Extreme E sets sail for Saudi season opener

Extreme E has launched its 'floating paddock and base' the RMS St. Helena ahead of the championship's opening round in Saudi Arabia.

Extreme E is an all-electric off-road championship that will see drivers compete "in some of the world’s most remote and extreme environments".

Formula 1 world champions Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button all have teams in the competition, with the latter naming himself in the driver line-up for his team.

Freight will be transported to and from locations by sea on the RMS St. Helena, a ship that has undergone significant modifications to run on a low sulphur marine diesel known as champagne.

After a two-year extensive refurbishment process, Extreme E’s floating centrepiece, the St. Helena, is now just hours away from setting sail for the championship’s inaugural race weekend!#ExtremeE

— Extreme E (@ExtremeELive) February 18, 2021

Series founder and CEO, Alejandro Agag, toasted the start of the voyage from Liverpool in the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia ahead of the season opener which takes place between April 3-4, with a personalised bottle of Moet to mark the occasion.

“Today I feel extremely proud," he said. "The departure of the St. Helena marks the start of her new voyage. Extreme E’s first season is now officially underway.

“This has been a massive project and she really is unrecognisable from when we purchased her back in 2018. She is unmistakably part of Extreme E with the exterior branding, and the internal refit looks incredible."

After its opening round in Saudi Arabia, the championship will head to Senegal, Greenland and Brazil before rounding out the season in Argentina.

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