The first and so far only female winner of the legendary Dakar Rally, Jutta Kleinschmidt has been one of the biggest stars of motorsport in recent days with the confirmation that she will have her own film produced by Steven Spielberg.
Now the German was selected to compete for ABT CUPRA XE in Extreme E sharing the cockpit with Mattias Ekström for the remaining three races of the season taking over from Claudia Hürtgen in the squad.
“Top performance in off-road events like Extreme E requires intensive preparation, including testing and rally participation. This high time commitment is unfortunately not compatible at the moment with my professional work at BMW, which I live for with the same passion,” explained Hürtgen.
In that sense, the German woman also expressed her gratitude for the experiences she has had within the Extreme E and wished ABT, CUPRA and Kleinschmidt the best in the next rounds.
It should be noted that Jutta Kleinschmidt at the beginning of the season was the designated driver and championship advisor, attending the first two events and supporting the organizers with her knowledge of 17 Dakar participations.
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“At first, I followed the series from the organisers’ point of view, then I got a spontaneous drive and now, together with Mattias, I’m actually a permanent member of the family of drivers. I’m very happy for the chance to compete at the highest level again,” said Kleinschmidt.
ABT CEO Thomas Biermaier recalls that the beginnings were turbulent at Extreme E and that hopefully calm will return in the second half of the year.
He also thanked Hürtgen for their participation and explained that they have already started work with Kleinschmidt.
” Accidents in Saudi Arabia, a spontaneous driver change in Senegal – it’s time for us to now have a smooth weekend,” says Mattias Ekström. “We will thoroughly review the season so far, prepare more intensively than ever and try to make a fresh start in Greenland,” Mattias Ekström said.
Extreme E season 1 action will resume at the Arctic X Prix in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland on August 28-29.
Written by | Gabriel Sayago
