Extreme E stars take on Race of Champions
The ROC is the only competition in the world where drivers from Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, Extreme E, and the World Rally Championship, to name a few, go head-to-head in identical cars.
Competing against racing and rallying’s greatest were Johan Kristoffersson, Sébastien Loeb and Tanner Foust, as well as former Extreme E stars Mattias Ekström and Jamie Chadwick at Sweden’s Pite Havsbad, on the frozen Baltic Sea just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle
Genesys Andretti United Extreme E driver and 2020 ROC champion Timmy Hansen and JBXE’s Hedda Hosås also attended the event in Sweden, with Hansen taking his driving experience to the commentary box for the first time. The pair watched on as their Extreme E rivals took on the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Mika Häkkinen, Thierry Neuville, David Coulthard, and Valtteri Bottas.
ABT CUPRA XE Season 1 driver Ekström thrilled the home crowd as he defeated Mick Schumacher by two heats to nil in the Grand Final to take his record-equalling fourth individual ROC title.
It was not to be a double for the home favourite, though, as alongside Rosberg X Racing’s Kristoffersson for Team Sweden the duo were narrowly defeated by eventual ROC Nations Cup winners Team Norway in the semi-finals.
Mattias Ekström said: “The Race of Champions has meant a lot to me in my career. It’s very special to have four wins and even more special to do it in Sweden. I won my first final at the Stade de France in Paris against Sébastien Loeb, then I had two finals with Michael Schumacher in London and Beijing, so to see Mick in the final today was very emotional for me.
“The battle with Johan is always special. Sitting on the startline was the emotional highlight of the day, when my body comes to its limit. He knows as well as I do that in these conditions, you have to bring out your A game, so to beat him by those few hundredths was very nice. That sums up the Race Of Champions, and it’s the reason why everyone wants to take part.”
Johan Kristoffersson, Rosberg X Racing, said: “It was really nice to be invited to this event and it was great to be teaming up with Mattias [Ekström] for the first time ever. We’ve always been competitors so driving together at last was fun and I finally squeezed out some tips and tricks from him!
“You are full of confidence when you arrive here and you want to do well, but you get humbled quickly when you see the names of the other competitors you’re up against.”
Another star of the show was Extreme E contender ABT CUPRA XE. As well as featuring in the racing action through the CUPRA urbanrebel concept car, the ABT CUPRA XE team confirmed Nasser Al-Attiyah and Klara Andersson as its Extreme E driver line-up for the 2023 season.
Andersson attended the Race of Champions for this announcement, showcasing the Tavascan XE car complete with new livery with some test runs on the ice in Pite Havsbad, Sweden.
Klara Andersson, ABT Cupra XE, said: “The weekend here in Pite Havsbad with the ROC has been amazing in so many ways. Not just being here with ABT CUPRA XE announcing me and Nasser [Al-Attiyah] as well as the new livery, but also being the reserve driver and getting to try all the cars at the event and hang out with the drivers was really cool.
“Running the ODYSSEY 21 on ice for the first time was really special. I think we maybe saw a glimpse of what might happen in the future - I think it would be really super cool to have a race on ice and snow. The car worked really well, even though it was quite a narrow track.
“This weekend overall was a good kick start to the year, and the first Extreme E race in Saudi Arabia is only a few weeks away, so meeting guys from the team and sitting in the car gets you excited to get the season going.”
Extreme E continues its global voyage, kicking off Season 3 on March 11-12 in NEOM, Saudi Arabia.
