Ganassi sweeps Island X Prix Free Practices

The Extreme E‘s Island X Prix began with shakedowns and free practice on Tuesday ahead of the doubleheader’s first round on Thursday. GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing set the early momentum by leading both FPs.

CGR, who won a Semi-Final at the season opener in NEOM five months ago and finished one spot shy of its first podium, hit the ground running as Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price led the way with a four-second advantage over second-placed Genesys Andretti United XE in FP1 and three over Rosberg X Racing in FP2. While FP1 commonly features slower runs as drivers learn the track, the Americans were the only outfit to set a time below ten minutes in the session even with a two-second penalty for speeding in the switch bay.

“Last year we didn’t have that great of a start, so it’s great that we are off to a good one,” said Price. “Consistency is key for us this year. I am very confident in the team, I think we have a good setup and we’ve learned a lot in the time we’ve been in Extreme E, so we’re in a good position.”

XITE Energy Racing and Veloce Racing did not run the full FP1 as the former struggled with vehicle issues, though new driver Timo Scheider rebounded with the second-best time in FP2; Scheider helped design the 2021 course while working as Extreme E’ Championship Driver. Veloce did just one lap with Christine GZ as she continued to be evaluated for the foot she broke in NEOM; the series also provided her with a buggy for pre-practice track reconnaissance, which is normally done by walking, and permitted Veloce to be the last team to run FP2 until she completed medical examinations.

Points leader Johan Kristoffersson of RXR set the best overall time with a 3:45.380 in FP2.

“I feel refreshed and in great shape and the team made some great progress during our test in France, so we are all set for an exciting week of racing,” commented the Swede.

Mechanical problems plagued ABT CUPRA in what driver Jutta Kleinschmidt called “a lot of little troubles,” though she acknowledged this day was the best time to discover any issues ahead of qualifying on Wednesday.

While the seven-km track is at the same location and similar to the one used in 2021, it still features some design differences, and many noted its faster pace compared to its predecessor. Price described it as “worked in a little bit more since last year” and akin to Baja desert courses that she raced in SCORE International, while Kristoffersson called it “smoother than last year. Most of the part at the beginning is very similar but the corners are graded a little bit differently. I think also the last part is a little bit more exciting than last year so I hope that there will be some good racing and some overtake opportunities as well.”

Free Practice #1 results

Finish	Number	Team	Total Time	Driver #1	Lap Time	Driver #2	Lap Time
1	99	Chip Ganassi Racing	9:56.082*	Sara Price	4:17.437	Kyle LeDuc	4:07.786
2	23	Andretti United XE	10:00.230	Catie Munnings	4:27.825	Timmy Hansen	4:04.088
3	58	McLaren XE	10:03.490	Emma Gilmour	4:23.620	Tanner Foust	4:10.289
4	6	Rosberg X Racing	10:06.081	Johan Kristoffersson	4:10.895	Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky	4:23.793
5	55	ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team	10:11.973*	Carlos Sainz	4:08.033	Laia Sanz	4:15.414
6	125	ABT CUPRA XE	10:13.948	Nasser Al-Attiyah	4:16.928	Jutta Kleinschmidt	4:26.788
7	22	JBXE	10:37.517	Kevin Hansen	4:12.336	Hedda Hosås	4:56.592
8	44	X44	10:53.6969	Sébastien Loeb	4:04.451	Cristina Gutiérrez	4:29.435
9	42	XITE Energy Racing	13:19.532 (DNF)	Timo Scheider	6:39.579	Timo Scheider	3:15.351
10	5	Veloce Racing	4:40.820* (DNF)	Christine GZ	4:25.820	N/A	N/A

* – Received a penalty

Free Practice #2 results

Finish	Number	Team	Total Time	Driver #1	Lap Time	Driver #2	Lap Time
1	99	Chip Ganassi Racing	9:25.523	Kyle LeDuc	3:57.984	Sara Price	4:00.831
2	6	Rosberg X Racing	9:28.235	Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky	4:10.383	Johan Kristoffersson	3:45.380
3	58	McLaren XE	9:36.013	Tanner Foust	4:05.605	Emma Gilmour	4:02.796
4	23	Andretti United XE	9:37.198	Catie Munnings	4:00.665	Timmy Hansen	4:07.805
5	42	XITE Energy Racing	9:49.158	Tamara Molinaro	4:23.434	Timo Scheider	3:52.342
6	22	JBXE	10:04.457	Hedda Hosås	4:21.351	Kevin Hansen	4:14.360
7	5	Veloce Racing	10:08.597*	Lance Woolridge	4:15.208	Christine GZ	4:16.414
8	55	ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team	10:13.219*	Laia Sanz	4:23.871	Carlos Sainz	3:58.565
9	44	X44	10:39.080	Cristina Gutiérrez	5:15.600	Sébastien Loeb	3:52.757
10	125	ABT CUPRA XE	13:50.744*	Jutta Kleinschmidt	4:19.160	Nasser Al-Attiyah	7:53.021

Follow @tcfoffroad: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram