Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — AlUla Governorate, Saudi Arabia, is preparing for the kickoff of the first race of the Global Series Extreme E on April 3-4, which is being co-organized by the Ministry of Sports and Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF).

Hosting the event comes within the initiatives of the Quality of Life Program, which is one of the programs of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision, and as a continuation of the sports series of events and activities that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been hosting since the beginning of 2018.

Ten teams from different countries of the world will participate in the race. Extreme E’s race in AlUla is the first of five races that will be held in Saudi Arabia, followed by Senegal in May, Greenland in August, Brazil in October and then in Argentina in December.

Extreme E is a new racing series in which electric SUVs compete in climate-affected destinations around the world with the aim of encouraging reliance on electric vehicles in pursuit of a better future for the planet.

On this occasion, Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said that motorsports receive great interest in Saudi Arabia. After hosting Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2021 and Formula E Diriyah 2021, we are now glad about Extreme E’s choosing AlUla to host its first race in April. We are looking forward to a new success that parallels the success of Saudi Arabia in previous hosting of other events, he added.

He further said that despite challenges and regulations due to COVID-19, the Kingdom is still able to host iconic sporting events along with applying global health standards due to the unwavering support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.

For his part, Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, the president of SAMF said that only three months have passed since the start of 2021, but 2021 has already been a monumental year for motorsport in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has hosted the second Dakar Rally in January and the third Formula E race in February. Now, we combine what makes those two events so special, which are the beauty of our vast desert landscape and clean energy racing, in hosting Extreme E’s first ever event, he added.