7 July 2021, London: Eco-conscious electric motorsport series, Extreme E, has announced that National Geographic will televise its magazine programmes – ‘How to Build a Race Car’, ‘The Electric Dream´and ‘Climate Changers’ – as well as all of its debut season X Prixs on a delayed basis in its Latin American region. The programmes will air in both Portuguese and Spanish.
By racing fully electric 550bhp SUVs in some of the world’s most remote locations, Extreme E is a race series like no other. In this, its inaugural season, this highly entertaining ‘sport for purpose’ championship has already got off to a storming start with two stunning events – the first in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, in April followed more recently by Dakar, Senegal. Millions of viewers around the world were glued to their screens as international stars of motorsport including Sara Price, Kyle LeDuc, Jamie Chadwick, Mattias Ekström, Molly Taylor and Johan Kristoffersson, battled it out in their monster ODYSSEY 21 race cars on gravel, rocks and jaw-dropping sand dunes – not only with the mission to take home the coveted Extreme E trophies, but also with the aim to raise awareness of the devastating effects of climate change on these fragile regions.
Alongside the racing, the team at Extreme E also implements Legacy Programmes within the regions it visits in order to bring about positive change. These include working with the Senegalese community to plant one million mangrove trees and co-ordinating building improvements in local schools, through to beach clean ups (plastic waste removal) and turtle conservation in Saudi Arabia.
Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “Extreme E is delighted to have secured National Geographic as a broadcaster. The channel is famed for its brilliant and fascinating documentaries on science, adventure, nature and environmental topics, all of which are subjects close to the heart of our championship.
“As well as our great racing, Extreme E is in essence, a ground-breaking adventure for all of us. I believe that the stories behind the series, the people involved, our legacy projects and even the history of our floating centrepiece, the St. Helena, will delight and inspire National Geographic’s audiences. Coupled with our on-going scientific research into the effects of climate change and what can be done to lessen the terrible damage that its causing, makes for a broadcast that is as captivating as it is eye-opening and we want to share this with as many people as possible.”
The already incredible first season of Extreme E is not only a must see for lovers of motorsport, but it also marks a new era of racing that brings environmental concerns to the forefront.
Following the first two events in Saudi Arabia (3-4 April) and Senegal (29-30 May), the series now moves on to Greenland (28-29 August) with the final two race locations to be confirmed. By holding races in areas that are suffering as the hands of the environmental crisis, such as deserts and the Arctic, the aim is to raise viewers’ awareness and interest in environmental issues.
The series also has a unique viewing format, as races are held without spectators and broadcasted as two-hour programs, in a bid to reduce the championship’s carbon footprint. In addition, the championship transports equipment for the race by sea on its floating centrepiece, St. Helena, and this behind the scenes content focussing on environmental issues will also be available on National Geographic.
