Extreme E racing off-road rallying event arrives in Dumfries and Galloway coal mine

A former opencast mine in Dumfries and Galloway played host to an electric off-road rallying series.

Glenmuckloch coal mine welcomed the Extreme E off-road rallying series this weekend, with the action streamed to millions across the globe.

Raced in twin-motor electric SUVs, the worldwide Extreme E Championship sees gender balanced teams tackle some of the world's toughest terrain, in electric vehicles, whilst at the same time trying to make people think about climate change. The event is carbon neutral.

The latest event in the Extreme E calendar, the Hydro X Prix took place in the former coal mine site in the region.

The Hydro X Prix is one of 5 races taking place around the globe as part of the current season, in locations challenged by climate change including Saudi Arabia, Italy and Chile.

In a statement, Extreme E said their reason for visiting Scotland was: "Scotland is facing a range of climate-related issues, including increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events such as floods and storms.

"These factors have significant impacts on Scotland's marine ecosystems, like erosion caused by the changing rain patterns resulting in higher sediment flow into the sea.

"This changes the water clarity and nutrients in the marine ecosystem.

"The climate-related issues can also lead to a change in distribution and abundance of marine species, altering food webs and reducing productivity of commercial fisheries."

The Glenmuckloch site is set to undergo major transformation and will be turned into a Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH) plant and wind farm.

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