Extreme E has announced it will return to Scotland for the third and fourth rounds of the 2024 season on July 13-14.
Originally listed as “Europe” when this season’s schedule was announced last December, RACER heard of multiple different locations in the continent being under consideration at various points, but the series ultimately decided to return to the former Glenmuckloch opencast coal mine site in Dumfries and Galloway which hosted two rounds of the all-electric off-road championship last year.
“Heading back to the UK and Scotland for the next event of the 2024 Extreme E season is an exciting prospect for our championship,” said Extreme E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag. “It was a hugely successful event last year and we cannot wait to return to such a dramatic location for our action-packed racing series, but also one which has sustainability values at its core.
“Scotland is a strong voice in the adoption of a clean energy future and renewable energy sources, and our Hydro X Prix marks a great opportunity to highlight these important issues that are happening so close to home.”
The site of the event, on the Queensberry Estate, is being transformed into a Pumped Storage Hydropower plant and wind farm, making it an ideal location for the championship to race, keeping within its ethos of highlighting climate issues and innovative solutions.
“We are delighted to welcome the Extreme E team back to Queensberry Estate for races in their 2024 season,” said Anna Fergusson, estate director at Queensberry Estate. “The news of their return is exciting for Buccleuch and the wider Dumfries and Galloway area.
“The 2023 races at Glenmuckloch were thrilling and Extreme E’s engagement with local young people and their environmental project on the River Nith have left a lasting legacy. For this year’s Hydro X Prix, Buccleuch will work with the Extreme E team to reach more of the community and help them leave their positive mark on the local area.”
Scotland’s deputy first minister Kate Forbes added, “I am delighted that Extreme E will be returning to Scotland this summer. Last year’s Hydro X Prix brought both social and economic benefits to our communities and regional and national economies, while providing a new and exciting platform to showcase the country’s offer to a global audience.
“Extreme E shares our ambition for sustainability, renewable energy, gender equality and local conservation and I am confident this this year’s event will once again demonstrate that Scotland can provide the perfect stage for major, innovative international events like the X Prix.”
After Scotland, Extreme E will go onwards to Sardinia for two events – four rounds – over consecutive weekends in September, before concluding its season in Arizona in November.
The current season began in Saudi Arabia back in February, with reigning champions Rosberg X Racing (Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky) and Acciona Sainz (Fraser McConnell and Laia Sanz) winning the rounds in the desert near Jeddah.
