A real race of champions
ABT CUPRA
Extreme E has, by accident rather than design, become the default headline motorsport programme for Abt this year. After winning five DTM teams’ titles between 2002 and 2009, the tuning company will stay put in the German tin-top series with a three-car charge. But this comes as the halo Class 1 regulations make way for less inspiring GT3 kit.
Abt then missed out on a 125th birthday present to itself in 2021. It guided Lucas di Grassi to the 2016-17 Formula E drivers’ crown while fronting Audi’s entry. In response to the marque’s decision to quit the championship at the end of this season, Abt submitted a bid over the winter to buy the team licence, but the paperwork wasn’t signed in time.
That leaves Extreme E. Partnering Cupra – the SEAT offshoot was the first manufacturer to sign with a team – Abt maintains its enduring alliance with the Volkswagen Group.
Claudia Hurtgen
A touring and sportscar pro, Hurtgen backed up her 1997 Daytona 24 Hours class win with a Le Mans GT2 podium the next year. While a 2000 Monaco Historic Grand Prix race win in a Maserati 300S proves skill managing oversteer, she has no off-road competition experience beyond Extreme E testing.
Mattias Ekstrom
His Extreme E assault is the 20th season in which Ekstrom
