Jamie Chadwick confirmed as Veloce Racing's female driver for Extreme E

Extreme E, the ground-breaking, electric off-road racing series, today welcomes Williams F1 development driver and W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick as Veloce Racing’s female driver.

One of the UK’s brightest young talents, Chadwick brings a wealth of experience to the table with multiple titles to her name. After taking her first steps in car racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship, she made a spectacular breakthrough by winning the 2015 British GT Championship in the GT4 class.

Chadwick moved to the British Formula 3 Championship in 2017, and in 2019 cruised to the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 crown. Later that same year, she went on to become the first-ever W Series Champion with a brace of victories and five podium finishes from six races. This, along with her ambassadorial role for Girls on Track, an initiative led by Motorsport UK and the FIA to inspire more females into motorsport, make her the perfect ambassador for one of Veloce Racing and Extreme E’s shared core values – gender equality.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO at Extreme E said: “I’m delighted to welcome Jamie Chadwick to the Extreme E family, she is an incredibly successful young female driver and I’m sure she will turn her hand to off-road racing very quickly. The series is taking shape nicely ahead of our first race in March 2021 and I’m excited to see Jamie, along with all the other drivers, behind the wheel of the championship’s electric SUV.”

The pioneering E-SUV series will mark an altogether new challenge for Chadwick, as it will represent her competitive off-road debut. In preparation for this, the 22-year-old spent last week driving the ODYSSEY 21 at Fontjoncouse in southern France, with further seat time scheduled during a group test at MotorLand Arágon in Spain next month.

Jamie Chadwick, Veloce Racing Driver and W Series Champion, commented: “I am proud to be driving for Veloce Racing in such a revolutionary championship as Extreme E! I have been involved with Veloce for a very long time and they are like a family to me, so I am incredibly honoured to be their female driver for what is such an exciting and important race series.

“Climate change is something that affects us all, so I’m really keen to start doing my part to fight it. I can safely say that testing the car was one of the best and most fun experiences I have had in my career so far. I can’t wait to get out to the amazing venues where we’ll be racing next year; these are some of the most beautiful and endangered locations on our planet. Both on and off-track, it promises to be an incredibly rewarding journey.”

Ian Davies, Veloce Racing Team Manager, added: “We are delighted to have Jamie on-board at Veloce for the first season of Extreme E. She is a very quick, talented and committed young driver, with a pedigree that quite frankly speaks for itself. Having won titles in both sportscars and single-seaters, there is no reason at all why she shouldn’t transfer those skills and win in Extreme E, in what promises to be a very high-calibre field.

“Her first test in the ODYSSEY 21 during our shakedown in France last week was a very positive and encouraging start. Her experience from single-seater and GT competition was invaluable to the early development of our car – from quick driver changes to initial and mid-corner turn-in – and she had significant input into our engineering refinements.

“Jamie would be the first to acknowledge that off-road driving is completely new to her, but she is a fast learner and she listened carefully to everything we had to say, worked well with the engineers, took it all on-board and – most importantly – got quicker and quicker with every run. We are all very excited to see what she can achieve when we go racing next year.”

Chadwick and her yet to be confirmed male team-mate will get behind the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21 for the full 2021 Extreme E championship, with events set to take place in AlUla, Saudi Arabia (20-21 March), Dakar, Senegal (29-30 May), Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (28-29 August), Para, Brazil (23-24 October) and Tierra Del Fuego, Patagonia (11-12 December).

Extreme E:

Julia Fry, Head of Communications 
E: media@extreme-e.com / T: +44 7778 108754

Carla Corbet, MPA Creative:     
E: carla.corbet@mpacreative.com / T: +44 7944 077440

Diego Bustos, BE Mass Media (Latin America -including Brazil-, US Hispanics, Spain, Portugal)
E: diego.bustos@bemassmedia.com / +569-8829-9138 or +1-660-847-4645

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Extreme E:

Extreme E is a radical new racing series, which will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles in the quest for a lower carbon future for the planet.  

To minimise local impact, Extreme E races will not be open to spectators, with fans instead invited to follow the action through live TV broadcast, and on social media. 

The St. Helena, a former passenger cargo ship, has undergone a multi-million Euro refit to minimise emissions and transform her into Extreme E’s operations hub. The ship will be used to transport the championship’s freight and infrastructure, including vehicles, to the nearest port, minimising Extreme E’s footprint, as well as being used to facilitate scientific research through its on-board laboratory.

Extreme E is also pioneering hydrogen fuel cell technology which will enable its race fleet to be charged using zero emission energy. This innovative solution from AFC Energy uses water and sun to generate hydrogen power. Not only will this process emit no greenhouse emissions, its only by-product will be water, which will be utilised elsewhere on-site. 

Season 1 Calendar: 

Desert X Prix: AlUla, Saudi Arabia
3-4 April 2021
Ocean X Prix: Lac Rose, Senegal 
29-30 May 2021
Arctic X Prix: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland 
28-29 August 2021
Amazon X Prix: Para, Brazil 
23-24 October 2021
Glacier X Prix: Patagonia, Argentina  
11-12 December 2021

About Veloce

Veloce is a London-based organisation that focusses on disruptive areas of the sports and entertainment industries – specifically, esports and sustainable, EV motorsport. The brand comprises established professional gaming organisation, Veloce Esports and Extreme E outfit, Veloce Racing with both teams falling under the overarching Veloce umbrella. As a whole, the business occupies the fastest-growing sectors in motorsport. 

Veloce Racing was born from Extreme E’s vision of sustainability-focussed, content-rich and gender-equal sport. The team’s remarkable leadership line-up is spearheaded by legendary Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey and Formula E Champion and ex-Formula 1 driver Jean-Éric Vergne. They are joined by a host of other industry entrepreneurs and innovators who are eagerly awaiting the start of the inaugural 2021 season. Extreme E is an innovative new motorsport championship that sees electric SUVs going head-to-head in areas of the world that have been damaged by climate change or environmental issues.

The Veloce Esports' driver stable includes many high-profile drivers, influencers and teams from across the globe. Among them are the official McLaren Racing, Alfa Romeo, Sauber and YAS HEAT esports programmes as well as YouTube sensations Tiametmarduk, Aarava, Xpertgamingtech and Lando Norris' Quadrant channel to name but a few. The organisation’s digital broadcast network, across its various channels, generates in excess of 130 million views per month. 

To learn more, please visit: www.veloce-racing.com or www.veloce-esports.com

About Continental Tyres: Founding Partner and Official Tyre Partner 

Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and networked mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transport. In 2018, Continental generated preliminary sales of approximately €44.4 billion and currently employs some 244,000 people in 60 countries and markets.

The Tyre division has 24 production and development locations worldwide. As one of the leading tyre manufacturers with around 54,000 employees, the division posted sales of €11.3 billion in 2017. Continental ranks among the technology leaders in tyre production and offers a broad product range for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in R&D, Continental makes a major contribution to safe, cost-effective and ecologically efficient mobility. The Tyre division’s portfolio includes services for the tyre trade and for fleet applications, as well as digital management systems for commercial vehicle tyres.

About CBMM: Founding Supplier
CBMM is the world leading supplier of niobium products and technology. Headquartered in Brazil, with offices and subsidiaries in China, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States. CBMM offers technical innovation to customers around the globe through a team of over 2,000 highly trained, dedicated professionals providing cutting-edge niobium products and technology to over 400 clients in around 40 countries.

About LuisaViaRoma:
Established in 1929, LuisaViaRoma has been an online luxury destination since 1999. In 2019, LuisaViaRoma celebrated the company’s 90th anniversary, as well as the 20th anniversary of its online business.