially off road).

Onto the finale in Chile on the first weekend of December, with three points separating Sainz from Rosberg at the top.

[Muppetmad]

Just caught up with last weekend's action. I fear this will be the final season of Extreme E. The concept remains so, so promising, and at its best, the racing is fantastic. Pulling it all together and making it work consistently, though, seems to be beyond the capabilities of the current leadership team. The broadcast editing remains the central problem for me: the viewer endures the worst of live broadcast while enjoying none of the benefits of delayed broadcast. Central moments in races are missed, or shown with dodgy camera angles; the two-hour show is so, so bloated, which makes it hard to follow and stay excited. Too many races are spoiled by quite silly technical issues - this year, it seems to be windscreen wipers that are the problem. The gap between races is so large that such issues should never last longer than a single weekend.

 

Last Sunday's highlights video has 5000 views; last year's highlights videos had viewerships generally running into the high five digits, and often six digits. The second Formula Regional race last weekend had 12,000 views. It's hard to see a way forward with stats like that: the series has lost the interest of the public, and without that, it can't deliver on its remit of raising awareness for climate change. I'm disappointed, because so many of the ingredients are there, but we have cooks who can't bring them together and make them shine.

[Alan Lewis]

They will be going again next year, I think, but the long-term future does seem to be tied in with the proposed Extreme H hydrogen series that Ben mentioned in the general EVs in motorsport thread last month. Having stated the plan was for Extreme H to debut in 2025 and then become a full FIA World Championship the very next year, Alejandro Agag was noticeably non-commital on whether it would run alongside Extreme E or replace it - H is going to use the same Odyssey car as E, just a different powerplant. Multiple approaches to non-ICE power within the Agag empire wouldn't be a bad idea, of course.

Obviously, just changing the power source doesn't in itself address some of the issues you've highlighted. I suspect the most difficult is the fan engagement. We've discussed in the past that a series whose USP is enviromentalism cannot ever have a calendar with an event every two or three weeks over eight or nine months of the year; literally one or two more on top of the current half dozen or so is probably as far as it could be pushed. But that just runs up against "the modern attention span". As an old git born in the mid-sixties I don't have a problem in following the series (and neither does my 80+ mother, who is also a fan), but I have enough sense to recognise that that's not how many of my contemporaries see the world, let alone my daughters' generation.

I'm not sure how that particular circle can be squared, other than by just plugging on and hoping the fanbase grows organically over a period of time...which is not how things work today.

Edited by Alan Lewis, 24 September 2023 - 16:50.

[Alan Lewis]

Sad news: 2021 and '22 Chip Ganassi Extreme E racer Kyle Le Duc passed away yesterday (11th) after a twelve month fight against head and neck cancer. He was 42.

https://en.wikipedia...wiki/Kyle_LeDuc

[thegamer23]

He was a beast on track, goodspeed Kyle. 

[Speedometer]

Sad news: 2021 and '22 Chip Ganassi Extreme E racer Kyle Le Duc passed away yesterday (11th) after a twelve month fight against head and neck cancer. He was 42.

https://en.wikipedia...wiki/Kyle_LeDuc

Very sad news. RIP.  

[Alan Lewis]

Season III reaches its climax this weekend with a second visit to Antofagasta in Chile's Atacama Desert for the Copper X-Prix.

With a possible 58 points available over the two days, five of the ten teams remain in title contention. Acciona | Sainz and inaugural champions Rosberg X Racing are separated by just three points at the head of the table, 139-136, but Veloce Racing, third on 118 points, will be looking to put a spanner in the works. Chip Ganassi Racing (99 points) and defending champions X44 (87 points) retain only mathematical chances and will need a big points haul on Saturday to stay in the hunt.

ITV4 are showing the event with Saturday's action live from 18:00 GMT, though Sunday's round is delayed to 22:30 due to the Barcelona v Atletico Madrid La Liga match.

There is one driver change: Adrien Tambay will race for Abt Cupra this weekend. Patrick's son (the 2022 eTCR champion for Cupra) is replacing Sebastien Loeb who is presumably deep into Dakar Rally preparation.

In addition, Christine GZ returns as the female reserve driver for the series, replacing Tamara Molinaro; Patrick O'Donovan remains the male reserve.

Perhaps this weekend's best news, though, is that Jenny Gow will be returning to the commentary box for this event, a year after the stroke that severely affected the right side of her body. Having spent the intervening twelve months learning to write and speak again, she will be joining regular commentators Andrew Coley and Jess Rogers behind the microphone once more:

https://www.extreme-...Season-3-finale

There is no universe in which this is not good news.

Edited by Alan Lewis, 29 November 2023 - 13:53.

[Muppetmad]

Terrible, terrible news about Kyle: I had no idea he was ill. He was a stunning driver with a remarkable personality.

 

By contrast, delightful news about Jenny. Her absence has been strongly felt this season.

[Alan Lewis]

This weekend's circuit layout:

https://www.extreme-...return-in-Chile

Not much different to last year, which is good: fast and contoured.










I had a girlfriend like that in the eighties...no, let's not go there.

[Alan Lewis]

Yesterday's practice times:

https://www.extreme-...-Chilean-finale

Championship rivals Acciona | Sainz and Rosberg X Racing less than a second apart at the top of the lists, which bodes well for the title battle.

Defending champions X44 in third a couple of seconds back, whilst Carl Cox Motorsport push the other title rivals Veloce and Ganassi down to fifth and sixth.

Will it have become just a two horse race after today's final?

[Muppetmad]

Just caught up with yesterday's action. A dramatic day - three rolls, and a very close grand finale between RXR and Acciona Sainz. We're in for an exciting season finale today 

[Alan Lewis]

Well that was intense.

https://www.extreme-...dramatic-finale

Shame for Laia Sanz and the team but that's racing.