With the electric off-road racing championship just weeks away, Extreme E has confirmed Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF), the public broadcasting organisation of the French Community of Belgium, as the latest addition to its broadcasting portfolio.
Extreme E is a new racing series, featuring electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world and is geared towards highlighting the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the most remote parts of the world.
With the series, Extreme E aims to highlight the climate emergency that is affecting the whole world. By visiting these five destinations in 2021 – Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Greenland, Brazil and Patagonia – which have all been affected by the climate crisis, and the racing series will attempt to show the devastation caused by environmental issues, and encourage change, whilst leaving behind a long-lasting positive impact through its Legacy Programmes. It will also showcase the performance of all-electric vehicles in extreme conditions and promoting the adoption of electric vehicles in the quest for a lower carbon future for the planet.
The five-event calendar starts in April 2021 in Saudi Arabia, before moving to Senegal in May, Greenland in August, Brazil in October and Patagonia in December. The series is ramping up to its start date and has recently completed its first group testing in Spain ahead of the opening race. The teams were able to run at full power for the first time to build up a greater understanding of the electric SUV, which they will race next year in some of the most remote corners of the planet.
RTBF operates four television channels – La Une, Tipik, La Trois and Arte Belgique – together with several radio channels, La Première, RTBF International, VivaCité, Musiq3, Classic 21, and Tipik Radio. The Extreme E series will join a roster of motorsport entertainment, including Formula One already available on the RTBF’s linear channel as well as its digital platform.
“RTBF is very involved in the challenges of the future, audiovisual evolution as well as environmental matters,” commented Manu Van der Brempt, Motorsport line producer at RTBF. “Moreover, most Belgians appreciate creativity and that’s a major part of Extreme E’s proposition: thoughtful innovation – an initiative to commend from my point of view.”
Added Extreme E chief marketing officer Ali Russell: “We are delighted to have added Belgium to our broadcast reach, and we are confident that Extreme E will fit perfectly within the plethora of exciting sport already aired by RTBF. Belgium loves its motorsport – the country is well-known for producing some of the world’s greatest racing drivers – so we have no doubt that Extreme E will delight the audience with its illustrious list of competitors and its thrilling format – in addition to providing all the significant human and environmental stories behind the race series itself.”
