Formula E Team Techeetah has announced its entry into Extreme E, becoming the first to represent Asia in the off-road all-electric racing series, which is scheduled to start in 2021.
Team Techeetah Extreme E will be owned by the Indover Group – an Indonesian owned investment and private equity company focused on green and emerging technologies – and will race under the Techeetah brand. The team will be managed by SECA, the owner of DS Techeetah – a Chinese sports management and marketing company – and will be led by Edmund Chu (President) and Mark Preston (Team Principal).
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The team will be based in Jakarta, Indonesia, and with Asian ownership and management and a commitment to developing Asian drivers, Team Techeetah’s stated ambition is to make the people of Asia proud.
Techeetah has competed in Formula E since 2016 where it has achieved tremendous success first winning the Drivers’ Championship in 2018, and then in partnership with DS Automobiles to win both the Drivers’ Championship and Team’s Championship the past two seasons.
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Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “Techeetah has achieved unrivalled success in recent seasons in Formula E so it is fantastic to be able to welcome them into our Extreme E family.
“Extreme E offers an entirely unique proposition in motor racing, with cutting-edge E-SUVs racing head-to-head across five of the most remote locations on the planet with a brand-new engineering challenge for teams and drivers to overcome.
“The sporting offering is turning heads, and the race for the inaugural title is already shaping up nicely. I’m looking forward to seeing rivalries reignited and fresh ones formed in a ground-breaking arena.”
Edmund Chu, President of Team Techeetah, said: “We are motivated by the challenge that Extreme E poses and are excited by the car, the race locations, and the race format.
“At Techeetah we are passionate about getting the most out of emerging technologies to boost racing performance and look forward to bringing this energy to Extreme E. We love the focus on green issues and the opportunity to engage a young audience in a series that mixes racing, care for the environment and travel and adventure.”
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Extreme E entrants will race head to head, each taking control of one of the series’ purpose-built Odyssey 21 E-SUVs. Like all teams, Team Techeetah has the opportunity to customise areas of bodywork, such as the engine cover, front and rear bumpers, side skirt and lights in a bid to replicate the look of everyday car models.
Extreme E will see Team Techeetah race across five formidable environments: Mountain, Glacier, Amazon Rainforest, Desert and Coastal; all have suffered at the hands of climate change or human interference. The series is set to revolutionise motorsport and entertainment as it showcases E-SUV innovation and performance, while raising awareness of environmental pressures and inspiring action.
Intriguingly, Team Techeetah replaces Venturi on the Season 1 grid; the latter team has decided to focus efforts on its Formula E campaign, and an innovative programme around space travel.
Group testing gets underway in December 2020 before teams board Extreme E’s floating paddock – the RMS St. Helena – ahead of the opening race in 2021.
