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Extreme E X44

posted Dec 11, 2020, 3:07 PM by Tech. Kruze   [ updated Dec 11, 2020, 3:08 PM ]

Extreme E is delighted to welcome two stellar drivers, Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez, who will race for X44, the team founded by Seven-Time Formula 1™ World Champion Lewis Hamilton, in the inaugural Extreme E season which begins in 2021.
Acclaimed French driver Sébastien Loeb is one of the greatest rally drivers of all time and a legend of the motorsport world, with a record nine World Rally Championships and 79 race wins to his name. After beginning his rally career aged 22, his natural driving talent soon saw him winning championships in his home country before quickly moving to a global stage. His 24-year career in motorsport has seen him achieve total dominance in the rally world, including his nine world championships. He has also achieved three Race of Champions wins in which he competed against the world’s best racing and rally drivers, and X44 is delighted to welcome him to the team.
Gifted Spanish driver Cristina Gutiérrez is a promising upcoming talent who made history in the 2017 Dakar Rally by becoming the first Spanish female driver to finish the race in the car category, finishing fifth place among the debutantes. Widely known as the toughest rally in the world, Cristina has now finished the race four times and has quickly adapted to the tough requirements of rally driving. She has all the hallmarks of a great driver, showing grit and a natural talent, and has had a huge passion for the sport since she started racing at four years old. Her talents have been well showcased in her home country, where she previously secured a second-place overall position in the mixed-gender All-Terrain Spanish Rally Championships, finishing top of the female category between 2011 and 2016.

Alejandro Agag, CEO and Founder of Extreme E said: “X44 has certainly picked a strong driver pairing, and I’m delighted to welcome possibly the greatest rally driver of all-time, Sébastien Loeb, and his teammate Cristina Gutiérrez, to the Extreme E family. The pair bring with them a wealth of off-road and rally experience, which will stand them in good stead when it comes to racing next year.
“We have now announced over half of the grid for our inaugural season and it is shaping up to be a fantastic competition with drivers, both male and female, from a mix of ages and motorsport disciplines getting behind the wheel of our electric SUV. I can’t wait to go racing next year!”

X44 driver, Sébastien Loeb commented: “Joining team X44 is an opportunity for me to continue to do what I love, which is race, and I’m looking forward to competing in an electric vehicle - I had the chance to drive the car recently and it is incredible. Cristina is a fantastic driver and I can’t wait to partner with her and see what we can achieve together. I am really impressed by what Lewis is doing in Formula 1 too, so to be able to work with him on this is an honor.”


X44 driver Cristina Gutiérrez added: “I am really excited to join X44. Not only will we get the opportunity to raise awareness of the climate crisis, which is very important to me, but I get to work with two heroes of mine. Sébastien Loeb is the most incredible rally driver of all time so I’m really happy that I get to partner with him and I hope to learn a lot. I’m a huge Formula 1 fan and have been watching Lewis race for years, so being asked to join his team is a dream come true. I drove in the car for the first time recently and it was such a great experience, I can’t wait to see what it can do at each race.”

X44 Founder Lewis Hamilton concluded: “I’m delighted to welcome Sébastien and Cristina to X44. They are both incredible drivers and I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re going to do out there at each race. Cristina is an upcoming talent with a great future ahead of her, and Sébastien is a driver I have admired for so many years so I’m so proud and excited to have them on board.”
Both drivers recently tested the car for the first time at Donington Park Circuit’s off-road stages. The single-design ODYSSEY 21 electric vehicle entered by X44, and all other competitors, is at the cutting edge of innovation for electric vehicles, and with this car, the series hopes to develop technology that will find its way into everyday use, paving the way for a less carbon intensive future.

Source/Content: Extreme E News release

Audi to compete in Dakar Rally

posted Dec 10, 2020, 9:47 AM by Tech. Kruze   [ updated Dec 10, 2020, 9:53 AM ]

Audi is facing one of the greatest challenges in motorsport: The brand with the four rings will be competing in the famous Dakar Rally for the first time in 2022 with an innovative prototype. The alternative drive concept combines an electric drivetrain with a high-voltage battery and a highly efficient energy converter for the first time. Cross-country rallying will be the spearhead of the factory motorsport commitment in the future. “A multifaceted commitment to motorsport is and will remain an integral part of Audi’s strategy,” says Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management and Board of Management Member for Technical Development and Product Lines at AUDI AG. “We want to continue demonstrating the brand’s slogan ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ in international top-level motorsport in the future and develop innovative technologies for our road cars. The toughest rally in the world is the perfect stage for this.” After many international successes in a wide range of categories, Audi is thus returning to rallying, which marked the beginning of the brand’s successful history in motorsport. From 1981, the Audi quattro revolutionized rallying. Today, permanent four-wheel drive is a standard, not only for rally cars. It also guarantees maximum safety in the sportiest Audi production models, and now also electrically in the e-tron models.

With the use of an alternative drive concept in the Dakar Rally, Audi is now facing up to the most extreme conditions. The vehicle will be driven by a powerful electric drivetrain. The energy required for this comes from a high-voltage battery, which can be charged as required while driving via an energy converter in the form of a highly efficient TFSI engine. The aim is to permanently improve the performance of the electric drivetrain and the battery in the years to come. The experience gained in this process should then be incorporated into the further development of future electrified production models.



Audi is the first car manufacturer that has committed to develop a viable alternative drive concept for the Dakar Rally, making it a pioneer in motorsport once again. In 2012, Audi achieved the first victory of a hybrid racing car in the Le Mans 24 Hours. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro remained unbeaten in the world’s most important endurance race three times in a row.

Since 2014, Audi has also been successful in fully-electric racing with Formula E. First in a supporting role for the team of its longstanding partner ABT Sportsline, and from 2017 with full factory involvement. After six years, the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team is the most successful entry in the history of Formula E with a total of 43 podium finishes, including twelve victories. Special highlights include winning the drivers’ title in 2017 and the teams’ title in the first season on a factory level in 2018.

San Felipe 250 changes

posted Mar 13, 2020, 1:35 PM by Race Reporter   [ updated Mar 13, 2020, 1:37 PM ]

San Felipe 250 changing race-week schedule as announced by the race organizer.
Recognizing that the health and safety of the racers, crews, staff and broader communities is the highest priority, and based on the concerns related to the COVID 19 (novel Coronavirus), SCORE International is modifying its race week schedule for the upcoming 34th annual SCORE San Felipe 250 in Baja California, Mexico.
Launching its 47th season racing, pre-running opens Saturday on the rugged, near race-record long 326.7-mile course for the event.
The season-opening event of the four-race internationally-televised 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship will be held March 24-29 in San Felipe, the peaceful fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, 125 miles south of the U.S. Border at Calexico, Calif.
“After consulting and evaluating the situation with Mexican authorities we are making a series of modifications to the schedule of events for our season-opening SCORE San Felipe 250,” commented Jose A. Grijalva, SCORE President/Race Director. “While certain elements are still being finalized, our goal is to minimize the exposure of racers, crews and staff with the public. We will be providing updates as needed as we begin pre-running this weekend in preparation of the following week of race activities and the race itself.”
“We also want to remind teams, crews, media and the fans the importance of following preventative measures such as washing hands regularly, avoiding direct contact with other individuals and covering your mouth when coughing,” added Grijalva. “If you feel sick or have any flu-like symptoms avoid coming to the race. We also encourage the public enjoy the race out on the course and avoid large concentrations of fans.”
Most significant changes will include moving racer and media registration as well as Race Tech Inspection to the Pavilion at El Dorado Ranch which will be closed to the public so race teams will not be required to drive through the Malecon except on race day.

AMA Supercross Championship KTM

posted Mar 8, 2020, 5:22 AM by Baja Racing   [ updated Dec 10, 2020, 9:41 AM by Tech. Kruze ]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was a solid night for Cooper Webb and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team as they raced their way to a podium finish at Saturday’s Daytona Supercross for Round 10 of the 2020 AMA Supercross Championship. With his second-straight podium finish, Webb has moved into third overall in the 450SX Championship with nine rounds remaining in the season.

It’s been a tough start for the reigning 450SX Champion, who battled sickness early in his title defense and just as he began to hit his stride halfway through the season he suffered a hard crash in Texas that left him bruised and a little broken the last two rounds. He was able to bounce back in Daytona, though, kicking off the day with a third-place qualifying position inside the world-renown Daytona International Speedway.

Lining up in 450SX Heat 2, Webb got off to a second-place jump and he quickly powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the lead on the opening lap. With two riders pressuring him from behind, Webb held strong to capture his first heat race victory of the season as he carried a favorable gate pick into the Main Event. In the main, he grabbed a top-five start and raced his way into third by lap three. Determined to reach the lead battle, Webb diligently climbed into second, setting his sights on the leader ahead. He made a couple of mistakes and lost the second-place spot with six laps to go, but he maintained a solid pace in the final laps to secure his seventh podium finish of the season with third.

Webb: “I felt like I put myself in a good position – I was in second and a little way back and Eli [Tomac] was able to get me. I started making a lot of mistakes and let him get away. It’s good to be on the podium, so I’m stoked on that but I’m going to work this week. I think I’m at a point where I’ve finally healed up good enough to try to contend, so I’ll take the podium but I really want to get another win.”

Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pierce Brown finished sixth in the 250SX Eastern Regional division following a solid performance in Daytona.

Next Race: Indianapolis, Indiana – March 14, 2020

Results 450SX Class – Daytona

1. Eli Tomac (USA), Kawasaki, 18 laps
2. Ken Roczen (GER), Honda, +0.707
3. Cooper Webb (USA), KTM, +9.882
Other KTM
12. Benny Bloss (USA), KTM
14. Martin Davalos (ECQ), KTM
16. Ryan Sipes (USA), KTM
17. Henry Miller (USA), KTM
20. Daniel Herrlein (USA), KTM


Standings 450SX Class 2020 after 10 of 17 rounds
1. Tomac, 226 points
2. Roczen, 223
3. Webb, 197
Other KTM
12. Baggett, 109
19. Bloss, 34


Results 250SX East Class – Daytona
1. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda
2. Jeremy Martin (USA), Honda
3. RJ Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna
Other KTM
6. Pierce Brown, (USA), KTM
16. Curren Thurman (USA), KTM
19. Dustin Winter (USA), KTM


Standings 250SX East Class 2020 after 4 of 10 rounds
1. Sexton, 98 points
2. McElrath, 88
3. Hampshire, 80

VW Atlas Cross Sport R

posted Mar 8, 2020, 5:10 AM by Baja Racing   [ updated Dec 10, 2020, 9:08 AM by Tech. Kruze ]

This November, Volkswagen plans to bring a new vehicle to the grueling desert races of Baja – the Atlas Cross Sport R race car, a specially-modified 480-hp purpose-built version of the brand’s all-new midsize SUV. Desert racing has always been among the most open and accessible motorsports in the world, and today Volkswagen announced it will be opening up the opportunity to design the race day look of the Atlas Cross Sport R race car.

Eligible fans can submit their own original design for the race livery of the Atlas Cross Sport R race car. A panel of Volkswagen designers, drivers and executives will pick the winning submission that will be adapted for the vehicle’s final look. Beyond the pride of their car wrap design becoming a reality on the course, the winner and a guest will have the chance to attend a pre-race test experience with Volkswagen.

“We are continuously amazed by the creativity of our customers and fans,” said Reto Brun, Director of Volkswagen’s Design Center in California. “This is the people’s race, and Volkswagen is the people’s car brand. We’re excited to see how people propose to outfit our latest off-road racer.”

Built from a variety of Volkswagen and custom racing components, including a 2-liter turbo four-cylinder engine adapted from Volkswagen’s successful rallycross program, the mid-engine Atlas Cross Sport R race car is currently being tested and further developed for racing this fall.

The winning design will be revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this June. Official Rules and details for the contest can be found here.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older or age of majority. Void where prohibited by law. Begins at 10:00 a.m. PT on 2/21/20 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on 3/31/20. For complete details see Official Rules click here.

Atlas Cross-Sport R race car is not available for sale.

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