Rosberg X Racing Team Wins Extreme E’s Desert X Prix

The long-awaited racing series is off to a good start

Extreme E
Molly Taylor (AUS)/Johan Kristoffersson (SWE), Rosberg X Racing, Laia Sanz/Carlos Sainz (ESP), Acciona | Sainz XE Team, and Cristina Gutierrez (ESP)/Sebastien Loeb (FRA), X44
Zak Mauger

Do you enjoy auto racing? Are you intrigued by electric cars? Then you’ve probably been keeping an eye on Extreme E, a racing series centered around electric off-road SUVs. The series was announced in late 2019, with its first race slated to take place in early 2021. Those initial estimates placed the series debut in January; admittedly, there have been a few global events since then that have thrown a spanner into the very nature of scheduling events, and Extreme E’s debut was no exception.

That said, the first Extreme E race is now in the books, with thrills aplenty. The Desert X Prix took place in AlUla, Saudi Arabia over the weekend. In the end, it was Rosberg X Racing team Johan Kristofferson and Molly Taylor who emerged victorious after a chaotic race ended.

“It was definitely extreme. It was the first time we had experienced terrain like that, and on every lap, the course was changing – there were so many different variables to deal with,” Taylor said. “We just wanted to make the most of the little time we had in the car — every single kilometer.”

Engadget’s report on the race notes that Rosberg X Racing competed in the final against two teams with impressive racing backgrounds: Andretti United and X44, the latter of which was founded by Lewis Hamilton. It’s an impressive start for the series; next up is the Ocean X Prix, set to take place in Lac Rose, Senegal on May 29 and 30.

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