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The adventure begins: Veloce Racing ready for action as Extreme E sparks into life in Saudi Arabia
- London-based squad ready to go wheel-to-wheel with some of the biggest names in global motorsport
- Inaugural Extreme E season set to kick off with Desert X Prix this weekend
- ‘None of us quite know how things are going to play out’, says Jamie Chadwick
- Stéphane Sarrazin predicts ‘really special’ week both on and off-course
Veloce Racing will embark upon its greatest adventure to-date this weekend (3/4 April), as the time has finally come to get the inaugural Extreme E season underway in the spectacular setting of AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
Having begun life as a sports management agency before transitioning into a hugely successful esports franchise, Veloce is the first organisation in history to bridge the gap between virtual and real-world motorsport in that order, with Veloce Racing launching in September, 2019.
It has been a long road from that moment to the point where the team now finds itself – ready to contest the maiden Extreme E race, the eagerly-anticipated Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia. The conditions will be harsh and unforgiving, while the sporting format will be unlike anything our drivers, or indeed the rest of the paddock have experienced before.
As a sport for purpose, Extreme E exists to shine a spotlight on the effects of climate change and human interference in some of the most remote environments on the planet, with the objective of encouraging the watching world to take a stand and adopt steps to drive genuine change.
With that in mind, ahead of every race weekend, a Legacy Programme will aim to give something back to the local community, in which Veloce Racing drivers Jamie Chadwick and Stéphane Sarrazin will both play a leading role – before climbing into the cockpit of the team’s 400kW (550bhp) ODYSSEY-21 E-SUV for the competitive action. The pair will take it in turns in each race to tame this beast, which is capable of reaching 100km/h from a standing start in just 4.5 seconds and tackling gradients of up to 130 per cent.
Inaugural W Series Champion Chadwick is eager to hit the ground running on her competitive off-road debut. The 22-year-old Williams F1 Development Driver has partaken in an intensive pre-season training programme to get up-to-speed with an entirely new motorsport discipline and a challenge unlike any other she has previously faced.
Experienced French racer Sarrazin, meanwhile, brings with him the benefit of 28 years of experience across myriad racing disciplines – including Le Mans, Formula 1, Formula E and the FIA World Rally Championship – and track surfaces, making the 45-year-old perfectly-placed to venture into unknown territory in the desert.
The action will begin with the qualifying rounds from 09h30 local time (BST +2) on Saturday, 3 April, with the semi-finals and final taking place from 09h30 local time the following day.
With no spectators permitted on-site – in-keeping with Extreme E’s environmental ethos and commitment to minimise its carbon footprint – the racing will be broadcast all around the world on a variety of networks, including ITV, the BBC iPlayer and Red Button application, Sky Sports and BT Sport in the UK, plus the championship’s official website.
Following the Saudi Arabian curtain-raiser, the 2021 Extreme E season will travel to Dakar, Senegal (29-30 May), Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (28-29 August), Pará, Brazil (23-24 October) and finally Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina (11-12 December).
Jamie Chadwick, Driver, Veloce Racing, commented:
“I’m just so excited to start racing in AlUla. This is massively different to anything I’ve done before, but I’ve trained harder than ever and spent a lot of time trying to understand the unique challenges this series will throw at us.
“It gives me a lot of confidence that I’ll be alongside someone as experienced as Stéphane going into an innovative championship like Extreme E with such unprecedented rules and sporting formats.
“I’m hopeful of a strong result straight out-of-the-blocks, but I certainly don’t underestimate the level of competition in the field. I think ultimately, it’s going to come down to who can adapt the quickest and learn how the series works from the word ‘go’ – none of us quite know how things are going to play out!”
Stéphane Sarrazin, Driver, Veloce Racing, said:
“What a journey it has been to get to this stage! I think the team are all in really good shape ahead of the first event. We have all done our best to prepare and given the current circumstances around the world, it’s been an amazing effort to get everything organised for this race.
“Jamie and I are both ready for the challenge and excited to go racing! There are so many big motorsport names involved that it’s going to be an extraordinary spectacle – particularly against such a breathtaking backdrop.
“It’s also going to be a really great experience to involve ourselves in the Extreme E Legacy Programmes and leave a lasting positive impact at each of the race locations. That is something that will be really special.”
Ian Davies, Team Manager, Veloce Racing, added:
“Finally, it’s race week! We’ve waited a long time to say that in Extreme E, but now it’s here and the whole Veloce Racing team are so eager to get started, including myself!
“Jamie and Stéphane make a great partnership. Between them, they have a huge amount of experience and raw talent, so I’m very confident that we will be in the mix in such a high-calibre and star-studded field.
“AlUla is going to pose its own challenges, logistically and of course when it gets down to the racing. It’s certainly going to be very different to what anyone in Extreme E has done previously, and being such a leap into the unknown, I think everybody has an opportunity to bag a result here so it will be fascinating to watch.”
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Totogaming Joins Cernica Pantelimon RunFest: Not Just Present, But Fully Participating
“We weren’t just present — we were participants of Runfest. And that’s one of the most important aspects,” said Artak Ashkhatoyan, Deputy CEO of Totogaming.
On July 6, Totogaming joined the Cernica Pantelimon Runfest in Romania, once again emphasizing the importance of promoting amateur sports and a healthy lifestyle.
“Supporting such initiatives is a priority for TotoGaming. First, 50% of the proceeds from RunFest will be donated to the CLOVES Romania Foundation, supporting children affected by CLOVES Syndrome. And second, we’ve always believed in showing our passion for sports through actions, not just words. Have you noticed how we’re constantly rushing through life, yet when we look back, it often feels like we haven’t moved at all? It’s important for us to lead by example and show the importance of participation. This is exactly the message we’re promoting through our team’s active involvement in the marathon. After all, there can never be too much sport in our lives,” said TotoGaming’s Deputy CEO, Artak Ashkhatoyan.
A Simple Concept, a Powerful Impact
The concept of this sports event is straightforward: choose a distance between 1 to 21 kilometers and run. The goal? Make sport an integral part of everyday life. The crowd certainly embraced that, gathering as early as 8:30 a.m. — on a Sunday morning.
Totogaming contributed in two distinct capacities: as an official sponsor and as an active participant. A dedicated team of 13 employees represented the company at the Cernica Pantelimon RunFest, with 7 of them proudly taking part as runners.
More Than Just a Run
It wasn’t an easy challenge — especially because among Totogaming’s runners were people for whom running isn’t a daily habit, or even part of their life at all. Yet they couldn’t miss the opportunity, not least from the perspective of corporate responsibility.
“We just finished the 7.5-kilometer race!” shared Petrut-Adrian Toea from the Totogaming team.
“It was amazing, honestly. Around the 2-kilometer mark, I had this little battle with myself — I told myself I had to finish the race, no matter what. And I did it! I came in around 60th place out of over 100 runners, which for me is a really good result.”
“I see my participation as a small contribution toward promoting a healthy lifestyle. In my close circle, everyone knows I’m not exactly the sporty type. I’m not athletic, and I usually prefer having fun in other ways. But showing up here, early in the morning, in this intense heat, and completing almost 8 kilometers with just one short break — I think it set a good example.”
“I hope seeing someone like me finish this challenge motivates my friends to try something similar for their own health. I believe that’s a meaningful contribution”, – added Petrut-Andrea.
Totogaming also made it possible for every attendee to bring sport into their lives — quite literally. At the Totogaming tent, participants could ride stationary bikes and receive prizes based on the number of points they earned through their efforts.
Whether they were running, cycling, or simply cheering for friends, the goal for everyone was the same: to reach the destination of champions — by bringing sport into everyday life.
The post Totogaming Joins Cernica Pantelimon RunFest: Not Just Present, But Fully Participating appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
BMM Testlabs, the world’s original gaming test lab renowned for exceptional product compliance and certification services, today announced the promotion of Sacha McLaughlin to Vice President of Global Quality Assurance.
BMM’s President of Land-Based Gaming & Inspections, Kirk White, said, “Sacha has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, operational excellence, and a customer-first attitude. Her experience and passion will be critical as we continue to grow our QA services to meet the always-evolving needs of the global gaming industry.”
With over 18 years of experience in software implementation and seven years in the gaming industry, McLaughlin brings extensive knowledge of both agile and waterfall development methodologies, test planning, project management, and cross-regional team leadership. She is recognized for her ability to build and scale QA organizations that deliver quality, speed, and value to customers.
McLaughlin joined BMM in 2018 and has held roles of increasing responsibility within the Company, most recently serving as Senior Director of Quality Assurance. Throughout her tenure, she has been instrumental in expanding BMM’s QA capabilities and helping customers launch products into the global gaming market more quickly, with a focus on regulatory compliance, functionality, fairness, and security.
The post BMM TESTLABS PROMOTES SACHA MCLAUGHLIN TO VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL QUALITY ASSURANCE appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Major findings from the newly launched report include playable ads having the potential to deliver impression-to-install rates 16 times that of non-playable formats for emerging gaming apps and a 20% increase in spending on interactive ads year over year.
Liftoff, a leading AI-enabled growth platform for the mobile app economy, has published its seventh annual Mobile Ad Creative Index. The report explores top creative trends that are attracting and scaling in ad spend across consumer apps and games. It also highlights the expanding role of AI in creative production, testing, and optimization.
This year’s Mobile Ad Creative Index specifically analyzes creative concepts that have excelled in scale for Liftoff’s highest-spending advertisers over the past 12 to 48 months. It is based on findings from over 4.7 trillion impressions, 263 billion clicks, and 1.1 billion installs between 1 January 2023 and 31 May 2025.
Highlights from the report include:
Top consumer apps are investing in interactive ads to compete for engagement
In 2024, the share of spend on interactive ads for top apps increased by 20% year over year. The share of spend increased by 2% for spenders outside the top tier. Top-spending apps differentiate their campaigns by adding innovations to evergreen concepts such as social scrollers, carousels, and scratch-offs.
Playable ads deliver returns across ad budgets for mobile game advertisers
In 2024, the share of spend on playable ads for top games averaged 35% higher than other games. Across all ad budgets, however, playable ads delivered higher conversion rates. Impression-to-install rates were 8 times that of non-playable formats for top spenders and 16 times that of non-playable formats for other game advertisers.
Tailoring “metaplay” elements to motivations can improve performance
“Metaplay” elements—gameplay that diverges from an app’s core design to appeal to a broader audience—are widespread, but top games gain an edge by tailoring their metaplay ads to the publisher audience. The report found that aligning “metaplay” creative with publisher audiences resulted in a 93% increase in installs-per-mille.
UGC is becoming a key differentiator in driving scale for consumer apps
The share of spend on user-generated content (UGC) increased 11% for top-spending apps, with social and utility apps seeing the most significant jump of nearly 30% between 2023 and 2024.
Widespread adoption of Gen AI leads to more customized ad experiences
Creative teams increasingly leverage AI to enhance top-performing assets with 3D and motion and to create and test variations. Top advertisers also use AI to recombine their assets in customized ad experiences that break away from standard video to playable formats.
Yann Zeller, Chief of Staff, Creative at Liftoff, said: “Today’s creative landscape is shaped by a single, powerful truth: attention is the commodity, and brands, games, and influencers are all vying for it. Great mobile ad experiences can earn attention by aligning context with behavior. As ad formats become richer and AI expands our ability to personalize and adapt creatives at scale, we’re able to unlock new insights into user behavior and motivation. We see users spend meaningful stretches with the right content, sometimes 60 to 90 seconds when the ad feels personal or prompts meaningful participation. This isn’t just a better way to advertise—it’s a better way to tell stories and the most exciting brief we’ve had in years.”
Soren Steelquist, Director of Creative Production, said: “The proof is in the data—more and more consumer apps are incorporating UGC into every stage of their marketing, and programmatic is no different. UGC works because it’s authentic and relatable, and users are more likely to be influenced by ad when it’s coming from a trustworthy source. To see higher impact from UGC creatives, work with a partner that can match the right creator with your brand and develop winning concepts that resonate with audiences.”
The post Liftoff’s 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index Reveals UGC Is a Key Differentiator for Top Apps appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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