Fresh on the heels of the announcement that fast-rising Jamaican rallycross star Fraser McConnell will drive for Lewis Hamilton's X44 Vida Carbon Racing Team in season three of the Extreme E Championship, CVM TV and CSport announced Wednesday that the all-electric SUV motor racing series will be broadcast live on both channels via free-to-air, cable and streaming, starting this Saturday and Sunday.
The series is currently shown by more than 90 broadcasters in over 200 territories worldwide and will be the first time that Extreme E will broadcast live on free-to-air television in the region.
The third edition of the Extreme E championship will begin in Saudi Arabia this weekend followed by rounds in Scotland, the United Kingdom on May 13 and 14; Sardinia, Italy on July 8 and 9; Brazil or the United States on September 16 and 17; and Chile on December 2 to 3.
"When we launched CSport last summer and acquired CVM TV in September, we pledged to bring the best of international sports and entertainment content to the region and this is just another step in that direction. Motor racing is one of those sports that we are seeing a growing appetite for in the region, but fans are usually left scrambling for ways to access it. That is where CVM and CSport come in," said Carlo Redwood, chief commercial officer of CSport and CVM parent company, VertiCast Media Group.
McConnell announced the news of his appointment to the X44 Vida Carbon Racing Team via his Instagram account on March 7 and in an exclusive interview with CVM TV, he shared that Hamilton, through the X44 team, has given people that wouldn't necessarily have the opportunity a chance to shine and a chance to show their talents.
He said: "I am really happy that CVM and CSport are getting the chance to have this exclusive content. It does bring a lot of pride to me to know that I am representing the black, green and gold on such a big stage. Jamaica has a big motor sport culture, so for me to be the one to represent and put the flag on the racing map, that is a big driving factor for me to continue to improve."
McConnell replaces Sebastien Loeb, who, alongside Cristina Gutierrez at X44, has six podiums from 10 starts in Extreme E — including overall event victories in the UK in season 1 and Chile in season 2 — and won the Extreme E title last year at the final round of the season in Uruguay. McConnell currently competes professionally for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the Group E class after making his rallycross career debut in 2018.
"Jamaica's very own Fraser McConnell driving for Lewis Hamilton's X44 Vida Carbon Racing Team is welcomed news for all motor racing fans in the region. For them to now be able to turn their television to CVM TV or log into CSport on their mobile and streaming devices to see a Jamaican competing at this level, is a major boost for the popularity of the sport here in the Caribbean," Redwood said.
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