Kiwi rallying ace Emma Gilmour has been named as female reserve driver for Veloce Racing in the build-up to the inaugural fully electric Extreme E off-road series.
The series is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Greenland, Brazil, and Argentina in the 2021 season, and has attracted interest from drivers all over the world. Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button, WRC legend Sebastian Loeb, and Australian Rally Championship winner Molly Taylor are among the drivers.
Each team races a spec Extreme E fully electric off-road SUV, and each team fields one male and one female in competition. Along with a raft of noted race driver names, the series has also attracted some of the world’s most illustrious team owners; including Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Autosports, Techeetah, Abt Cupra, and teams owned by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Gilmour will act as reserve for Veloce Racing’s Jamie Chadwick and Stephane Sarrazin entry, with Lance Woolridge being the male reserve.
“I’m so happy to be joining Veloce Racing for the first season of Extreme E! This series is so innovative and exciting, with its focus on gender equality and sustainability and an incredible environmental ethos. It just feels like something really positive to be a part of,” said Gilmour.
“I’m also thrilled to be working with such a fantastic team of drivers and engineers – they all have so much experience and talent from so many different areas of the motorsport world. It’s going to be great to share ideas with everyone and we can all put our own spin on the work we do.
“I’m fully committed to using my previous experience from rallying, rallycross and cross country competition to drive Veloce Racing forward. I can’t wait to get started!”
“I’ve known Emma for some time, and one of the things that impresses me most about her is that she is one of the few women to have gone head-to-head with the men at the X Games. She was the only female in the semi-finals and held her own against some really big names like Ken Block, Nelson Piquet Jnr and Scott Speed,” added Veloce Racing team manager Ian Davies.
“Winning the FIA’s cross country competition in 2015 ahead of some strong opposition was also seriously impressive, and she’s obviously enjoyed an illustrious rallying career in New Zealand, too. She brings a tremendous amount of off-road experience to Veloce while remaining very grounded and easy to work with, and we’re all really excited to have her on-board.”
The series opener kicks off next month in Saudi Arabia on April 3–4.