Within minutes of speaking to Ali Russell, it becomes apparently clear that he passionately believes in sport being about something other than just purely racing.
Edinburgh native Russell is the managing director of Extreme E - a rally championship that uses only electric vehicles.
In the world of motorsport, Extreme E is a fledgling enterprise with the championship having begun in only 2021 but already, it’s making a significant impact in Scotland and beyond.
The championship travels the world, with racing taking place in locations such as Saudi Arabia and the USA as well as Europe but it’s this weekend’s racing that is particularly close to Russell’s heart.
Over the next two days, Extreme E will return to Scotland having made its Scottish debut last year, with the event this season, once again, taking place in the former Glenmuckloch opencast coal mine site in Dumfries and Galloway.
This weekend’s event is the second leg of the Championship with the first in Jeddah in February, the next will be in Sardinia in September before the eventual conclusion of the championship in Pheonix in the USA in November.
Last year’s event in Scotland was, says Russell, an overwhelming triumph but the Scot is optimistic this year’s event will be even more of a success.
“I can’t wait for Extreme E to come back to Scotland,” he says.
“Last year, the numbers were incredible – we had over 24 million global views and that’s massive for Scotland and for the area of Dumfries and Galloway.
“This year, we’re making some adjustments to the track – we’ve developed it to make it more exciting from a racing perspective so in that way, it’ll be far better.
“And this year, we’ve had a far longer lead-in to the event so that’s enabled us to lower the impact on the local community. And we’ve also seen a much higher interest level.”
For Russell, however good the race weekends are, Extreme E is about far more than purely racing.
Indeed, it’s the wider impact the sport can have on the planet that is what truly excites him.
With climate change an increasingly pressing issue, Extreme E attempts to use sport to promote an interest in halting climate change as well as changing people’s behaviours.
It’s quite an ambition of Russell’s but, he believes, his organisation is going in the right direction.
“What’s also so important about Extreme E is it allows us to talk about sustainable innovation, equality and diversity as well as talk about the racing,” Russell explains.
“I’ve always had a big belief in racing for a purpose so to be able to be involved in a sport that addresses what is the biggest challenge man-kind is going to have in is climate change is massive.
"And what’s important about this race being a recurring event is that you can have a much longer-lasting impact.
“We take people on a journey – we talk about climate change and about sustainable technology. It can be simple as getting people to consider driving an electric car. What racing does is show that you can get incredible performance from electric vehicles.
“So yes, we’re giving people very exciting racing but it’s also the other stuff that comes off the back of it that has a real impact and that’s so exciting.”
Another passion of Russell’s is promoting gender equality.
Within each Extreme E car is two drivers; one male and one female, with each driver completing an identical number of laps per race.
What has been particularly encouraging for Russell is the way Extreme E is challenging the myth that women cannot compete with men in motorsport.
“One of the most pertinent stats is that at the end of the first season of Extreme E, there was a seven second difference in times between the male and female drivers and that’s come down to around one-and-a-half seconds. And actually, the females are starting to beat the males in certain sectors.
“What that tells me is that if you give females the same tools as men have and truly support them then they can drive every bit as fast as the men.”
Russell is insistent his organisation will not stand still.
From 2025, Extreme E will transition to Extreme H and will be the next iteration of this racing series.
It will be the world’s first hydrogen racing championship and is, says Russell, the latest example of the sport ensuring constant progress.
The Scot will play a significant part in Extreme H having been appointed as the managing director of the new series and it is, he believes, just another example of the sport continuing to evolve.
First on Russell’s agenda, however, is this weekend’s racing.
With the championships being decided on the final day in all three previous seasons, there’s been little between the top teams and Russell is optimistic this season will bring similar levels of tension.
There are, however, a couple of teams he’s expecting to grab more than their fair share of headlines this weekend.
“I’d watch out for Catie Munnings because she’s very much a home favourite alongside her teammate from Sweden, Timmy Hens with the pair racing for Andretti Altawkilat XE,” Russell says.
“I’d also look out for the current champions from Rosberg Racing, which is former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg’s team, with drivers Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Johan Kristoffersson they’ve been phenomenally consistent.
“With the Championships having come down to the final day in recent seasons, it’s been great to produce so much exciting racing on top of everything else we do.”
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