BIG weekend coming up with 18 Women competing in Extreme E and E-Xplorer in Sardinia, GNCC WXC Round 10 where the Championships Title could be decided, and 24H Barcelona for Aliyyah Koloc. Such a massive line-up of talented women who have all risen to the highest level of competition makes for superb watching on who will come out on top come race day.
The 3rd season of Extreme E has proved highly significant, pitching 9 Teams with 2 driver’s – male and female – battling for supremacy heading into Rounds 7 and 8, while elevating the profile of the all-electric Series with recent announcement of Memorandum of Understanding with FIA for the development of Extreme H.
Championship standings are close with Acciona Sainz XE Team of Laia Sanz and Mattias Ekstrom on 109 points, followed by Rosberg Racing Team of Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Johan Kristoffersson on 105 and Veloce Team of Molly Taylor and Kevin Hansen on 95. Will 2021 Extreme E winner Molly Taylor oust rivals, or will Spanish legend Laia Sanz consolidate points lead?
In a move which represents a major shift on how sustainable racing will operate in seasons to come, FIM E-Xplorer Series will run alongside Extreme E with double header of racing deciding the Championship Title. The inaugural all-electric bike Series has attracted 9 Teams showcasing the skills of 18 gendered rider’s whose capabilities have advanced the push for alternative energy powered machines for racing.
The win by Gravity Team rider’s Kiara Fontanesi and Camille Chapeliere in Round 3 in France pushed Championship points super close, with current leader MIE Team holding 66 points, followed by Robbie Maddison’s MaddWill Team on 46 with Gravity on 46 points as well. Racing over 2 days will be game-changer for elevating the Series to new status in an era of reducing carbon footprint world-wide.
Buggyra Racing driver Aliyyah Koloc faces a new challenge this weekend, racing 24H Barcelona with team driver’s Adam Lacko and David Vrsecky. Having already completed a busy season competing in The Dakar Rally T3 category, then switching to Endurance racing, followed by test/race the T1/T1+ car, Aliyyah has proved relentless in her quest to perfect her skills across varying disciplines.
With 24H GT4 Championship points super close – Buggyra Racing in P3 2 points shy of leader – Aliyyah remains confident that she has put in all necessary preparations to achieve results. Aliyyah: ‘We have just completed some testing for Barcelona at Most, Czech Republic. Yes, the points are close, so let’s see what happens. It will be our first 24 hour race so we will do our best and focus on the race. The last few races have been separated by a month in-between so I had time to prepare properly for the races, both physically and mentally. I have more experience with the AMG GT4 so I think going back to circuits hasn’t been so hard compared to driving the T1+ which I have only driven a handful of times. I have learned how to adapt better over the past few years’.
NZ’s Rachael Archer completes stellar line-up of women racing this weekend, heading into GNCC WXC Round 10 The Mountaineer leading the Championship table. Nailing 6 wins, and 3 seconds from 9 Rounds, Archer has proved super tough to beat this season, and is well on the way of wrapping up her 2nd WXC Title. Hands up for what result will be come racing on Sunday – I know who my bet will be on.
Header photo: Extreme E Rounds 7 and 8 promo Image: Extreme E.
Words: Sharon Cox.
Comments are closed.