Extreme H launches in Saudi Arabia

Kevin Hansen & Molly Taylor, Extreme H 12/10/25

There were tears and high emotion as Swedish rallycross ace Kevin Hansen and Australian rally driver Molly Taylor savoured a special moment. The duo had just made history as the first winners of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered international motor sport event, as the Extreme H FIA World Cup finally took off.

Successor to the electric-powered Extreme E, the new off-road concept is the latest creation of alternative fuel racing visionary Alejandro Agag. First announced in 2022, we’d started to wonder if it would ever see the light of day. But following confirmation of an October date for a debut in Saudi Arabia (inevitably), a flurry of team and driver announcements followed, some just days before the race weekend.

Instead of hydrogen, Agag quipped the H could have stood for Houdini as once again he snatched an audacious escape from potential disaster. A week after a sign-off race for Extreme E, which lost its spark after only three full seasons, eight Pioneer 25 buggies built by French off-road specialist Spark lined up in the Qiddiya desert for a mix of time trials, head-to-heads and an all-in rallycross-style racing finale.

Hansen and Taylor raced under the banner of Jameel Motorsport and, in a field made up of familiar names from Extreme E, dominated the finale. They were beaten in both the time trial and head-to-head, respectively by Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky (KMS), and Patrick O’Donovan and Amanda Sorensen (STARD), but led the final all the way from the first corner to claim the inaugural World Cup.

Hansen reckoned it was “probably the biggest achievement of my career. I never felt that much pressure: standing on pole, for a Saudi team, for one race, winner takes all.” Taylor, 2021 Extreme E champion, admitted she hadn’t expected the team to make the event, that it had all been “last-minute”.

What happens next for Extreme H isn’t yet clear. Agag says he has a five-year deal for more World Cups in Qiddiya, but only spoke vaguely about racing in other locations. As usual, the Formula E co-founder is making it up as he goes along.

Driver briefing notes

Aston’s IMSA podium and a new BTCC king

● A Cadillac won for a second consecutive year at Petit Le Mans. This time, Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti took the honours for Action Express at the 10-hour Road Atlanta enduro. Porsche wrapped up the IMSA manufacturers’ and teams’ titles via GTP champion drivers Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet.
● Petit Le Mans also marked a season high for Aston Martin’s new Valkyrie. Genuine pace and canny strategy lifted the THOR team into second place and
a maiden podium in the hands of Roman De Angelis, Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas. The Aston was just 5.182sec behind the winning V-Series.R.

● Tom Ingram, inset, is now a two-time BTCC champion, the Excelr8 Hyundai driver wrapping up the 2025 title with a round to spare at the Brands Hatch finale. Also top in 2022, Ingram won seven races this season. Outgoing champion Jake Hill will now focus on his enduro racing ambitions.