(Press Release) Extreme E Season 2 has been captured in the second instalment of the popular ‘Race for the Planet’ series, offering audiences an insight into the behind the scenes of a thrilling championship fight.
‘Race for the Planet’ Season 2 is a four-part docu-series, co-produced with our partners, NEO Studios, that provides a comprehensive look into Extreme E’s 2022 season and the climate change stories intertwined.
Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer for Extreme E, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to announce our second season of ‘Race for the Planet’. The series highlights the untold stories behind the scenes of Extreme E on and off the track and takes audiences along with us on this incredible adventure around the globe to witness environmental issues and solutions they might otherwise be unaware of. “We have captured in a very raw form what it is like to race in Extreme E. We break down the barriers around the ups and down of motorsport, and there is no hiding the challenges faced and essentially, how extreme this championship is. “It gives a real insight into the thoughts and emotions of some of the best drivers in motorsport, and that just makes this documentary even more unique and entertaining as we bring the audience into the heart of our racing and legacy projects.”
Extreme E’s focus on gender equality remains a world-first in motor racing, as it continues to champion the best female driver talent and a level playing field on track. There is strong female representation throughout Race for the Planet, led by interviews with series commentator Jennie Gow and the championship’s TV reporter Laura Winter, alongside Extreme E’s world class pool of drivers on the grid and team personnel.
Emma Gilmour, NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team, said: “For women to be on the motorsport world stage in equal machinery with equal opportunity, it’s something that has never been done before. As we’ve seen over the two seasons, the calibre, and the talent and the speed of the females has got better and better and that’s still with limited seat time. “I think it’s really exciting for the future, and especially for that next generation coming through, it’s fantastic.” As part of the launch a sneak preview took place at the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, London, and the premiere has whet appetites ahead of the docu-series' official release later this year. Amongst the audience at the premiere were Extreme E stars Christine GZ, driver for Carl Cox Motorport, along with JBXE’s Hedda Hösas.
Extreme E’s second season brought back some of the world’s top male and female racers, alongside some fresh faces and exciting new locations, to compete in electric SUVs in areas impacted by environmental issues.
The teams, including those founded by motorsport legends Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti, were joined by motorsport heavyweight McLaren on the 2022 grid. The world-class drivers battling it out on-course included World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb, Dakar legends Nasser Al-Attiyah, Laia Sanz and Cristina Gutiérrez, and World Rallycross star Klara Andersson.
There were five races in total across 2022, taking the drivers from the Saudi Arabian desert in February to a double-header in Sardinia before a fourth round in Chile ahead of the finale in Uruguay in November. NEO Studios’ crew were with the teams on each leg of the journey to tell the story.
Anouk Mertens, Global CEO NEO Studios, said: “At NEO, we also couldn’t believe the outcome, and filming a championship as close as this helps to draw interest from the motorsport community and beyond.
“The access that we get to the series is the best we’ve experienced in terms of creating a fly on the wall documentary and that allows us to tell deeper human stories around the sport.
“The reason why NEO is invested in this project is because we feel Extreme E share the same values as us both on and off the track, particularly our ambition to highlight inequality in sport that still exists today. At NEO we focus on the fact that our shows highlight unexpected stories and often underrepresented voices throughout the sports world.”