The 2022 Dakar Rally is in its second week. For anyone that doesn't know the full extent of what it entails, it is arguably the most gruelling form of motorsport there is - the ultimate test of driver and machine. It takes 14 days to complete and covers over 8,000km. More than half of that distance is on the 12 off-road stages, pitting you against the stopwatch and the unrelenting Saudi Arabian desert, which tries to trip you up every step of the way. The rest is made up of the on-road liaison sections.
That is, apart from one day. Day seven marks the midway point of the race, and it's a rest day. Not that the mechanics would know it. They aren't sitting in deckchairs, soaking up some winter desert sun. They're all beavering around the various teams' bivouacs at the service park, stripping, rebuilding, and getting the cars fit for the final stages, which finish at the end of this week. For the drivers, it's a day off from the tight confines of the cockpit but they're also still in the bivouacs, talking to the team and the media. That meant we had a window of opportunity to spend some time with two of them: Audi Sport drivers Carlos Sainz and Mattias Ekström, who are driving the all-new RS Q e-tron alongside Audi's third driver - current Dakar champion and 14-time winner, Stéphane Peterhansel.
This is a learning year for Audi. The e-tron is a new concept for the Dakar. It uses a petrol generator to charge a battery and power all-four wheels electrically (we have a full breakdown on how it works coming soon), so having experience in the team is important. Like Peterhansel, Sainz has won the Dakar already (in 2010, 2018 and 2020) and, of course, his rallying legend dates back well beyond that to his WRC days. And even though he's just one birthday shy of 60, his desire to win seems undiminished and his focus is intense. He couldn't have been politer or more affable, but when you chat to him that intensity is very clear.
PH: This year was clearly a development year but what about the targets for next year?
CS: Next year it is clearly to win. I am only here to win [see what we mean].
PH: Well, you've won a stage already in the Audi RS Q e-tron, but there's also been some reliability problems. How do you feel the rally is going?
CS: We have to take into consideration that we never competed with this car, before this event, so we've missed the competition to fine tune things. We didn't know where we were going to be, but, I must say, I am happy. We won a stage, and without problems we're always fast. This is very encouraging for the future. The reality is we're having problems that we didn't expect, like the dampers. But the whole hybrid system is working fine, which is where we expected to have problems.
PH: Audi says the RS Q e-tron is about 150-200kg too heavy. How does that effect you and are you enjoying driving it?
CS: We have the handicap of the weight in every bump and every corner, but I see the signs of a bright future if we can get the weight down. With this car you only need to concentrate on the line. You don't need to concentrate on which gear you're in [unlike an ICE car] and you always have immediate response, which is very welcome in certain situations, especially in the dunes.
PH: Is the weight issue contributing to the damper problems?
CS: A little bit, yes. We need to evaluate it and I think the damper problems will be fixed, but for sure it doesn't help.
PH: Are you happy with the set-up of the car?
CS: [He smiles] I have a few grey hairs, so I know a little bit about what I want. I have been working with a lot of manufacturers and I have a good instinct to put the car in the window I like. We can fine tune it for sure, but we're in the right direction. But it was a good challenge because it's complicated. You must think, there's no connection between the front axle and the rear axle. You need to build well [referring to the complex software in the car]. It wasn't easy but we managed a good compromise.
PH: And the braking - how are you getting on with brake-by-wire and brake regeneration. Does it feel natural yet?
CS: Even with the regen the braking is very consistent - more than a normal system. When you fit new discs to standard brakes you have good bite, but after 400km the bite is always decreasing, but with this system you always have the same feeling with the pedal. Plus you can still adjust it.
PH: You've obviously helped your son [F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jnr] over the years. Was he able to help you in anyway regarding the brake-by-wire system, which he's had in F1 for a while now?
CS: No, it's so hard for him because the two systems are so far apart, but he helps me with his support and his common sense. He's not here, but we speak every day.
PH: Is the car better on the dunes or the harder stuff?
CS: No, the car is good everywhere. I don't see any disadvantage of this car, other than the weight.
PH: We know Stéphane helped you out on Stage 5 when you had your damper issue. How important is teamwork here?
CS: It's always important. I know Stéphane very well for many years and he's such a great sportsman. When he arrived [at Sainz's stricken car] we laughed. You know, what can you do? I was very unfortunate with the problem with the damper. By mounting the damper, they [the mechanics] make a small mistake with one O-ring, and for that mistake I lost all the oil.
PH: And later in the stage the wheel came off and overtook you.
CS: [Laughs] Yeah, that was a surprise. When I look in my left [mirror] and the f**king wheel overtakes you 20 metres up in the air...obviously we didn't tighten it properly when we stopped for the damper issue. It happens.
PH: What about when you lost the geopoint in one of the first stages, how angry were you in that moment?
CS: I was angry, because I know today it was a mistake in the road book. I don't care what they say. I am not a navigator, but now I've seen the road book I am clear enough to see it's a mistake. I have done enough Dakars already to know when it's a mistake in the road book and it's very serious stuff. The organisers should've reacted to that mistake. Today, I don't care, because we have all the [mechanical] problems, but to lose the investment of one year by a mistake in the road book is not acceptable.
PH: We've seen some weird stuff this year, with cars running over bikes for example and not stopping. Is there an unofficial drivers' code out there on the stages?
CS: One thing is important: when you see somebody have an accident you stop. This is the most important thing. And obviously, with the competition between the bikes and the cars, we need to work in the safest way. Sometimes it's not easy and sometimes it can generate difficult situations.
PH: You're heading into the second half of the rally. Do you feel this will suit you better than the first half?
CS: To be honest, I have no idea what we're going to face, but today we're much better prepared than one week ago. I would like to make the exercise like the Dakar is starting tomorrow. Make a good, clean second week, and try to win as much as possible.
On the surface, at least, Ekström's the total opposite of Sainz. For a start, there's his background. He's had far fewer full rally experiences but plenty of championships, with a WRX title, two DTM championships and a victory at the Spa 24 Hours on his CV. This is his first Dakar. He's also a relative kid compared with his teammates, at 'just' 43-years old. And he still has this mischievous, childlike, twinkle in his eye.
For example, when one (slightly portly) journalist asked about how cramped the Dakar car is, he said "It's on a different level to the WRX cars" and, pointing to the journalist's rotund stomach, said with a smile "you wouldn't fit, your airbag's already gone off." No one took offence. Everyone, including the journalist in question, fell about laughing.
Consequently, the conversation seemed to steer itself naturally towards daftness as much as driving, including his fondness for listening to music in between the stages, his diet, which also includes an impromptu diversion in his RS Q e-tron to a McDonalds drive though, and even his...toilet habits. You've been warned.
PH: The images of you stopping the RS Q e-ton at a McDonald's drive-thru went viral. Who's idea was that?
ME: It was mine [laughs]. Emil [co-driver Emil Bergkvist] was actually scared if we're allowed to, and I said we don't ask and just prepare a good excuse. It's better be good at saying sorry than asking for permission. We're good on that. And it's funny. We went to three or four McDonalds in Jeddah and didn't find one with a drive thru - we had to drive around the whole town.
PH: With the guys at the service park wondering where you were?
ME: Yeah, and they didn't know where we were. And they still haven't fitted the car with a cup holder.
PH: Is the music on road routes about preparing yourself mentally before the start of the stage?
ME: Yes. The road sections are long and we try to find the right mental mode. So we listen to music through the intercom. If I listen to hard rock music, I probably crash at the first corner [of the stage]. If I listen to Bryan Adams, I probably fall asleep, or be in love and drive too slow. [Laughs] I want to put myself in the right energy level. You don't want to be too horny or too tired. And don't boost yourself by drinking five espressos. Then, the last minutes before the start, we stop the music to collect our thoughts.
PH: Speaking of drinking espressos, this leads us on to a delicate matter but a serious point. It's a long route - 10 or 12 hours. We've heard about F1 drivers peeing in the cockpit. Do your mechanics have to watch out for any presents when you get back to the service area?
ME: We take a pee on the regroups, before the start and then at the finish. And I have really strange food habits here. At the end of a stage, you eat and drink as much as possible [makes the sign of his belly expanding] and, if you're lucky, before you go to bed you do your business. Then you wake up and eat a light breakfast and drink very little. Then you're fine with eating small snacks and to race on a light stomach. I like to race on a light stomach.
PH: It's hectic out there on the stages. You choose your own routes and among them you have the cars, trucks, people, camels, all doing crazy things. How easy is it to avoid trouble?
ME: Ah, I think it's very simple. You have to bear in mind it's not a closed road. You have to share the planet with other people. That's the game here, and you get used to it.
PH: Mattias, you seem to be bringing the fun into the team. But you are still a serious competitor and here to win, right?
ME: My belief is that when you put the helmet on that's business. If you don't have the helmet on, I need to switch off that focus otherwise I'll be tired. I can't run around [for] two weeks like that. I can't do that. For one day maybe, but not two weeks. Never ever.
The proof is in the pudding. On Stage 8, two days after our interview, Ekström claimed Audi's second stage victory of the 2022 Dakar Rally. That was after trading the top spot with his hugely accomplished teammate, Peterhansel, for most of the 395km stage, and then absolutely flying for the last 73km. In the end he won by 49 seconds. As he said: "when you put the helmet on that's business." This year it isn't going to happen for Audi, but with three drivers of such calibre and a year to develop the car, Audi's looking strong for next year.
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