– Jutta Kleinschmidt: « The challenge in Greenland will be different. »
This location is absolutely new territory for all drivers and motorsport fans: in Kangerlussuaq, a small town in Greenland, the all-electric Extreme E series will be holding its next event this weekend (August 28 and 29). For the ABT CUPRA XE team, the third race is also like a fresh new start to the season: for the first time, Jutta Kleinschmidt and Mattias Ekström will go into a race weekend together and prepared. After an Extreme E season with many challenges so far, the goal now is a clean weekend and a trophy.
After Jutta Kleinschmidt stepped in at short notice at the end of May, the only female Dakar winner to date now forms a permanent team with Mattias Ekström for the remainder of the season. In Greenland, the German-Swedish duo will now face a mixture of stones, gravel and sand instead of soft dunes and beaches as in Saudi Arabia and Senegal. One lap is around nine kilometers long and has to be driven twice in qualifying, the semifinals and the final – once by Kleinschmidt and once by Ekström. In the final, five cars compete against each other in a race for the first time in Greenland.
Jutta Kleinschmidt: « Felt welcome immediately »
« When I joined Extreme E as a Championship Driver and Advisor, I never thought that one day I would be competing as a permanent driver alongside Mattias – it’s still like a dream come true. I immediately felt very welcome in the ABT team. The challenge in Senegal was to get used to the car and all the procedures within a few hours. The challenge in Greenland will be different: After the hot temperatures and all the sand in the desert, we now have to get used to the completely different conditions in the Arctic. I can’t wait to get to Greenland and enjoy my first real weekend with Mattias and the team. »
Mattias Ekström: « Want smooth weekends »
« For us, the Greenland event is like a little fresh start to the season. Jutta is the ‘Queen of the Dakar’ and I’m still almost a rookie. That’s why it’s also special for me to have her in the team. In Senegal we had no preparation and still did some pretty good runs. Now we’ve had some time to look into things and prepare better. We have three race weekends left and we want to make them as smooth and successful as possible. This championship is far from over. »
Karla Kanz,