NEOM McLaren Extreme E’s hopes of making it two Crazy Race wins from two ended in a big crash for Emma Gilmour just metres from the start line.
Following Tanner Foust’s crash in the Desert X Prix Final, that’s two rolls in two races as the team take on their maiden Extreme E campaign.
Having struggled in Qualifying at the Desert X Prix, NEOM McLaren Extreme E looked to have achieved the level of consistency they were lacking at their first event, coming third in both practice sessions in the NEOM Island X Prix I, co-organised by the Automobile Club d’Italia and Regione Sardegna.
The team went into Qualifying with heads held high, until a technical issue for Foust in Qualifying 1 resulted in a DNF. The five-car Heats in Q2 offered a shot at redemption, which NEOM McLaren Extreme E seized, coming second in their Heat behind the ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team.
Their DNF in Q1 ensured that the team would take on ABT CUPRA XE, Veloce Racing, and eventual X Prix winners No.99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing in the Crazy Race, where their event ended with Gilmour’s crash in the early stages.
Emma Gilmour, NEOM McLaren Extreme E, said: “It’s been a tough first round here in Sardinia. We had really good pace in practice and we were looking to build on that, but an unfortunate DNF in Q1 put us on the back foot. In Q2, we had an unfortunate incident where someone ahead left us in the dust and made it so much more challenging to get through into the Semi-Finals.
“The Crazy Race is always a tough ask and probably even more so on this track. Four or five cars have got to go down into two shoots on the course and I sadly bore the brunt of it at the start. Thankfully, I am ok, just a bit stiff and sore. As a team, we are a really strong unit and we will come back fighting.”
Tanner Foust, NEOM McLaren Extreme E, said: “I was really looking forward to Rounds 2 and 3 in Sardinia as I had never visited before. It’s very hot and dusty, but a very cool place to race. The surface is fun, rough and challenging. It’s a challenge on many levels for all the teams and so far, this weekend we have certainly had our share of challenges.
“We now have some work to do between events to get the car ready for Round 3, but the team is charged and I have no doubt we are going to hit the ground running into the second event of the double header.”
The second part of the NEOM Island X Prix double-header begins this weekend (9-10 July).