This location is completely new territory for all pilots and motorsport fans: In Kangerlussuaq, a small town in Greenland, the all-electric Extreme E series will hold its next event on the weekend (August 28th and 29th). For the ABT CUPRA XE team, the third race is also a small new start to the season: For the first time, Jutta Kleinschmidt and Mattias Ekström are preparing for a race weekend together. After an Extreme E start with many challenges, the goal is now a clean weekend and a trophy.
After Jutta Kleinschmidt jumped in at short notice at the end of May, the so far only female Dakar winner is now forming a permanent team with Mattias Ekström for the remainder of the season. In Greenland, the German-Swedish duo now expects a mixture of stones, gravel and sand instead of soft dunes and beaches as in Saudi Arabia and Senegal. A lap is around nine kilometers long and has to be driven twice in qualifying, in the semi-finals and in the final - once by Kleinschmidt and once by Ekström. In the final, five cars will compete against each other in one race for the first time in Greenland.
Jutta Kleinschmidt: "Immediately felt welcome"
“When I came to Extreme E as Championship Driver and Advisor, I never thought that one day I would be a permanent driver alongside Mattias - it's like a dream come true. I immediately felt very welcome in the ABT team. The challenge in Senegal was to get used to the car and all its processes within a few hours. The challenge in Greenland will be different: After the hot temperatures and the large amount of sand in the desert, we now have to get used to the completely different conditions in the Arctic. I can't wait to come to Greenland and enjoy my first real weekend with Mattias and the team. "
Mattias Ekström: "Want smooth weekends"
“For us, the Greenland event is like a little new start to the season. Jutta is the 'Queen of the Dakar' and I'm still almost a rookie. That's why it's something special for me to have her on the team. In Senegal we had next to no preparation and still had some pretty good runs. Now we've had some time to analyze things and prepare better. We still have three race weekends that we want to make as smoothly and successfully as possible. This championship is far from over. "
Extreme E live on ProSieben MAXX and ran.de
Extreme E has succeeded in gaining renowned television partners all over the world. In Germany, ProSieben MAXX will broadcast live from Greenland on Sunday, August 29th, starting at 15:55 p.m. Eddie Mielke, whom the fans already know from DTM and Formula E broadcasts, will comment on the races. The qualifying sessions on Saturday (13:30 p.m. and 18:12 p.m.) and the semi-finals on Sunday (00:XNUMX p.m.) run on ran.de and on the Extreme E channels.
Racing for a Reason: The challenges around Kangerlussuaq
Extreme E is not just about motorsport, but also about the race against climate change. Each event is used by series and teams to draw attention to special challenges in the region. Climate change has contributed to the Arctic warming twice as fast as the global average, which has led to an accelerated shrinkage of the Arctic sea ice. The less sea ice there is, the less sun rays are reflected, allowing the ocean to absorb more energy in the form of heat, which accelerates warming. According to some predictions, there may be no summer sea ice in the Arctic within a generation.
The third event will take place on the receding Russell Glacier near Kangerlussuaq in order to raise awareness of the speed at which the ice is melting at the poles: the races will be held in an area that was once occupied by a mighty glacier. With the help of the world's leading Arctic expert Professor Peter Wadhams, the series supports research into protecting the Arctic ice.
GridPlay: This is how fans can support ABT CUPRA XE
The best starting position in the final can bring a preliminary decision - and that is in the hands of the fans. From August 24th until 60 minutes after the start of the “Crazy Race” on Sunday, fans can vote twice a day on the Extreme-E website or on Twitter using the hashtags “#GridPlay #JuttaKleinschmidt” or “#GridPlay # MattiasEkström”. The votes are added up, the team with the most fans can choose its position. Additional strategic element: the teams that do not reach the final also play an important role by passing their votes on to a team of their choice.