Team Audi Sport shaped the 2023 Dakar Rally with innovation and performance right up to the end despite various setbacks. The Audi RS Q e-tron with its electric drive concept scored a total of 14 podium results on 15 event days including the prologue. In addition, the Audi drivers led the rally in Saudi Arabia with the prototype for three days for the first time. However, a series of punctures, the accident-related retirements of Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz and Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger as well as a massive loss of time for Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist prevented a better result than 14th place.

Oliver Hoffmann, Board Member for Technical Development at Audi, visited the motorsport team on the final weekend in Saudi Arabia and recognized many achievements: “The pace of our innovative Audi RS Q e-tron was good right from the start and also showed at the end. Unfortunately, we also had bad luck in the desert and many punctures. Despite the setbacks, the team celebrated a finish thanks to strong performances. We will now analyze all areas. A podium was our goal. It remains so, because we will definitely compete again in 2024.” After the second outing at the Dakar Rally Rolf Michl, Head of Motorsport at Audi, also drew a mixed conclusion: “We experienced all the highs and lows at this edition of the Dakar Rally. The top results in the daily classifications show that we are among the fastest with our innovative RS Q e-tron. And with a car that produces the lowest emissions. However, from tire and chassis damage when encountering obstacles on the rough tracks to the accidents, we have also experienced many disappointments. Now we are thoroughly working through all aspects.” This makes the motivation and performance of Team Audi Sport in the bivouac, but also by the race truck team on the stages, all the more remarkable. “On 15 event days, the team gave everything during the evening service. The same goes for Michael Baumann, Philipp Beier and Audi Sport engineer Sebastian Lindner in the Race Truck,” says Uwe Breuling, Head of Vehicle Operations. “The joint strong effort by Q Motorsport and by our employees paid off. Without them, the good individual results and the finish would have been unthinkable.”

Share