The Extreme E racing series is known for being decided by the finest of margins, which means every single championship point is precious. Aside from the standard points awarded according to where each team finishes the races, the drivers will now be giving extra attention to the bonus points up for grabs in Continental’s Traction Challenge.
Before we get into the technicalities of the Traction Challenge itself, we have some exciting news about the standard Extreme E format for Season 3.
Unlike in Seasons 1 and 2, where each location hosted one race event over the course of a weekend, the new format includes two separate race events – one on Saturday and one on Sunday – meaning double the chance for wins, podiums and all-important points.
Each day will host a complete race event, from Qualifying through to the Grand Final. A race event starts on Saturday with two rounds of Qualifying, both consisting of two heats with five cars each. As in previous seasons, each team consists of one male driver, one female driver, one all-electric SUV and, of course, four high-performance Continental tyres.
The top five teams progress to the Grand Final for a shot at reaching the podium, while the remaining five teams can still claim valuable Championship points in the Redemption Race. The best part of all? The format repeats on Sunday, so all teams get another chance at glory!
Championship points are awarded to all teams based on final position, with the first-place team receiving 25 points and the tenth-place team receiving just one. These points will contribute to the standings in the overall Extreme E league table. Whoever tops the table after all ten races will be crowned Extreme E champions!
In any ordinary race, whether on foot, by boat, or by car, you have a starting point and a finish line. But Extreme E, as you know by now, isn’t your ordinary racing series. Every Extreme E course includes a predefined section known as the Continental Traction Challenge – formerly, the ‘Super Sector’.
Of course, in a way, the entire Extreme E season is one big international traction challenge – just ask our CrossContact tyres! The beauty of this Continental Traction Challenge, however, is that the team who completes this section of the course in the fastest time will be awarded two extra championship points, regardless of their position.
From the qualifying rounds through to the final, the fastest Continental Traction Challenge time for each individual driver will be recorded. The fastest times of both drivers in a team will be added together, and the team with the lowest combined time will be given those five, potentially crucial, bonus points, courtesy of Continental.
To give you an idea of just how crucial Continental Traction Challenge points could be: At the end of season one, both RXR and X44 had exactly 155 points to their names, but the Rosberg pair (RXR) clinched the title thanks to their slightly faster overall time. Just imagine if X44 had picked up extra Continental Traction Challenge points somewhere along the way… We’ll let you do the math.
What this means is that if a team is lagging behind in a race, their position already more or less determined, there is still every incentive to put the pedal to the metal and dash through the Continental Traction Challenge section.
In Season 3, any teams that are tied in the Qualifying standings will have their positioning determined by their time in the Continental Traction Challenge. Also, since there will be twice as many races as in previous seasons, there are now double the number of Continental Traction Challenge points up for grabs!
