Audi has an incredible history of innovation and success in motorsport, from four-wheel drive in rallying to diesel power in sportscar racing. Now it’s claimed another remarkable first on the Dakar, winning arguably the most gruelling event in motorsport with an electrified car.
The RS Q e-tron piloted by Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz finished 80 minutes ahead of the next closest competitor after 7,883km of off-road racing. Though the Audi is a range extender rather than a pure battery electric vehicle (using a DTM engine to generate electricity, because imagine trying to charge on the Dakar), it obviously represents big progress. Not least because Audi only first attempted this in 2021 - last year’s overall winner was a Hilux. Using something called ‘reFuel’, which is based on residual fuel, Audi reckons the CO2 emissions of the RS Q e-tron were something like 60 per cent lower than a more conventional powertrain.
Sainz and Cruz bossed it by the sound of things, assuming the lead on the sixth stage and spending eight days in the lead of the rally. More than 400km in a day was a regular occurrence, with marathon stages thrown in for good measure with limited or no service stops. At 61, it's some achievement from Sainz to fend off opposition from Ford, Toyota and Prodrive.
It could have been an even better result for Audi but for issues that befell its other e-trons. Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist were second before the rear axle gave up, and the crew of Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger notched up stage victories before hydraulic problems. Still, a win is a win, and there’s nothing to prove off-road prowess quite like a Dakar victory. “That was an overwhelming team performance,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Rolf Michl. “Everyone pulled together to make this historic result possible for Audi. A big thank you to this wonderful team. Today we have written a new chapter for Audi, but also in the history of the Dakar Rally.” You can say that again - might make those Q8 e-tron Dakars a little easier to sell, too…
1 / 11
