A puncture can rule the best of drivers out of a race, with countless Championships lost because of blowouts. However, that can’t be said for Extreme E driver Catie Munnings, who suffered a flat tyre less than halfway through her debut stint behind the wheel at the season’s inaugural race in Wadi Rum, Saudi Arabia, and overcame it in marvellous style.
After taking over the Andretti United Spark ODYSSEY 21 from team-mate Timmy Hansen, she took off on a blistering lap through the dry desert terrain. At speeds approaching 130km/h she navigated huge dunes and deep sand, despite the rear right hand tyre already appearing to be losing air. Eventually, it burst altogether, and the 23-year-old Brit was left to contend with 1,650kgs of unwieldy EV to wrestle to the finish line.
She had to avoid braking so as not to lose her momentum, and adjust every steering input to account for the dragging wheel. However, with just a hint of concentration visible on her face, Munnings adapted her technique and piloted the potent challenger home in fine style.
Extreme E is the mould-breaking off-road racing series, which pits male-female pairings against other teams and the extremes of environment in single make EVs.
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