Formula E champions Team Techeetah to join new off-road series Extreme E
Team Techeetah has announced its entry into brand new electric off-road racing series Extreme E, becoming the first team entry to represent Asia in the series scheduled to start in early 2021.
The team has competed in Formula E since 2016 where it has been very successful, first winning the Drivers’ Championship in 2018, and then in partnership with DS Automobiles, won both the Drivers’ Championship and Team’s Championship the past two seasons.
The new Extreme E series will race across five distinct environments spanning mountains, glaciers, rainforest, desert and coastal regions - all of which have suffered at the hands of climate change or human interference. The series is set to revolutionise motorsport and entertainment as it showcases E-SUV innovation and performance, while raising awareness of environmental pressures and inspiring action.
Team Techeetah will be owned by the Indonesian-based green and emerging technology-focused investment and private equity company Indover Group and will be managed by Chinese sports management and marketing company SECA, the owner of DS Techeetah and led by Edmund Chu (President) and Mark Preston (Team Principal) and will race under the Techeetah brand with a commitment to developing Asian drivers,
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “Techeetah has achieved unrivalled success in recent seasons in Formula E so it is fantastic to be able to welcome them into our Extreme E family. Extreme E offers an entirely unique proposition in motor racing, with cutting-edge E-SUVs racing head-to-head across five of the most remote locations on the planet with a brand-new engineering challenge for teams and drivers to overcome.
“The sporting offering is turning heads, and the race for the inaugural title is already shaping up nicely. I’m looking forward to seeing rivalries reignited and fresh ones formed in a ground-breaking arena.”
Extreme E entrants will race head-to-head, each taking control of one of the series’ purpose built Odyssey 21 E-SUVs. Like all teams, Team Techeetah will have the opportunity to customise areas of bodywork, such as the engine cover, front and rear bumpers, side skirt and lights in a bid to replicate the look of everyday car models.
Group testing gets underway in December 2020 before teams board Extreme E’s floating paddock - the RMS St. Helena - ahead of the opening race in early 2021.
Read more about the Extreme E series here