Team Audi Sport recently conducted the final test of the Audi RS Q e-tron in the south of France – the last major test before the 2024 Dakar Rally. The engineers’ top priority was to enhance the endurance of all the components to ensure the car’s optimal performance in the rally. The three driver crews of Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist, Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz carried out the final fine-tuning. With this being Audi’s third participation in the Dakar Rally, the team is leaving no stone unturned and managed to cover over 900 kilometers (560 miles) during the five-day test held at Château de Lastours.
“We have thus fulfilled our development tasks and are now concentrating on the remaining logistical work before January,” says Rolf Michl, Head of Audi Motorsport. “We have prepared as well as possible, but the Dakar Rally remains the most ambitious and by far the most difficult task on the calendar. And we approach it with great respect. A big thank you also goes out to the entire team, as well as to our drivers and co-drivers for the work they have done to date for this very demanding challenge.”
The Technical Director, Dr. Leonardo Pascali, led the team of engineers who focused on confirming quality standards for the innovative Audi RS Q e-tron. As a reminder, The RS Q e-tron is characterized by its electric drivetrain, high-voltage battery, and energy converter, making it highly efficient and low-emission. To ensure the durability of the battery system and other components, final endurance tests were conducted at the venue located between Narbonne and Perpignan on the French Mediterranean coast. “Logistically, this location was ideal for us to travel to and allowed short reaction times if we needed something from Germany,” summed up Pascali.
“We were able to work through all the necessary points on our checklist,” said Sven Quandt, Team Principal of Q Motorsport. “Our drivers and engineers have put the cars through their paces for the Dakar Rally. Carlos, Mattias and Stéphane are happy. They even tested some of the spare parts in their cars to run in the components. We are going to the Dakar Rally with excitement, but also with peace of mind. Everyone has shown that they are real team players. They approach their tasks purposefully and consistently. This increases our confidence for the Dakar Rally.”
It will be interesting to see how this all-new platform performs in one of the world’s toughest challenges – the Dakar Rally. With its light and agile performance, the Audi RS Q E-tron could be the perfect machine for traversing the rugged terrain of this iconic event. It will be a huge challenge, as the rally is notorious for its punishing courses, but the RS Q E-tron has shown itself to be a serious contender. It will definitely be fascinating to follow the progress of this unique vehicle against the clock, and it could be a major milestone for electric vehicle racing. Stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe to AudiSpeed for more Audi news and content.
