Christine GZ Signs with Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Racing Team
Professional rally and off-road racer Christine Giampaoli Zonca, aka Christine GZ, is officially planning out her racing calendar for the 2021 season. Earlier this month, Christine GZ signed a two-year contract with Avatel Racing Team to be their official racing driver with plans to compete in several rally championships in Europe during 2021. This comes after she reached 3rd at the Andalucía Road to Dakar Rally in fall 2020, racing in the T2 class.
The latest news from the world of GZ is joining Hispano Suize Xite Energy Team, which is set to compete in the inaugural season of the Extreme E racing series. Christine GZ will be racing in a 550hp Odyssey 21 electric SUV capable of hitting zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds. The official vehicle for Extreme E, a new racing series focused on the climate crisis.
Extreme E Racing
2021 will be the first year for Extreme E, consisting of five rounds of racing across four continents, a motorsport series that promises to be unlike anything else. Extreme E will travel to each round via a former Royal Mail cargo-passenger vessel acting as a floating paddock. Besides racing electric, the goal is highlighting remote environments currently under threat of climate change and promoting to take positive actions to protect our planet. What better stage to promote this idea than motorsport?
Extreme E will also be a racing series where male and female drivers work together. Racing by Christine GZ side is British rally driver Oliver Bennett, raced in FIA World Rallycross Championship and Gymkhana GRID events.
In an interview, Christine GZ stated, “I am very excited to be part of the HISPANO SUIZA XITE ENERGY TEAM. We are going to compete with a very powerful vehicle that represents the future of the automotive industry, 100% electric. We also have the opportunity to raise awareness about climate change by showing that you can race in some of the most remote places in the world without polluting the planet.“
Christine GZ also added: “I think that having mixed teams will be a great opportunity to give female drivers more visibility and will contribute to have a stronger female presence in motorsport in the future. I am extremely happy to share a car with Oliver: he is a great driver; I have followed his career for a while now and I am sure that we are going to complement each other perfectly. Now I’m just looking forward to racing and doing my best for our team.”
Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team
Hispano Suiza is a Spanish automotive company founded in 1904. It made a name for itself manufacturing luxury vehicles and aviation engines before World War II. Fast forward to 2019, Hispano Suiza debuted an all-electric hyper-luxury grand touring sports car called the Carmen at the 2019 Geneva Auto Show.
Inspired by Carmen Mateu, the founder’s granddaughter, Carmen took inspiration from the elegant luxury cars of Hispano Suiza’s past and gave it a 1,019 horsepower electric powertrain.
The second half of the Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team is the energy drink company Xite Energy. Founded in 2018, Xite Energy is known for its naturally caffeinated drinks made from extracted green coffee beans.
Christine GZ Full Time Racer
Companies new and old, a brand new racing series, one super-charged electric SUV, and at the center of it all stands Christine GZ. A calendar full of upcoming races around the globe waits in the year 2021. Christine GZ lives her life the way she drives – full send, full time.
Jesus Behind the Wheel 