St. Helena arrives in Sardinia ahead of Island X Prix

Extreme E’s floating centrepiece, the St. Helena, has arrived into the port of Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy, as the championship prepares for its first European outing – the Island X Prix on 23-24 October.

Following the Arctic X Prix, the St. Helena departed Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, heading to the capital, Nuuk, before catching the end path of Hurricane Larry as it travelled to Sardinia. This saw the St. Helena navigate difficult conditions as it tackled waves of up to five metres.

Upon arrival into Sardinia, the crew will spend the first few days unloading all of the freight on board as preparations and anticipation builds for the Island X Prix in three weeks’ time.

The freight includes the all-electric ODYSSEY 21 race cars, the AFC Energy system including solar panels and hydrogen fuel cell to charge the cars emission free, two Zenobe second-life batteries to power the paddock, plus everything else required to set up a race site in the remote location without event infrastructure, which will now be set up in the Army Training area at Capo Teulada in Sulcis-Iglesiente, an historic area situated in the south-west of the island.

Alejandro Agag, CEO and Founder of Extreme E, said: “It’s fantastic to see the St. Helena in port and ready to unload ahead of the Island X Prix.

“Sardinia is going to provide an epic backdrop for both fantastic racing and important legacy opportunities focussed around both green and blue carbon stores. I’m particularly excited that the arrival into Sardinia completes the St. Helena’s first science research studies thanks to the support of our Founding Scientific Partner, Enel Foundation.”

Two of the scientists on board, Alexander Vanhaelen and Adam Pantelis Galatoulas, have spent their time onboard collecting seawater at various points of the day, sometimes even at night, in order to map the biodiversity of the ocean using eDNA, which has been shed from marine organisms. The pair have been utilising the ship’s onboard purpose-built science laboratory.

This non-invasive research helps study the migration of species in the ocean helping scientists plan conservation and restoration of marine environments, prevent and reduce marine pollution and restore fishery resources.

At the Arctic X Prix, Andretti United Extreme E’s Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen took victory in stunning fashion, but it’s Desert and Ocean X Prix winners Rosberg X Racing’s Molly Taylor and Johan Kristoffersson that sit at the top of the table.

Like all Extreme E events, the Island X Prix has sustainability and legacy at the heart. The series and its drivers are looking forward to making their own contribution in-country which will include tree planting in areas destroyed by wild fires, and the restoration of seagrass – one of the ocean’s biggest carbon stores.

Fans are invited to watch the action unfold through a host of global broadcasters including ITV, Sky Sports, BT Sport and BBC digital channels in the UK, FOX Sports in the USA, Eurosport in Europe, Mediaset in Italy plus many more available to view here. Followers can also get involved via the championship’s innovative FanWorld concept.