Chip Ganassi Racing will not take part in this year’s Extreme E championship, RACER can reveal.
The American team was one of the first to commit to the all-electric series, and has competed with backing from General Motors via its GMC brand and Hummer EV product for the last three seasons, but speculation regarding its future in the category has been rife since the end of last year. Now, in a statement provided to RACER by the team, it has confirmed it won’t be participating in the 2024 season which begins in Saudi Arabia next week.
“Chip Ganassi Racing can confirm that the team will not be competing in the Extreme E series for the 2024 season,” the statement said. “We sincerely thank Extreme E for welcoming our GMC HUMMER EV entry as part of their innovative series and look forward to following the series’ growth.
“We will be watching closely as the series and its technical partners continue to push motorsports in their move upward and into a modernized off-road hydrogen-powered race car for 2025 and beyond.”
Extreme E’s transition to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2024 is thought to be the leading cause of Ganassi’s decision to withdraw since GM doesn’t currently have a major presence in the hydrogen arena, although RACER understands the team has left the door open for a possible return in the future.
It was a similar story for Abt, which was backed by Volkswagen Group brand Cupra, and formally announced its withdrawal at the end of last season, but is exploring a return with alternative backing. Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team also confirmed its exit from the category on Wednesday, but there will be at least one new team competing this year in the form of SUN Minimeal which will run Timo Scheider and former Abt Cupra driver Klara Andersson.
[lawrence-related id=346140]
“We would like to pay our upmost thanks to Chip Ganassi Racing and General Motors after their three years in Extreme E,” series founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said. “General Motors have been important ambassadors for our electric racing series; however, as we transition towards a hydrogen-powered future it’s a logical move for them to concentrate on continuing their efforts in the electric market. We wish them success in their future endeavours.
“Although Chip Ganassi Racing will not take part in Season 4, we know that they are huge supporters of our unique form of off-road racing, particular with our switch to Extreme H on the horizon in 2025. Chip Ganassi Racing is synonymous with the highest echelons of motorsport and we are hopeful that they will return to the series as we transition to hydrogen-powered racing — a world-first — as an FIA championship.”
Ganassi fielded Sara Price — who recently became the first American woman to win a stage of the Dakar Rally — and the late Kyle LeDuc for its first two seasons, and was often among the fastest contenders. A run of bad luck and mechanical issues, however, meant that the team had to wait until the first Sardinia race of Season 2 to claim its first — and only — event win.
RJ Anderson replaced LeDuc at the final round of 2022, with Amanda Sorensen coming in from the ’23 opener in place of Price. Anderson and Sorensen immediately set about challenging for the title, with a run of six consecutive final appearances — including back-to-back podiums in Scotland and Sardinia — which was only bettered by eventual champions Rosberg X Racing. In 20 Extreme E starts, the team scored a total of three podiums, including that Sardinia victory, and it finished the 2023 season in fifth overall, having taken fourth in 2022.
Ganassi was also instrumental in bringing FOX dampers to the series, which delivered an overnight improvement to the overall reliability of the series’ Odyssey 21 car, after testing with the brand during Season 1.
