With only two weeks to go before the start of the Extreme E off-roading race, the teams have started to unveil their drivers. These drivers will be taking their electric SUVs to the most remote corners of the world.
Jenson Button’s JBXE team has recently revealed that he will be sharing the cockpit of his ODYSSEY 21 with Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky.
The Swedish driver is well known for successfully competing at the Scirocco R-Cup Germany and in the rallycross discipline. She has also taken part in the newly established Audi Sport TT Cup in 2015.
Is 2016, she also started in the junior classification of the ADAC GT Masters and in 2017, the Audi Sport Racing Academy. She then switched to the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship in 2018.
Here, she became the first and the only woman to ever win races in the series.
“I am delighted to be joining the JBXE team alongside Jenson Button, it feels like a dream come true.” she said.
“Not only do I get to race with such a fantastic team-mate, but we both really believe in the platform of the series. Extreme E is more than just another motorsport, it is a sport for purpose which we can use to showcase electric vehicles and motivate people to rethink their views on the consequences of climate change.”
“If we can make this racing series exciting, innovative and interesting to follow, the willingness to make big and small changes will grow – for the benefit of our world and everyone on the planet,” she said.
One factor that makes the Extreme E series special is its choice of routes near threatened habitats. The racing series has an intention to raise awareness on climate change among motorsport fans, government bodies, politicians and others.
Through the event they also want to boost efforts to control global warming.
The race will see each participant drive identical cars: an SUV dubbed the ODYSSEY 21 with 400kW on tap and fitted with 37-inch Continental CrossContact Extreme E racing tyres that have been specially developed for the series.
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