In South Africa, a Formula E racing car went head-to-head with a cheetah at a remote runway.

The aim was to highlight the threat to wildlife posed by climate change. 

The car won - just.  Both car and cheetah hit 60 miles an hour from a standstill in less than 3 seconds.

Mind you, there was no comparison in beauty and grace, to my mind.  The cheetah won hands down. 

The founder and CEO of Formula E explained that we have one planet.  Electric cars can play a key role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions around the world. 

Formula E noted that there are only 7,000 cheetahs left in the wild.   The company has a strong desire to raise awareness of the threats they face, such as an ellegal trade of cubs for pets, loss of prey because of habitat loss and the fragmentation made worse by climate change.

The organisers of Formula E hope the electrified racing series will encourage people to change to smart, electric mobility, and make society a cleaner one for future generations, enabling the habitats of animals such as the cheetah to be preserved.

Present at filming were a team of experienced animal wranglers, an animal locomotion expert, representatives from Cheetah Outreach, the Endangered Wildlife Trust and Animal Issues Matter - they are all trained to monitor the welfare of animals on set.