Audi RS Q E-Tron Wins 2024 Dakar Rally
Audi won the grueling Dakar Rally on its third attempt with its custom-built RS Q E-Tron.
The Spanish driver duo of Carlos Sainz Sr. and Lucas Cruz achieved Audi's first Dakar victory by building a 1-hour 20-minute lead at the end of the 4,898-mile race across Saudi Arabia.
It was the fourth Dakar win for the duo, following victories in 2010, 2018, and 2020. The 61-year-old Sainz Sr. whose father is Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr. also has two World Rally Championships under his belt.
Sainz Sr. and Cruz boasted a dominant pace throughout the rally, leading uninterrupted in the latter six of the race's 12 stages. However, the tough terrain and navigational challenges of the Dakar Rally pose as much of a threat as the competition.
Audi was looking for a one-two win, and the second RS Q E-Tron, driven by Swedes Matthias Ekström and Emil Bergqvist, was running in second place after six stages. However, a rear axle problem occurred on stage 7, and the Swedes were eliminated from contention for the win. They managed to finish the race, but fell well outside the top 10.
The RS Q E-Tron is a series plug-in hybrid that uses a gas engine as a generator to charge a battery pack that drives an electric all-wheel drive powertrain with a peak output of 383 hp. The gas engine can also run on synthetic fuel, which Audi claims reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 60% compared to conventional fuels.
Audi entered the RS Q E-Tron in the Dakar Rally for the first time in 2022, taking a stage win and a single-day podium finish; it tried again in 2023 with a modified version but crashed out. For this year's third Dakar attempt, further updates were made to reduce weight, reduce maintenance time, and improve safety, comfort, and reliability.
The Dakar Rally takes its name from the original route from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal. Organizers moved the race to South America in 2009 due to concerns about competitor safety, and in 2020 the race was moved to Saudi Arabia.
