- Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz head to the penultimate round of the season willing to match or improve the third place they achieved in Greenland.
- In the Island X Prix, which will take place in Sardinia, Extreme E will focus its environmental efforts on the preservation of the marine ecosystems and the increasing risk of wildfires due to global warming.
The ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team will race this weekend for the very first time on European soil. It will be in Sardinia, which on the 23rd and the 24th of October will play host to the Island X Prix, the fourth round of Extreme E’s maiden season.
The Spanish team travels to Italy with great confidence after clinching its first-ever podium in the previous round on the calendar, the Arctic X Prix in Greenland. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team is fifth in the standings with two events still to go.
The circuit where the X Prix will take place is set to be a real challenge for the Odyssey 21, the team’s electric off-road vehicle. It is around seven kilometres long with multiple 90-degree corners. Its surface is dry, broken and dusty, which will also be a challenge in terms of visibility for the drivers.
Carlos Sainz knows the island well because in 2004 he finished third in the first edition of the Sardinia Rally when he was still competing in the World Championship. And Laia Sanz has a new world title to his name, the 22nd of her career because last weekend he secured her sixth Enduro title.
This X Prix was not originally meant to be in this season’s calendar, but it joined the championship later on following the difficulties of travelling to Latin America in the midst of the pandemic. The Island X Prix and the Jurassic X Prix filled in replacing the two events that were due to take place there.
LEGACY PROGRAMME
The Island X Prix revolves around the preservation of the marine ecosystems and the need to fight against wildfires, which each year increase their intensity not only on the Mediterranean coast but all around the world due to global warming.
Seagrasses have decreased by 29% and some studies suggest they could disappear if this tendency does not change. Yesterday, Laia Sanz visited a rehabilitation centre for marine animals and dived on the coast to see first-hand the state of the local Posidonia.
Quotes
Carlos Sainz, driver:
"It is already the fourth X Prix of the Extreme E Championship, we are now in Sardinia and the goal of the team is naturally to improve the result we achieved in Greenland, where we finished in third place. Our objective is to at least score a podium finish. We know it will not be easy because the level of the series is getting higher, but this has to be our goal going into the X Prix. From now onwards, everything will depend on how the weekend unfolds".
Laia Sanz, driver:
"I am really looking forward to racing here in Sardinia. I want to continue improving and to carry on our upwards trajectory. I took part in a rallycross race a couple of weeks ago and I hope that comes in handy when I am back on four wheels. We really want to compete again and score another good result after the podium we had in Greenland".
Albert Fàbrega, team principal:
"We really want to get going here in Sardinia. The place where we will race is truly spectacular and we are really confident going into the weekend after the podium we clinched in Greenland. We are aware nevertheless that we will have to do everything right from the very first practice session if we want to score another good result and to extract the maximum out of the car, ensuring that both Laia and Carlos are in a position to make the most of it. We want to score a good result, bring home as many points as possible and keep on building our confidence as we face this final stretch of the season with all the strength we have".
