Dakar winner Carlos Sainz to compete for his own team in Extreme E electric rally series

Double globe rally winner and triple Dakar winner Carlos Sainz will generate for his have group when the new Extreme E electric off-road sequence starts up coming calendar year, the Spaniard declared on Monday.

Compatriot Laia Sanz, a 13-time women’s demo motorcycle globe winner, will be his teammate. Sanz has attained the complete 10 periods in the Dakar Rally on two wheels with a most effective final result of ninth.

Each individual group in the sequence, which aims to increase recognition about weather adjust by racing in some of the world’s most remote and severe environments, ought to have a male and a feminine driver.

Sainz, 58, is the father of Ferrari-bound McLaren Formulation One particular driver Carlos Sainz Jr, who will also be a shareholder in the all-Spanish ACCIONA Sainz XE group.

Rivals will include teams owned by Formulation One particular champions Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

“It is a terrific prospect for me to do some thing new,” Sainz said at the start in Madrid.

“One particular is to have the prospect – immediately after driving so quite a few autos and before I complete my profession – to generate a one hundred% electric (automobile) and know this globe.”

Sainz also cited the prospect to be component of the team’s ownership although also driving the automobile in competitors himself.

“I assume it is going to be the most strong off-road specification automobile that I have pushed so far,” Sainz said of Extreme E’s Odyssey 21 SUV.

“I’m really curious and really interested in going along this road of electric electrical power and a new championship, which we are going to test to acquire. It is a big problem.”

Sainz said he would also proceed his Dakar project with Mini. The 2021 edition starts in Saudi Arabia in January.

Very last 7 days, W Series winner Jamie Chadwick also declared options to race in Extreme E.