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Redemption day for Veloce Racing: Chadwick and Sarrazin back in business to claim second place at Ocean X Prix
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Veloce Racing prove their worth with comeback success in Extreme E series
It was a story of redemption for Veloce Racing at the Ocean X Prix (29/30 May) as the sensational pairing of Jamie Chadwick and Stéphane Sarrazin came home to finish second overall, re-igniting their championship challenge in fine fashion.
With the heartbreak of the Saudi Arabian season-opener still fresh in everyone’s minds, the team set out a strategy coming into the weekend: build confidence session by session, get faster as the weekend unfolded, and put as many points on the board as possible. The plan was executed to perfection. As other teams fell by the wayside, Veloce climbed up the order and brought home their maiden podium in the series.
Team Manager, Ian Davies labelled the qualifying stages as ‘a war of attrition’, and that it most certainly was. Whilst other teams battled mechanical issues, Chadwick and Sarrazin were clocking up mileage in the car and setting consistent lap times. A fifth place in the overnight standings, and a grid slot in Semi-Final 2 was the well-earned reward.
Then, on Sunday morning, it was time for the drivers to turn their attention to the racing. As 2019 W Series Champion and two-time Le Mans Series Champion, the Veloce drivers boast impeccable wheel-to-wheel skills, that not all drivers on the Extreme E grid possess.
They deployed their racecraft masterfully in Semi-Final 2 to fend off the advances of XITE ENERGY RACING powered by myenergi duo Oliver Bennett and Christine Gutierrez. Chadwick defended her position from Bennett until the last, only conceding the position late in the lap as a result of a faulty pit limiter, just prior to a dive into the switch zone.
Now it was Sarrazin’s turn to go on the offensive. The Frenchman, overhauled a two-second deficit – all the while battling the pit limiter problem – closing the gap to under half a second before the challenging ‘Moguls’ section of the course.
Sarrazin produced a sensational switchback manoeuvre to artfully pull alongside his opponent, as the pairing ran side by side between the 24th and 25th course markers. With that, he emerged the eventual winner of the tussle and went on to finish second, securing Veloce’s place in the all-important final.
Clearly a hit with both audiences and their fellow Extreme E teams, Veloce Racing – with a little help from the other drivers, who could gift their votes if they weren’t in the final – came out on top in the series’ fan voting platform, GridPlay. This enabled the team to select their optimum grid position for the grand final which they determined to be the third slot.
From there, Sarrazin made a good getaway but was eventually squeezed out at the first gate. As he refocussed and set his sights on hunting down the pack, the JBXE car ran into trouble and retired at Turn One with just three wheels in working order. X44 meanwhile came to blows with Rosberg X Racing with the former also pulling off to the side of the course.
That left Sarrazin to hunt down Molly Taylor, which he did in due course. Catching the Australian was one thing, but passing her was another. Try as he might, he was unable to replicate his fantastic Semi-Final overtake and headed for the switch zone.
As the drivers prepared to swap positions, a red flag halted proceedings as the stricken X44 and JBXE cars were recovered. That meant a restart from their original grid positions for Chadwick and Johan Kristoffersson. The 23-year-old held her own in the ensuing drag race down to the first gate, but as the course tightened, light contact was made and Chadwick was forced to back out of the fight.
From then on, she kept Kristoffersson in check but brought the car home in second place to secure a substantial haul of points and the team’s first-ever podium.
Veloce Racing bounced back from their disastrous start to the season with a strong showing in Senegal, the team walks away from the Ocean X Prix with their heads held high and plenty to build on in the remaining rounds.
Jamie Chadwick, Driver, Veloce Racing, commented: “Honestly I’ve just really enjoyed the weekend. We came here with a bit of a plan, we needed the track time, the car wasn’t where we needed it to be at the beginning and I think we lacked a bit of seat time so our pace wasn’t quickest outright, so we just focussed on our plan.
“This is very different to driving single-seaters and I’m constantly learning and I can’t really underestimate that but I think everyone is, it’s new for everyone. I’m really enjoying the challenge and I think the coolest thing for me this weekend was I nearly had the chance to be racing wheel to wheel with the likes of Sébastien Loeb and Johan Kristoffersson. I’d never have imagined that was going to happen!
“I think Extreme E’s such a crazy crazy championship that to take P2 with the alternate strategy was great. A massive, massive thanks to the team, I’m so grateful we’ve managed to get through the weekend and get a podium.
“Over the next three months we will be pushing hard to train, and Greenland will present a new challenge. I want to be able to jump in and be quick.”
Stéphane Sarrazin, Driver, Veloce Racing, said: “This weekend the plan was to really not make any mistakes. We’ve improved the set-up of the car run-by-run and we need mileage, we need to learn the car, and the team do also. We are happy, it’s just amazing.”
“To improve during the weekend we had to look at the various lines and improve the car and in the end we found a really good line. This stage was really good as we found a different line to overtake.”
Rupert Svendsen-Cook, Team Principal, Veloce Racing, added: “After Saudi, the team has moved mountains to get back on the grid for Senegal and be able to achieve such a result. The car rebuild only took place last week in Dakar itself and from there on in we’ve done a clinical job to follow through on our plan, which after learning the harsh lessons from our debut, was to finish the weekend whilst increasing exposure to risk with every session.
“This podium really is a team result, everyone at Veloce deserves to enjoy the taste of the podium but we still have a lot of work to do to ensure we build upon this incredibly special moment! Viva Veloce!”
Now, the St. Helena – Extreme E’s floating paddock – heads north to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (28-29 August) followed by Pará, Brazil (23-24 October) and finally Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina (11-12 December).
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Sportradar Announces Close of Acquisition of IMG ARENA and Its Strategic Portfolio of Global Sports Betting Rights
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Acquisition to Accelerate Revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, and Free Cash Flow Growth and will be Accretive to Adjusted EBITDA Margins and Free Cash Flow Conversion
Sportradar Group AG today announced it has completed its acquisition of IMG ARENA and its global sports betting rights portfolio from Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. and OB Global Holdings, LLC. The closing marks a milestone in Sportradar’s growth strategy, further strengthening and differentiating its position as a leading technology and content provider in the most bet upon global sports, including soccer, tennis and basketball.
The acquired portfolio encompasses strategic relationships with more than 70 rightsholders, delivering approximately 38,000 official data events and 29,000 streaming events across 14 global sports on six continents. With this, Sportradar sports coverage totals more than 1 million matches annually.
The acquisition enhances the Company’s content distribution and will further fuel product development. Sportradar expects to seamlessly integrate and monetize these rights across its highly scalable technology platform and client network.
Given the unique transaction structure, the acquisition is expected to be accretive to Sportradar’s adjusted EBITDA margins and free cash flow conversion while accelerating the Company’s robust revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow growth. Sportradar is not required to provide any financial consideration as part of the acquisition. Instead, the deal includes total financial consideration to Sportradar of $225 million comprised of approximately $122 million in cash prepayments by the seller to certain sports rightsholders and approximately $103 million to Sportradar. The payments to Sportradar, which are subject to customary purchase price adjustments, will be made over a two-year period.
Carsten Koerl, Chief Executive Officer of Sportradar, stated: “We are pleased to complete the acquisition of IMG ARENA. This marks a significant milestone for Sportradar expanding our access to premium sports content that strengthens and complements our already robust global portfolio and capabilities. With this, we are uniquely positioned to deliver even more immersive, data rich experiences to our clients, partners and fans around the world while accelerating innovation at scale across the global sports ecosystem.”
The post Sportradar Announces Close of Acquisition of IMG ARENA and Its Strategic Portfolio of Global Sports Betting Rights appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Gamblers Connect, a leading iGaming media & affiliate website connecting operators, providers, and players across the global industry, is proud to announce its latest strategic partnership with one of the most respected names in iGaming technology, Slotegrator.
Founded in 2012, Slotegrator has become a cornerstone of the iGaming B2B landscape, empowering hundreds of successful online casinos and sportsbooks with a complete suite of advanced software solutions. From its Turnkey Casino Platform and APIgrator Game Integration module to its Telegram Casino and Moneygrator payment gateway, Slotegrator has continuously set the standard for innovation, flexibility, and compliance.
This partnership marks a major step in Gamblers Connect’s evolution from a trusted affiliate platform into a full-scale media and B2B hub, one that not only connects audiences with the world’s top operators but also shines a light on the technological engines driving the industry forward.
Through this collaboration, Gamblers Connect will highlight Slotegrator’s market-leading solutions across its media channels, showcasing how their technology simplifies market entry, accelerates growth, and ensures regulatory compliance in emerging and established jurisdictions alike.
Slotegrator’s expertise in areas such as crypto casino infrastructure, white-label platforms, and licensing advisory perfectly aligns with Gamblers Connect’s mission to connect the entire ecosystem, from software innovators to decision-makers seeking trusted, efficient, and future-ready solutions.
Together, the two companies will continue to emphasise values that have defined their success: responsibility, transparency, and innovation.
Ataur Rosul Abeer, Sales Supervisor at Slotegrator, commented: “We’re excited to collaborate with top-tier partners to showcase our latest innovations and deliver even more engaging experiences to the global iGaming community.”
Gjorgje Ristikj, Founder & CEO of Gamblers Connect, added: “Partnering with Slotegrator represents more than just a collaboration, it’s a strategic alignment of vision. Both our teams share the same goal of improving and Connecting the iGaming industry through quality, integrity, and technology. We’re proud to stand alongside such a respected name as we continue expanding Gamblers Connect’s media and B2B reach worldwide.”
The post Slotegrator & Gamblers Connect enter a new partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Emerging-markets leader broadens its eclectic gaming suite with fresh content from an emerging force in the sector
QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has continued to build the momentum in its premium pipeline, thanks to its latest deal with prominent igaming supplier KingMidas Games in a move set to power the studio’s aggressive international expansion strategy.
Through this partnership, more than 100 KingMidas Games titles—spanning its signature Classics, Next-Gen, Slots, and other top-performing genres—are now available to new operator partners via QTech’s definitive aggregator platform for emerging markets.
KingMidas Games is becoming known for its “next-generation content” which serves as a cornerstone of its gaming suite. Its diverse portfolio includes Cards, Chips, Classics, Dice, IP Content, Lottery, Roulette, Slots, and Virtual Experiences – and is defined by radical thinking and engaging game mechanics, as exemplified by high-speed go-kart races, animal obstacle courses, or survival-style gameplay.
This deal organically widens KingMidas Games’ international footprint, unlocking untapped jurisdictions for diversified growth from Asia to Africa and Eastern Europe to Latin America, where the supplier has made strong recent strides together with QTech Games.
Philip Doftvik, QTech Games’ CEO, said: “We’re committed to rolling out first-class content that drives revenue for our partners. So, this deal with KingMidas Games extends our impressive sequential pipeline into 2025. Operators are always looking for fresh and engaging titles that truly stand out, and KingMidas Games is thriving against the backdrop of a homogenised marketplace. Like us, KingMidas is dedicated to delivering experiences that combine creativity, tech, and cultural relevance to meet evolving localised player expectations and drive new revenue streams for our growing group of worldwide operators.”
Sean Auret, Global Head of KingMidas Games, added: “We are thrilled to further collaborate with QTech, one of the industry’s leading aggregators renowned for connecting high-quality content with dynamic markets. This partnership amplifies KingMidas Games’ reach across key emerging territories and marks another exciting step in our mission to deliver next-generation gaming experiences to a truly global audience.”
The post QTech Games maintains its gold standard with KingMidas Games appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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