Jameel Motorsport’s Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor Crowned Inaugural World Cup Winners
Jameel Motorsport's Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor have taken a jubilant win at the inaugural FIA Extreme H World Cup, in Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia, after dominating the headline eight-car Final.
Following three days of competition across Time Trial, Head-to-Head, and Multi-Car Racing, the competition came down to a final four-lap race featuring all competitors.
Kevin Hansen, driver for Jameel Motorsport, said: “To win the first ever FIA Extreme H World Cup is probably the biggest achievement in my career.”
“It feels amazing. I never felt that much pressure before a race: standing on pole, for a Saudi team, for one race, winner takes it all. But it felt so good to do a great start, great fist run, pull a good gap, five seconds, and Molly brought it home perfectly.”
Molly Taylor, driver for Jameel Motorsport, said: “It’s been a pretty emotional day. It’s been such an intense week, particularly the last three days. It's pretty hard to describe. You have to be on it every step of the way.
“It feels very sweet to be able to deliver this, for Jameel Motorsport, for all our crew, we all banded together at the last minute to make this happen.”
HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) and Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC), said: “From the heart of Qiddiya City, we write today yet a new and even more ambitious chapter in the world of global motorsport. The launch of the FIA Extreme H World Cup marks a transformative milestone in the world of racing and showcases how competition, innovation, and sustainability can move forward hand in hand. Let’s celebrate and welcome a new era; one powered by hydrogen, driven by ambition, and built for the future.”
After topping the World Cup Qualifying points standings, Jameel had choice of grid position and selected the inside front row. It took full advantage of it to emerge from the first corner in the lead. Behind, Carl Cox Motorsport’s Timo Scheider and Team Hansen’s Andreas Bakkerud collided early on, with the latter going off track.
Scheider held onto second as Kevin Hansen pulled away in the Jameel car. A mistake for Scheider, however, allowed Team KMS' Johan Kristoffersson to close up at the mid-race driver Switch.
Entering the Switch with a 5.209s advantage, Jameel's position at the front was secure. Behind them though, Carl Cox, KMS, and Team STARD – which was in line for a penalty after knocking down a track marker on the opening lap – were covered by just 1.365s.
KMS immediately mounted a challenge on Carl Cox when the third lap of the race got under way, but with the former’s Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky going straight on at the Gate 15 right-hander, the pressure was off for Klara Andersson in the Carl Cox car.
At the race end, Taylor brought the Jameel car home 7.068s ahead of Andersson, while Team EVEN's Ole Christian Veiby and Hedda Hosås took the final spot on the podium after KMS was dropped down by a penalty.
STARD managed its own penalty well to recover to fourth, while Team Hansen finished fifth, a remarkable comeback after its lap 1 off. Motor issues left JBX's Tommi Hallman and Christine GZ in seventh, while ZEROID Motorsport's Fraser McConnell and Gray Leadbetter didn't make it beyond the second lap after McConnell rolled at Gate 15.
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