Hispano Suiza arrives in Extreme E, HWA leaves

It's a name you've never seen on the racetrack, no matter your age. The only way to know this name was to delve into history books. Disappeared in 1938, the Hispano Suiza brand is reborn for the inaugural Extreme E season scheduled for 2021.

The Spanish brand is returning to the forefront after several uninspired attempts at revival at the start of the 1921st century. Hispano Suiza had built a reputation in motorsport thanks to several victories such as a resounding hat-trick in the George Boillot Endurance Cup (Pas-de-Calais) between 1923 and 1922 or the Monza Grand Prix (Italy) in XNUMX .

A century later, the British Oliver Bennett, seen in the World Championship of rallycross (World RX) has partnered with Christine Giampaoli Zonca to form the Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team.

“Driving a Hispano Suiza is not for everyone, and I am delighted to be able to drive the most extreme of them all, the HS Extreme E. This is a championship in which we will have to attack to show our full potential in each race, but at the same time, we will be able to fight to make our planet better (electric vehicles). I'm sure this is just the beginning of a great adventure for all of us. »

Her Italian-Canarian teammate comes from rally, including success in the Ladies' Cup at the Spanish Specialty Championship. Since 2017, she has focused on rally raiding aboard UTVs and T2s, for example finishing third in the T2s at the Andalusia Rally in the fall of 2020.

“I think having mixed teams will be a great opportunity to give more visibility to female drivers and will contribute to having a stronger female presence in motorsport in the future,” she explains. I am extremely happy to share a car with Oliver. He's a great driver, I've been following his career for a while now and I'm sure we'll help each other out perfectly. »

HWA withdraws

Extreme E also announced this Tuesday, December 15 the withdrawal from HWA training, at least in 2021, " for economic reasons ". The German company certifies that it remains in close contact with the organizers of the championship as well as Alejandro Agag, “with the aim of becoming full-fledged competitors in the near future”.

Nine teams will make up the Extreme E starting grid in 2021: ABT CUPRA XE, Sainz XE Team, Andretti United, Chip Ganassi Racing, Hispano Suiza, Rosberg Xtreme Racing, Team TECHEETAH, Veloce Racing and X44