
The third season of Extreme E gets underway in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, next month (11-12 March), with Veloce Racing preparing for action in the all-electric off-road series.
Molly Taylor and Kevin Hansen have been confirmed for 2023 and both are targeting a stand-out performance at the Desert X Prix season-opener, following an impressive run with the team at the Extreme E Season 2 finale in Uruguay.
The new-look Veloce Racing line-up turned heads in the closing round of the 2022 Extreme E season, as the British squad came out on top in Qualifying for the first time. Taking that pace into Finals Day, Hansen and Taylor secured a race win on debut in Semi-Final 1, and finished the Uruguay Natural Energy X Prix in fifth – marking Veloce’s best result of the campaign.
Taylor brings invaluable expertise to Veloce Racing’s Extreme E efforts, after claiming the title in the championship’s inaugural season. The Australian helped secure three victories for RXR and returns to Extreme E with the knowledge, drive and experience that comes with winning the series.
In her wider career, Taylor became the first female to achieve a podium position in Junior WRC history, and the first female driver, and youngest at the time, to win the Australian Rally Championship with Subaru in 2016.
In early 2022 Taylor became the first Australian woman to drive the gruelling Dakar rally, and her second attempt this year saw her finish an impressive P12 in class.
As a driver for JBXE, Hansen achieved an impressive run of four podiums from his four appearances in the inaugural Extreme E season.
Hansen carried this mantle into Extreme E Season 2, competing alongside Veloce Development Driver Hedda Hosås, who joined Button’s outfit in Sardinia. The Scandinavian duo secured third place, marking a podium on debut for Hosås, in the first race of the NEOM Island X Prix double-header.
Hansen has also been a fixture in off-road racing for several years through his efforts in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. The Swede has secured multiple podiums, with his highest FIA World Rallycross Championship standing coming in 2019 when he finished third overall, securing his maiden victory in the series along the way.
The 2023 Desert X Prix will bring together some of motorsport’s leading teams and one of the most competitive off-road driver line-ups, as the ODYSSEY 21s go bumper-to-bumper across the sands of Saudi Arabia.
The fifth-place finish in Uruguay was the standout result for Veloce Racing in the team’s second season of Extreme E and their first race with Taylor and Hansen. The London-based squad is now looking to build on a strong end to 2022 and fight for podiums in this year’s Extreme E campaign.
Luc Alphand puts Veloce Racing through its pre-season paces
Veloce Racing has arrived in Dubai ahead of the Extreme E Season 3 curtain-raiser in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, next weekend (11-12 March), as the UK-based squad readies itself for its biggest campaign yet under the watchful eye of Luc Alphand.
The former World Cup alpine ski racer turned racing driver was appointed Veloce Racing’s Team Principal ahead of the Season 2 finale in Punta del Este, Uruguay, where the team came out as top qualifiers for the first time with Molly Taylor and Kevin Hansen.
The exciting new line-up took that pace into Finals Day, securing a race win in Semi-Final 1 before finishing the Uruguay Natural Energy X Prix in fifth – marking Veloce’s best result of the campaign and a promising debut from Hansen and Taylor.
As the British squad searches for its first win in the all-electric off-road series they are in more than capable hands. Alphand made his breakthrough with his first skiing World Cup in 1995, going on to take the overall downhill title three years in a row.
In 1997, the Frenchman won the World Cup overall title by collecting points in just two of the speed disciplines – Downhill and Super G – marking a unique achievement in World Cup history.
Retiring from skiing that same year, Alphand turned his attention to auto racing. Taking on the Nissan Micra Stars Cup, followed by the European Le Mans Series and FIA GT Championship, Alphand set his sights on off-road racing in the Dakar Rally.
Having made his Dakar debut in 1998, Alphand worked his way up to the runner-up spot in 2005 before taking the title in 2006 – collecting two stage wins along the way. The following year Alphand returned in style, seizing another second-place finish, and would continue in the Dakar until 2009.
Veloce Racing’s Team Principal brings a wealth of experience, both in racing and in what it takes to win, as the team takes on its third Extreme E campaign, which gets underway next weekend in NEOM, Saudi Arabia (11-12 March).
Veloce’s drivers are currently completing a comprehensive programme put in place by Team Principal Luc Alphand. Taylor and Hansen are putting the kilometres on the clock, taking in the rough and rocky terrain amid hot desert conditions in preparation for the challenges of the opening X Prix.
Source: Veloce Racing
Be the first to comment