The Series has devised an innovative format unlike any other, likened to ‘Star Wars Pod Racing meets Dakar Rally.’ Designed to put driver performance firmly in focus, the five X Prix of Extreme E Season 2 will feature the pressure of five car races for qualifying on Day One.
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New Sporting Format
Depending on where you finish in your qualifying race, you will get points awarded for Q1 and Q2. This gives an Intermediate Classification that will decide the order for which cars progress through to Semi Final 1, Semi Final 2 and the Crazy Race on Day Two. The top two teams from each Semi Final and the winner of the Crazy Race progress to the Final.
Every round will incorporate two laps over a total distance of approximately 14 kilometres. In a motorsport world-first, teams will field one male and one female driver, promoting gender equality and a level playing field amongst competitors. The teams will determine which driver goes first to best suit their strategy and driver order selections are made confidentially, with competitors kept in the dark as to other teams’ choices until the last possible moment. Contests between males and females will therefore be ensured.
Both drivers will complete one lap behind the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21 electric SUV, with a driver changeover, the ‘Switch’, included after the first lap. A ‘Hyperdrive’ boost will also be available to each driver on each lap of the race. Activated when the driver presses a button on their steering wheel, they will enjoy an increase in power for a fixed amount of time. The timing for this will be a key decision.
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Full sporting format and points
Saturday
Qualifying Round 1 will be conducted in a single car format over two laps, with each driver completing a lap of the course. Intermediate Classification points will be awarded on the following basis after the single car Qualifying Round 1 is complete:
1st 10 points
2nd 9 points
3rd 8 points
4th 7 points
5th 6 points
6th 5 points
7th 4 points
8th 3 points
9th 2 points
10th 1 point
Qualifying Round 2 will be conducted in two heats, each of five cars. Teams finishing Qualifying 1 in 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th places will go into Heat 1 and Teams finishing 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th will go into Heat 2.
Due to the timetable at this event, the Team that starts 10th in the Qualifying Round 1 running order will always be in Qualifying 2 Heat 2, to ensure they are able to cool and charge appropriately. The Team that finished 1st in Qualifying 1 will choose its grid position first, followed by the 3rd placed Team, then the 5th placed Team, then the 7th placed Team and then the 9th placed Team.
The Team that finished 2nd in Qualifying 1 will choose its grid position first, followed by the 4th placed Team, then the 6th placed Team, then the 8th placed Team and then the 10th placed Team.
Intermediate Classification points are awarded in the Qualifying 2, Heats 1 and 2, on the following basis:
1st in Heat 10 points
2nd in Heat 8 points
3rd in Heat 6 points
4th in Heat 4 points
5th in Heat 2 points
Intermediate points will not count towards Championship points.
The final Intermediate Classification points table will determine who progresses through to which race on Finals day.
The combined points of each of the teams’ runs in Qualifying Rounds 1 and 2 will determine the overall classification at the end of Qualifying and determine which round each team will progress into:
1st (in qualifying) - Semi-Final 1
2nd - Semi-Final 2
3rd - Semi-Final 2
4th - Semi-Final 1
5th - Semi-Final 1
6th - Semi-Final 2
7th - Crazy Race
8th - Crazy Race
9th - Crazy Race
10th - Crazy RaceSunday
Semi-Final 1 – Three car race with top two cars going through to the Final
Semi-Final 2 – Three car race with top two cars going through to the Final
Crazy Race – Four car race with first place going through to the Final
Final – Five car Final with the top three going to the podium
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Championship points
1st: 25 points (winner of the Final)
2nd: 18 points (2nd place in the Final)
3rd: 15 points (3rd place in the Final)
4th: 12 points (4th place in the Final)
5th: 10 points (5th place in the Final)
6th: 8 points (3rd place from Semi-Final 1 or Semi-Final 2)*
7th: 6 points (3rd place from Semi-Final 1 or Semi-Final 2)*
8th: 4 points (2nd place in the Crazy Race)
9th: 2 points (3rd place in the Crazy Race)
10th: 1 point (4th place in the Crazy Race)
*The team finishing third in Semi-Final 1 or Semi-Final 2 that sets the faster Continental Traction Challenge time shall be deemed to be the 6th place finisher.
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CONTINENTAL TRACTION CHALLENGE
The team that sets the fastest time through the allocated sector will win the Continental Traction Challenge and earn five Championship points. A team’s Traction Challenge time will be the combination of both the male and female drivers’ fastest time through the allocated sector over the course of the event.
If any teams are tied in the qualifying standings their positioning will be determined by their time in the Continental Traction Challenge - the team with the quicker run through the allocated sector receiving the higher overall position in qualifying.
As previously stated, the team finishing third in Semi-Final 1 or Semi-Final 2 that sets the faster Continental Traction Challenge time shall be deemed to be the 6th place finisher.
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LEVEL PLAYING FORMAT
Teams will field one male and one female driver, promoting gender equality and a level playing field amongst competitors.
Each driver will complete one lap behind the wheel, with a changeover – the ‘Switch’ incorporated into the race format. The teams will determine which driver goes first to best suit their strategy and driver order selections are made confidentially, with competitors kept in the dark as to other teams’ choices until the cars reach the start-line. Contests between males and females will therefore be ensured. A ‘Hyperdrive’ boost will also be available to each driver on each lap of the race. Activated when the driver presses a button on their steering wheel, they will enjoy an increase in power for a fixed amount of time.
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NATURAL CHALLENGES
X Prix circuits will also incorporate natural challenges that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats, and drivers and teams will be pushed right to the limits of their abilities; with hazards to navigate and defeat such as extreme gradients, jumps, banks, berms, pits, dunes and water splashes.