One of the problems with the course in Saudi Arabia was that it was rarely wide enough for the huge trucks to run alongside each other, although drivers seemed incredibly willing to give it a go. This track, with the wide beach section, definitely goes a long way to fixing that so there’s plenty to be excited about this weekend.
Especially for Veloce, one of three teams to suffer major crashes during the Desert XPrix and the only one not to be able to continue the event. A ding in the roll cage of its vehicle meant it was deemed unsafe to run and there was no way to repair it in remote Al-Ula. Such is the nature of Extreme E.
“I feel like I have the same level of excitement for this race as I did for the Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia,” Veloce driver and W Series champion Jamie Chadwick said, ahead of this round. “Obviously, I only got the one lap in during the shakedown session so that just gave me a little taste of what Extreme E is really like – and it was amazing! This weekend, I want more of that feeling and to really get my teeth into this series.”
“I think in other championships my lack of track time would really hurt the team in this next race, but because each location is so different to anything the drivers have done before, I don’t think we’ll be at a huge disadvantage.”
“The only goal I have this weekend is just to get some solid points on the board. You have some bumps in the road and difficult rounds every year so hopefully, we got ours out of the way early on,” Chadwick added.
One of the cooler things about the series is that it’s so weird no one really knew what would happen, so there’s definitely a chance for some killer moments. Virtually unknown boutique vehicle manufacturer Hispano-Suiza managed to cause an upset by beating the likes of Chip Ganassi and ABT-Cupra in the desert,
The Ocean XPrix qualifying will be broadcast tomorrow, Saturday, May 29, on Fox Sports 2 and the final on Sunday, May 30 on Fox Sports 1.
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