Spark Odyssey 21

Last updated

Spark Odyssey 21
2020 Autosport International Extreme E car.jpg
Category Extreme E
Constructor Spark Racing Technology
Designer(s) Théophile Gouzin (Technical Director)
Technical specifications
Chassis Tubular frame made of niobium reinforced steel alloy
Suspension Double wishbone with three-way adjustable mono-damper. Hydraulic bump and rebound stop
Length4401 mm
Width2300 mm
Height1864 mm
Axle track Front & Rear: 1998 mm
Wheelbase 3001 mm
Electric motor Various mid-mounted
Transmission Various
Battery54 kWh Williams Advanced Engineering
Power400 kW (536 bhp)
Weight1650 kg
Brakes Six-piston Alcon calipers. Iron disk and pads
Tyres Continental Cross Contact
Competition history
Competition Extreme E
Debut 2021 Desert X-Prix

The Spark Odyssey 21, stylized as ODYSSEY 21, is an electric off-road racecar designed by Spark Racing Technology for the Extreme E championship. [1]

Development and promotion

It was first announced in August 2018, that Formula E would operate a new "Extreme E" electric SUV series, that would race through challenging locations and terrain such as the Himalayas and the Arctic regions, and was first presented to manufacturers as a spec-series with limited areas for open development, including motors and bodywork, although the base chassis would be a set specification, and the cars were to be silhouettes of roadgoing SUV models. [2]

On 1 February 2019, it was announced by the series that the cars would use technology developed for the Formula E Championship, with the specifications parts being the base chassis, battery, suspension, ECU and software, as well as an FE powertrain motor, with the last being optional. Chassis constructor for Formula E, Spark Racing Technology would also be announced as the builder of the base XE chassis. In the same announcement, it was said that the series would use a customer team approach, with all manufacturers free to sell their powertrains to a maximum of two customers at a capped price. [3]

On April 23, 2019, a clarification was issued, which details Spark Racing Technology's involvement, with Spark building the car’s tubular steel frame, crash structure and roll cage, in addition to the suspension and dampers, braking and steering system. The bodykit areas for manufacturers were also defined as the engine cover, side skirt, lights and front and rear bumpers. [3]

On July 5, 2019, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Extreme E took the covers off the car, revealing its name as the ODYSSEY 21, with a niobium-reinforced steel alloy tubular frame, a crash structure and roll cage, while tyres for both winter and summer conditions would be supplied by founding partner Continental. [4] On the same day, following the public reveal, Spark Racing Technologies technical director Théophile Gouzin revealed that the car was to undergo visits to a number of World Rally Championship and Dakar Rally proving grounds, such as Château de Lastours, following September, in preparation for the 2021 debut. During the weekend, the car also ran demonstration runs up the Goodwood hillclimb circuit, powered by the motor from the Spark-Renault SRT 01E. [5]

The vehicle was showcased in action during the 2020 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January 2020. Guerlain Chicherit drove the vehicle during shakedown one day before the race start. Ken Block raced it on final stage 12 between Haradh and Al-Qiddiya as a guest by the invitation of the organizers A.S.O. [6]

Related Research Articles

Motorsport(s) or motor sport(s) are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms automobile sport, motorcycle sport, power boating and air sports may be used commonly, or officially by organisers and governing bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Sainz Sr.</span> Spanish rally driver (born 1962)

Carlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times. Constructors' world champions to have benefited from Sainz are Subaru (1995), Toyota (1999) and Citroën. In the 2018 season, he was one of the official drivers of the Team Peugeot Total. He received the Princess of Asturias Sports Award in 2020. Sainz founded the Acciona | Sainz XE Team to join Extreme E and competed in the first two seasons alongside Laia Sanz.

Renault Sport or Renaultsport, was a motorsport, performance and special vehicles division for Renault-badged cars and later a sub-badge of Renault cars managed by Alpine. The first Renault Sport was officially established as a company in 1976 as a merger between the Alpine and Gordini competition departments. It was made a division and reorganised in 2002 and 2016. In December 2021, all Renault Sport operations were merged into an Alpine-led business unit. The Renault Sport car range under Alpine was completely phased out by the end of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abt Sportsline</span> Motor racing company

Abt Sportsline is a motor racing and auto tuning company based in Kempten im Allgäu, Germany. Abt mainly deals with Audi and the related primary Volkswagen Group brands—Volkswagen, Škoda, and SEAT—modifying them by using sports-type suspensions, engine power upgrades, lightweight wheels, aerodynamic components and more. It has been active in DTM for more than a decade. After the death of their father Johann in 2003, the company with 170 employees in their headquarters in Kempten was run by the brothers Hans-Jürgen Abt and Christian Abt. Since 2011, Hans-Jürgen Abt has run the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche in motorsport</span> Motorsport activities of Porsche

Porsche has been successful in many branches of motorsport of which most have been in long-distance races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmentalism in motorsport</span>

The issue of environmentalism in motorsport surrounds the whole of auto racing to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions contributing to global warming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DS Penske</span> American auto racing team

DS Penske is an auto racing team that is involved in many areas of motorsport. The team is based in the United States, but competes under a French license. DS Penske was founded in 2007 as Dragon Racing by Americans Jay Penske and Stephen J. Luczo. The team competed in the IndyCar Series from 2007 until 2014, and in 2014 Dragon Racing became one of the founding Formula E teams. It currently competes under the name DS Penske, having been known as GEOX Dragon between 2014 and 2019 and Dragon / Penske Autosport between 2020 and 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupra Racing</span> Auto racing factory team by SEAT

Cupra Racing, formerly known as SEAT Sport, is the high-performance motorsport subsidiary of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT, founded in 1985, succeeding the "SEAT Special Vehicles department" which had been formed in 1971 with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, followed by 11 titles between 1979 and 1983. In 2018, SEAT created the Cupra brand as its independent high-performance branch and SEAT Sport was officially replaced by Cupra Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Formula E</span> Open-wheel electric motorsport series

Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars. The inaugural championship race was held in Beijing in September 2014. Since 2020, the series has FIA world championship status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric motorsport</span> Category of motor sport

Electric motorsport is a category of motor sport that consists of the racing of electric powered vehicles for competition, either in all-electric series, or in open-series against vehicles with different powertrains. Very early in the history of automobiles, electric cars held several performance records over internal combustion engine cars, such as land speed records, but fell behind in performance during the first decade of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Formula E car</span> Type of electric auto racing car

A Formula E car is a battery electric open-wheel auto racing car made according to the regulations of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) to take part in the FIA Formula E Championship. Races are mainly driven on closed temporary street circuits designed specifically for this racing category.

Spark Racing Technology (SRT) is a motorsport manufacturer specialized in the development and engineering of high-performance electric vehicles and modules. The company was founded by Frédéric Vasseur to become the sole chassis supplier for the FIA Formula E Championship but is now involved in other projects as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 Formula E Championship</span> Formula E season

The 2018–19 FIA Formula E Championship was the fifth season of the FIA Formula E championship, a motor racing championship for electrically-powered vehicles recognised by motorsport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for electric open-wheel racing cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen I.D. R</span> Electric race car

The Volkswagen I.D. R also known as Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak, is a prototype fully electric vehicle designed as part of Volkswagen's I.D. Project, and included within Volkswagen's R series of cars designed specifically for competing in motorsport events. It is the first electric racing car designed by Volkswagen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 Formula E Championship</span> Electric car racing season

The 2019–20 FIA Formula E Championship was the sixth season of the FIA Formula E championship, a motor racing championship for electrically powered vehicles recognised by motorsport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for electric open-wheel racing cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spark SRT05e</span> Electric formula race car designed for use in the FIA Formula E Championship

The Spark SRT05E, also known as the Spark Gen2 was an electric formula race car designed for use in the FIA Formula E Championship. The car was the successor to the SRT01-e, and was constructed by Spark Racing Technology with assistance from Dallara. It was used as the base car for all manufacturers and teams from the 2018-2019 FIA Formula E Championship. The car featured a new 56 kW⋅h battery from McLaren Applied Technologies, alongside the Halo cockpit protection system, and was the first Formula E car capable of completing a full-race distance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extreme E</span> Electric auto racing series

Extreme E is an FIA-sanctioned international off-road racing series that uses spec silhouette electric SUVs to race in remote parts of the world, such as the Saudi Arabian desert or the Arctic. All racing locations are chosen to raise awareness for some aspects of climate change and Extreme E maintains a "Legacy Programme" which intends to provide social and environmental support for those locations. The series also promotes gender equality in motorsport by mandating that all teams consist of a female and a male driver who share equal driving duties.

The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team was a German racing team that competed in Formula E. The team made its debut at the 2019 Diriyah ePrix as part of the 2019–20 season. Mercedes concluded their involvement at the end of the 2021–22 Formula E World Championship, with the team being taken over by McLaren and returning under new ownership from the 2022–23 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine GZ</span> Italian-Canarian race driver

Christine Giampaoli Zonca, more commonly known by her nickname Christine GZ, is an Italian-Spanish rally and off-road race driver. After an off-road racing career in America, competing with the team Dynamic Racing, Zonca raced in Europe with the Avatel Telecom Race Team. In late 2020, Zonca scored a third-place in the Andalucia Rally round of the FIA World Cross Country Championship.

<i>Porsche Unseen</i> Photo-book by Stefan Bogner and Jan Karl Baedeker

Porsche Unseen is a photo-book by Stefan Bogner and Jan Karl Baedeker about 15 unrevealed concept vehicles from the years 2005 to 2019 by German carmaker Porsche, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group. Following the publish date on November 11, 2020, the concepts were shown online.

References

  1. "Formula E founder launches radical new off-road racing concept Extreme E". FIA Formula E. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  2. "Formula E to run 'Extreme E' SUV series". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Extreme E to use Formula E-developed tech". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  4. Kilshaw, Jake. "Extreme E Base Car Revealed at Goodwood – e-racing365". e-racing365.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  5. Lloyd, Daniel. "Extreme E Off-Road Testing to Begin in September – e-racing365". e-racing365.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  6. "Extreme E E-SUV and Ken Block prepped for maiden Dakar Rally outing". extreme-e.com. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.