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ACCIONA | Sainz dominates Desert X Prix Race 2
ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team‘s Desert X Prix got off to a rough start when Fraser McConnell rolled on the last lap of the Grand Final on Saturday. Fortunately, Sunday was a new day and McConnell got to end his maiden weekend with the team on top.
After qualifying for the second Grand Final with the help of a heat win, McConnell and Laia Sanz dominated from start to finish as they never lost the lead. With Saturday winner Rosberg X Racing finishing last in the Grand Final, the Sainz outfit narrowed the early championship gap between the two to three points.
“Stepping into this team was such a huge step for me,” said McConnell. “So many other people could have had the opportunity, but I was chosen by Carlos (Sainz) and the team to be here. They saw something in me, they believed in me, and this gave me so much confidence to dig as deep as I could. I am living this opportunity as if it is my last, making sure I can make a name for myself and the team. Carlos has been a hero of mine growing up, so racing for him is such a feeling. It has been a very good first weekend.
“Yesterday we didn’t get what we wanted, but these things can happen when you push. We are here to win, not to be second or third, and everyone in ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team is doing everything they can to fulfill this goal. I am going to enjoy this win as much as I can. It is a long break now until the next round, but we will go through everything to analyze what we did right and what we did wrong. We will carry the positives and work on the negatives. Awesome feeling and ready to go for it again.”
McLaren XE won the Redemption Race after passing Legacy Motor Club in the final lap, spoiling Travis Pastrana‘s hopes of finally beating his close friend and longtime rallycross rival Mattias Ekström. Pastrana even arrived in Saudi Arabia with a t-shirt listing items such as winning the Nitrocross championship and qualifying for the Daytona 500, and at the top was “beat Mattias Ekström”.
“Sorry, Travis! I enjoy this game just a little bit too much,” Ekström quipped.
Despite missing out on the win, Legacy certainly could have had a worse début as they finished runner-up in both Redemption Races. Pastrana’s team-mate Gray Leadbetter also secured the Continental Traction Challenge on Sunday by setting the fastest total time through the third sector in the first heat, though she received a fifteen-second penalty after starting her stint too soon before crew members left the switch bay.
Fellow series newcomer SUN Minimeal Team finished third in the Redemption Race. JBXE retired after Dania Akeel rolled at the start while contact with McLaren’s Cristina Gutiérrez.
Grand Final results
| Finish | Number | Team | Total Time | Driver #1 | Driver #2 |
| 1 | 55 | ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team | 10:54.593 | Fraser McConnell | Laia Sanz |
| 2 | 27 | Andretti ALTAWKILAT Extreme E | 10:55.999 | Timmy Hansen | Catie Munnings |
| 3 | 5 | E.ON Veloce Racing | 10:59.255 | Molly Taylor | Kevin Hansen |
| 4 | 6 | Rosberg X Racing | 11:02.644 | Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky | Johan Kristoffersson |
Redemption Race results
| Finish | Number | Team | Total Time | Driver #1 | Driver #2 |
| 1 | 58 | NEOM McLaren XE | 8:32.825 | Cristina Gutiérrez | Mattias Ekström |
| 2 | 84 | Legacy Motor Club | 8:33.517 | Travis Pastrana | Gray Leadbetter |
| 3 | 8 | SUN Minimeal Team | 8:42.634 | Timo Scheider | Klara Andersson |
| 4 | 22 | JBXE | DNF | Andreas Bakkerud | Dania Akeel |
Qualifying results
Round #1
Heat #1
| Finish | Number | Team | Total Time | Driver #1 | Driver #2 |
| 1 | 6 | Rosberg X Racing | 10:48.380 | Johan Kristoffersson | Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky |
| 2 | 5 | E.ON Veloce Racing | 10:49.993 | Kevin Hansen | Molly Taylor |
| 3 | 58 | NEOM McLaren XE | 10:58.412 | Mattias Ekström | Cristina Gutiérrez |
| 4 | 84 | Legacy Motor Club | 11:10.847* | Gray Leadbetter | Travis Pastrana |
Heat #2
| Finish | Number | Team | Total Time | Driver #1 | Driver #2 |
| 1 | 55 | ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team | 10:59.956 | Fraser McConnell | Laia Sanz |
| 2 | 27 | Andretti ALTAWKILAT Extreme E | 11:00.968 | Timmy Hansen | Catie Munnings |
| 3 | 8 | SUN Minimeal Team | 11:07.761 | Timo Scheider | Klara Andersson |
| 4 | 22 | JBXE | 11:29.911 | Dania Akeel | Andreas Bakkerud |
Round #2
Heat #1
| Finish | Number | Team | Total Time | Driver #1 | Driver #2 |
| 1 | 27 | Andretti ALTAWKILAT Extreme E | 10:49.433 | Catie Munnings | Timmy Hansen |
| 2 | 58 | NEOM McLaren XE | 10:50.639 | Mattias Ekström | Cristina Gutiérrez |
| 3 | 5 | E.ON Veloce Racing | 10:51.085 | Kevin Hansen | Molly Taylor |
| 4 | 22 | JBXE | 11:18.931 | Andreas Bakkerud | Dania Akeel |
Heat #2
| Finish | Number | Team | Total Time | Driver #1 | Driver #2 |
| 1 | 6 | Rosberg X Racing | 10:59.082 | Johan Kristoffersson | Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky |
| 2 | 84 | Legacy Motor Club | 11:03.634 | Gray Leadbetter | Travis Pastrana |
| 3 | 55 | ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team | 11:04.771 | Laia Sanz | Fraser McConnell |
| 4 | 8 | SUN Minimeal Team | 11:08.869 | Klara Andersson | Timo Scheider |
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