McLaren Racing unveils Extreme E Season 2 challenger

McLaren Racing has unveiled its new livery for its Extreme E car ahead of the season opener in NEOM, Saudi Arabia (19-20 February).

The team’s Extreme E challenger was launched alongside the team’s Formula 1 and INDYCAR contenders, each sporting common livery colours ahead of their respective seasons.

Taking its lead from the MCL36, the McLaren MX Extreme E car was displayed wrapped in a base of anthracite overlaid with a boldened and bespoke Fluro Papaya and Oceanic Blue and, in a fitting tribute to Bruce McLaren, will run with a heritage McLaren race number for its inaugural entry into the 2022 electric off-road racing series. The number 58 was used in the first race that Bruce entered, back in 1952, driving his father’s Austin 7 at the Muriwai Hillclimb in New Zealand.

Competing for the McLaren Extreme E team are drivers Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust, who share duties behind the wheel, as part of the sport’s commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion.

Emma Gilmour, McLaren Racing, said: “After the winter break Tanner and I are ready to get back in the car and we certainly can’t wait to be reunited with ours in its spectacular new livery. We haven’t seen the car since the ship left the UK to transport the cars to Saudi at the end of December. It’s going to be some reunion! We’ve got a great small team ready to see us through our first season as well as some epic and challenging race locations. I can’t wait!”

Tanner Foust, McLaren Racing, said: “Extreme E is going to use every single driving skill I have, including stunt driving. There couldn’t be a more challenging series when you think about the locations in which it races. I was a science major so I can’t wait to find out more about the legacy programme and see the travelling scientists in action.

“Emma has had a bit of a head start as she participated last season, so she knows more about what lies ahead but I’m embracing the challenge of the unknown. We only have five races to make our mark and plenty of time in between to work on our strategy, so the sooner we get started the better.”

Gilmour was announced as McLaren’s first-ever female racing driver in November of last year, during an engagement at COP26 with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. She is also a compatriot of McLaren’s founder Bruce McLaren and joins a small yet illustrious group of female racing drivers to hail from New Zealand since Sybil Lupp switched from mechanic to motor racing in 1947. Emma is known for her vast experience in rallying, rallycross and cross-country rallying.


Joining her as team-mate is American Tanner Foust, one of the most popular and successful names in world rallycross and a four-time and current U.S. rallycross champion. He is world-renowned as a versatile, multi-talented driver famous for his supreme car control and track record of podiums, national championships and world records.

Joining Emma and Tanner at the launch were sisters Leena and Teena Gade, who are McLaren’s Extreme E Race Engineer and Performance Engineer respectively. Their own career trajectory is redolent of the McLaren Racing Engage alliance, which exists to open-up STEM opportunities to all.

Completing the launch line-up, and announced today as McLaren’s Sporting Director, Extreme E, was Mark Grain, who first joined McLaren in 1994.

Mark Grain, Sporting Director, McLaren Extreme E, said: “We can’t wait to get racing. This is about as different as it gets from other racing series, and it is going to be a huge learning experience in terms of the different terrains in which we race as well as the environmental challenges these parts of the world face. So much of this is going to be about education in terms of raising climate awareness as well as to expect the unexpected!

“In Tanner and Emma, we have a dynamic and high-achieving driving team and in Leena and Teena Gade, we have two top-flight engineers helping to keep our car on the road. It’s going to be an exciting start to our first season that’s for sure.”

Extreme E:

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

Josh Bell, MPA Creative:     
E: jb@mpacreative.com  / T: +44 7557 102540

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 2 Calendar: 

Round 1: Neom, Saudi Arabia
19-20 February 2022
Round 2: Sardinia, Italy
07-08 May 2022
Round 3: Scotland or Senegal
09-10 July 2022
Round 4: Antofagasta, Chile
10-11 September 2022
Round 5: Punta del Este, Uruguay   
26-27 November 2022

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