From the FIA Extreme H World Cup Podium to Baja Victory: The Continued Rise of Hedda Hosås
In February 2026, Hedda Hosås won the Jordan round of the FIA World Baja Cup. It may have been her first victory in that sport, but it’s just the latest achievement after a string of successes in Extreme E and the FIA Extreme H World Cup - and Dakar beckons.
London, UK, 26 March 2026: Norwegian racing driver Hedda Hosås is part of a new generation of off-road racing athletes competing across a pyramid of categories that include the iconic annual Dakar event.
Her dream of a Dakar drive is a big step closer after claiming victory in her category in the 2026 Jordan round of the FIA World Baja Cup. But it was Extreme E and the FIA Extreme H World Cup that helped put Hedda’s talent on the map.
“It’s hard to put into words how much Extreme E and Extreme H have done for my career,” Hedda says.
“My dream is to be an off-road world champion and that looks more realistic today for a female driver than ever before. I certainly would not be where I am without these pioneering sports, their commitment to empowering female athletes, and the unwavering support of the FIA.”
From teenage motorcycle racing to McLaren
Hedda might be only 25 years old, but her racing career already includes finishing third overall in the FIA Extreme H World Cup (competing directly with established drivers as Johan Kristoffersson, Kevin Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud), racing for legendary brand McLaren, being the youngest driver to compete in Extreme E at the time, and working with Defender and Porsche. And, of course, there is now that mega Baja win, too.
It all started just 10 years ago in Voss, a small town in Norway. “I have always loved adrenaline, but I didn’t realise I could make a career out of it,” Hedda says. (Perhaps fittingly, Voss is known as the “adventure capital” of the country for its skiing, skydiving and rafting.)
Hedda’s mother is a nurse and her father is a mechanic, a path she followed undaunted despite it being a male-dominated industry. “I was the only girl in my class studying mechanics,” she says. When her Extreme E chance came up, at 20 years old, Hedda was working at a car dealership as a mechanic.
Her love of racing really started in her teens. At 15, Hedda and her dad built a motocross motorcycle together from parts. “It was a Honda CRF 150cc four-stroke,” she remembers. “I just wanted to be out with my brother and the boys and do what they were doing. But once I went out on track for the first time, I never wanted to come back.”
Car racing quickly followed, in Norway’s famous “folk racing”, where competing cars are meant to cost less than 1,000 Euros. “If you win the race, you have to sell your car to anyone who wants it for a maximum of 1,000 Euros,” Hedda explains. Her choice was an old Ford Sierra.
“People often ask why so many racing drivers come from Scandinavia, and this is one important reason,” says Hedda. “Opportunity. This sort of racing is affordable and accessible. I started at 16 and look where I am today.”
It was at 19 that Hedda decided she wanted to be a professional off-road racing driver. “My parents were worried,” she admits. “We are not a wealthy family and didn’t have any motorsports connections. How could I ever turn this hobby into a career?”
A stand-out stand-in performance opens the door
The answer came soon afterwards in Denmark, where Hedda met Ian “Scooter” Davies. Ian has motorsport in his veins. He spent many years as an engineer at M-Sport for the legendary driver Ken Block and helped design and engineer cars for the iconic Gymkhana series of stunt films, before going on to work with Travis Pastrana and Red Bull.
Most recently, Ian was Team Manager at the Veloce Racing Extreme E team and a widely-quoted figurehead for the new sport, with media duties including interviews with the likes of Car magazine, Autocar, Dirtfish and Racer.
“I was immediately impressed by just how hard Hedda was prepared to work,” says Ian. “She’s also naturally more mechanically sympathetic than many drivers I’ve worked with. I knew immediately that she could be a star.”
Ian quickly became Hedda’s mentor and manager. Before long, an opportunity presented itself: a stand-in drive with the Veloce Racing team. “Hedda impressed the entire paddock and earned a place with Jenson Button’s JBXE team, where she earned points on debut,” says Ian.
In a vote of confidence for Hedda’s talent coupled with her intelligent approach, she was appointed as official test driver during the development of the hydrogen-powered Pioneer 25 car ahead of the first-ever FIA Extreme H World Cup.
“Hedda’s advanced mechanical knowledge, coupled with her talent as a high-performance driver was instrumental in the early development of the Pioneer 25.” said Mark Grain, Extreme H’s technical director responsible for delivering the vehicle. “Her insights gave key influence on the car’s set-up, which took into equal account the needs for both male and female drivers”.
For the Qiddiya event, Hedda raced for Team Even, partnered with fellow Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby, a multiple winner in the World Rallycross Championship. Together, they secured a third-place overall finish.
Learning from the best of the best
Extreme H has always been unique in mandating that every team has both a female and a male driver, and this is paying dividends for young female drivers like Hedda whose opportunities are limited in other motorsports.
“I believe that these two sports have done more to create pathways to top-tier, professional racing careers for female racing drivers than any other category in the world,” says Ian.
Hedda has seized her opportunities to learn from some of the best in the business, competing with and against titans such as Carlos Sainz, Sebastien Loeb, Johan Kristofferson and Heikki Kovalainen.
“Whenever I race now, I have the voices of all those mentors in my head,” she laughs. “Whether it is Heikki, Kevin Hansen or Andreas Bakkerud - they are all different in how they approach the track, the preparation, and the data. But now I hear all of them, guiding me through every step of every event. It’s clearly working!”
The unique racing environments have also presented given Hedda access to some of the most trailblazing female racers too, with incredible talents including Molly Taylor, Sara Price, Catie Munnings, Cristina Gutiérrez and Jamie Chadwick all having competed.
“I’ve learned something from all of these amazing women,” Hedda says. “And when I look at what Sara is doing with Defender and Cristina with Dacia, I am confident that I can follow in their footsteps and drive for a factory team one day soon. Having these role models is so important to see what is possible - and we all have Extreme E and Extreme H to thank for that.”
These opportunities have included racing for the NEOM McLaren Extreme E team, which is one of Hedda’s favourite moments so far. “I have kept my Papaya race suit,” she says. “When I buy my own house, that suit will be framed and put on the wall.”
Dreaming of Dakar while learning with Extreme H
“Extreme H was a big step up from Extreme E,” she says. “The racing is very intense, and we showed in the first World Cup that we can push much harder, right to the limits. Thanks to the close collaboration with the FIA throughout the whole development of the Pioneer 25 car, I was 100% confident in its safety. The potential for the future of the sport is really exciting.”
While Dakar will present a different challenge to racing in Extreme H, Hedda believes that the skills she’s honed in these futuristic but fast-paced and hard-fought events can only help make her a better endurance athlete.
Time is on Hedda’s side to achieve her Dakar dreams. After all, Carlos Sainz was 61 when he claimed victory; Stephane Peterhansel was 55, and Nasser Al-Attiyah was 50. “I’m only 25,” Hedda points out with a smile.
Ultimately, whether it’s the FIA Extreme H World Cup, FIA World Baja Cup or Dakar, Hedda’s off-road racing ambitions can be summed up very simply: “My goal is to keep winning.”