SCOTLAND: E.ON Next Veloce Racing made it a double success in round four of the Extreme E season four by winning the Hydro X Prix on Sunday in Scotland.
Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor led home the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team, with Andretti Altawkilat completing the top three in Dumfries and Galloway.
Rosberg X Racing were fourth after their progress was hindered by a puncture, while the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team took the Redemption Race honors ahead of Legacy Motor Club in Association with Jimmie Johnson.
E.ON Next Veloce Racing lead the Extreme E championship standings with 87 points, nine clear of nearest rivals ASXE.
“Today was a real scrap,” said Taylor. “I think in Extreme E, particularly now with how close the competition is, the fight to get to the Grand Final is insane and it can go any which way.
“Once you get to that final the slate is wiped clean, and with the support of our fans in GridPlay we were able to put ourselves in a good position on the start line.
“It’s one thing to be fast on track, which we know we have been all weekend, but we had to execute it under pressure so it feels great to have managed that.
“It’s great to be heading to Sardinia at the top of the championship but we can’t rest on our laurels now. We have learnt a lot this weekend and we need to keep pushing for the remainder of the season.”
Colleague Hansen added: “Another win on home soil, what more could you wish for. It’s so tricky with double-headers because you can’t let yourself go at any point.
“Getting excited takes away from your focus and we had to be able to perform today too. For sure it was not a straight road to get here, but that just makes this win all the more satisfying when we were able to execute such a great race in the final.”
Grand final
Opening the round four final, E.ON Next Veloce’s Hansen stormed into an early lead ahead of ASXE’s Laia Sanz. RXR and Andretti Altawkilat followed behind, with Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Catie Munnings closing contesting third spot.
Hansen built a lead of 10 seconds by the time the teams approached the Switch Zone, whilst RXR suffered a puncture allowing Munnings in the Andretti Altawkilat ODYSSEY 21 to pass during the second lap. The Brit did, however, pick up a time penalty for dropped flags.
After the driver change, E.ON Next Veloce’s Taylor set off with an advantage of 8.8 seconds as ASXE’s Fraser McConnell looked to close the gap as they headed out for lap three.
Racing until the finish line, ASXE’s McConnell was all over the rear bumper of Taylor’s E.ON Next Veloce car in the closing moments, but was unable to make the crucial move for the win.
Redemption race
The race saw Jenson Button’s JBXE fly off the start line with Andreas Bakkerud storming into an early lead, chased by Legacy Motor Club’s debut British driver Patrick O’Donovan.
The second lap saw a battle up the hill between the JBXE driver and Legacy M.C.’s O’Donovan who got ahead on the first lap to take first place with a decisive overtake, with NEOM McLaren XE’s Christina Gutierrez running ahead of SUN Minimeal’s Timo Scheider.
A strong battle developed between Scheider and Guttierez, with the German unfortunately picking up a 10-second penalty as he took down a Waypoint flag.
As they headed into the switch zone, all four teams were separated by just a few seconds. Legacy M.C.’s Gray Leadbetter was first out of the Switch Zone, closely followed by NEOM McLaren XE’s Ekstrom.
The Swede, who celebrated his birthday in Scotland this weekend, quickly took the lead, using his ENOWA Hyperdrive to pass. Issues for JBXE and SUN Minimeal dropped them out of contention.
Round 4 | Hydro X Prix Grand Final Result
1. E.ON NEXT Veloce Racing 9:04.021
2. ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team +0.653
3. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E (including 20-second time penalty) +52.034
4. Rosberg X Racing +1:30.620
Redemption Race
1. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team 9:06.275
2. Legacy Motor Club +8.782
3. SUN Minimeal Team (including 10-second time penalty) +29.924
4. JBXE (including 20-second time penalty) +39.644
Championship points standings
1. E.ON Veloce Racing: 87
2. ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team: 78
3. Rosberg X Racing: 67
4. Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E: 62
5. NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team: 46
6. Legacy Motor Club in Association with Jimmie Johnson: 46
7. SUN Minimeal Team: 24
8. JBXE: 21
