ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team takes first victory of 2024

Laia Sanz and Frase McConnell debut as a duo in the best possible way and confirm their aspirations for the rest of the season

ACCIONA in Extreme E

A RACE FOR THE PLANET

 

At ACCIONA, we have a firm conviction: It is time to accelerate the transition to a fairer, lower-carbon planet. For the fourth year in a row, we joined the Extreme E 100% electric, off-road, mixed-gender competition to share this conviction with the world.

 

This ground-breaking competition is taking the championship to five of the world's most visible climate change hotspots, with the aim of making a positive impact in each of them.  

 

As signatories to the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework, we are committed to:

 

Its main purpose is both environmental and social: to raise awareness on climate change and gender equality, promoting community action in the localities in which the races are held.

 

 

  1. Educating and spreading the word on climate action.
  2. Reducing the impact of sport on the climate.
  3. Promoting greater environmental responsibility.
  4. Promoting sustainability and responsible consumption.
  5. Promoting gender equality.

Nuestro equipo

A RACE WE CAN ALL WIN

The competition promotes gender equality

 

 

 

The rules require teams to be made up of 50% men and 50% women, with the same number of kilometres driven by each team member.

 

The ACCIONA Sainz XE Team features two stars of the motorsport world committed to sustainable transformation, gender equality and environmental conservation.

    Conoce A LOS PILOTOS DEL ACCIONA | SAINZ XE TEAM

    LAIA SANZ

    A Spanish Trial, Enduro and Rally driver, 14-time Trial World Champion and six-time Enduro World Champion. She has also completed the Dakar Rally 13 times, winning the women's motorcycle category each time. In 2015, she came in ninth overall, the best female result in history.

     

    “It's so refreshing to have teams made up of men and women. There's also the sustainability aspect. It's something we need to start thinking about, and I think that races will increasingly move in this direction.”

    FRASER MCCONNELL

    The best Jamaican race driver to date, joins the team aged 25 after racing with X44 in the 2023 Extreme E season. Rallycross has been for a long time his field. He joined the discipline in 2018. In 2019, he was crowned champion of the ARX Rallycross and finished fourth in the FIA World Rallycross RX2 Series. From there, he jumped to the RallyX Nordic Supercar Championship, where he was the runner-up both in 2020 and 2021. In 2022 he made his first appearance in Nitro Rallycross's Group E maiden year with a win in round 4 and a 3rd place finish in the championship. He also won the Nitro Rallycross European Supercar Championship 

     

    "I am so honored to be selected as the male driver for the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team this year and I cannot wait to get started at the first event in Saudi Arabia on February 17th and 18th. Receiving the call from Carlos asking me to join the team was such a surreal moment for me because growing up I was such a big fan and still to this day he is such an inspiration. "

    CARLOS SAINZ, TEAM LEADER

    With two world titles, four second places and five third places in the 14 World Championships he has participated in and a total of 27 victories, he was voted by fans around the world as the best rally driver in history, having won each and every one of the most legendary and prestigious rallies in the Championship (Finland, Monte Carlo, Safari, Tour de Corse, Acropolis, RAC England, Rally Spain, etc.). In 2010, he became the first Spaniard to win the Dakar Rally in the car category, a title that he reclaimed in 2018, 2020 and 2024 with three different manufacturers on two different continents. This impeccable track record was one of the reasons he was awarded the 2020 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports.

     

    “This is undoubtedly a new kind of competition in the world of racing, not just because of the type of car, which is 100% electric and off-road, but because of the format: competing in a championship where there is also gender equality.”

    STAGES OF THE FOURTH EDITION (2024)

    STAGES OF THE RACE

    The climate crisis hits some areas of the planet harder. The competition helps to increase awareness about five ecosystems affected by climate change, about the need to preserve their ecosystems and generate a positive impact through environmental recovery programmes.

      RESULT DESERT X PRIX R.01: 4º - R.02: 1º

      Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 

      DESERT X PRIX (17-18 FEB)

      TBC X PRIX (13-14 JUL) - EUROPE, TBC

      COMING SOON 

      ISLAND X PRIX (14-15 SEP) - SARDINIA, ITALY

      COMING SOON 

      ISLAND X PRIX (21-22 SEP) - SARDINIA, ITALY

      COMING SOON 

      VALLEY X PRIX (23-24 NOV) - PHOENIX, USA

      COMING SOON 

      POSITIVE IMPACT: LEGACY

      WE WANT TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE REGENERATION

      In conjunction with the Extreme E competition, legacy programmes and initiatives are being implemented at each race location to provide social and environmental support to the local communities in order to make a positive impact.

         

      LEGACY IN THE DESER X PRIX

      For the Desert X Prix, Extreme E will work in conserving and restoring coral reefs at the Red Sea. Drivers will go underwater in a coral planting exercise to try and preserve the local ecosystems. The series will be working with three organizations in this event: CORDAP, KAUST and Ocean Revive.

       

      Competition objectives:

        

      1. Empowering local communities.
      2. Restoring and conserving vulnerable habitats to increase their resilience.
      3. Robust and sustainable solutions that make a positive impact based on local needs.
      4. Renewable energy and emission reduction.
      5. Talking about climate action.
      6. Proven experience and success in developing projects in the country.
      7. Connections in the country.
      Transport is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. We are advocating the electrification of transport to help combat climate change, in line with the Odyssey 21: a 100% electric all-terrain vehicle.

      THE CAR: Odissey 21

      SAME CAR, SAME OPPORTUNITIES

      All nine teams use the Odyssey 21, the 100% electric off-road vehicle with batteries powered by green hydrogen systems. This unique design is able to withstand harsh terrain and temperature conditions.

       

      The exterior shell of the Odyssey 21 is made from natural flax fibre, a sustainable material that, according to the Extreme E competition, enables a 75% reduction in the carbon footprint of the entire manufacturing process.

       

      With a 400-kW engine (the equivalent of 557 bhp), the off-road Odyssey 21 SUV is revolutionising the racing car scene. It can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and can tackle slopes of up to 130%.

        ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team achieves its first victory in the opening event of Extreme E 2024

        Corporate18 Feb 2024

        The new pair of drivers already left a good impression in the first round of the Desert X Pri...

        ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team starts 2024 Extreme E season in Saudi Arabia

        Corporate14 Feb 2024

        ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team heads into the new series after completing its best-ever Extreme E season...

        Laia Sanz and Fraser McConnell, to race for ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team in the 2024 Extreme E season

        Corporate8 Feb 2024

        Extreme E’s fourth season will start in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the 17th of February.

        Bittersweet fourth place for ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team in the Desert X Prix

        Corporate17 Feb 2024
        The Spanish team is now fourth in the overall standings with 13 points

        ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team starts the 2024 Extreme E season in Saudi Arabia

        Corporate15 Feb 2024
        Extreme E has made some small adjustments to its point system for the new season

        Dominant victory from ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team in Sardinia

        Corporate16 Sep 2023
        The key to the victory was at the start, where Mattias Ekström moved up from fourth to first with a ...

        Previous seasons

        EXTREME E SEASON 3, 2022

        Relive here the third season of Extreme E. 5 ecosystems affected by climate change, so that they too can gain from legacy initiatives.

        PREVIOUS SEASONS

        EXTREME E SEASON 2, 2022

        Relive the second season of Extreme E here – five ecosystems affected by climate change, which can also gain from legacy initiatives.

        EXTREME E INAUGURAL SEASON, 2021

        Relive the first season of Extreme E here – a passionate race for climate change and gender equality.