Road to Dakar 2024
Exactly 355 days separated the final stage of the 2023 Dakar Rally and the prologue of the 2024 Dakar Rally. During this time, Team Audi Sport dedicated themselves to extensive preparations for their third Dakar outing, including test drives and rally events. An overview of the key milestones on the "Road to Dakar 2024".
>> May 2023
Testing in Saudi Arabia
While the innovative electric drive concept worked flawlessly during the 2023 Dakar Rally, tire failures set back the three driver teams Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist, Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz. In addition to the analysis carried out since January, Team Audi Sport completed its investigation of the causes in May with a test in Saudi Arabia.
>> July 2023
Testing in Spain, start at the Baja España Aragón
In July, Team Audi Sport switched into competition mode: after the test in Saudi Arabia in May, the team combined another test in Spain with its participation in the Baja Aragón.
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>> September 2023
#DakarCityTour 2023
From the desert to the metropolises: Audi not only used the future-oriented drive technology of the RS Q e-tron at the Dakar Rally but also specifically demonstrated it in major cities. The program included the capitals of the three countries from which the Audi factory drivers hail. Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz traversed Madrid, Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger were on the road in Paris and Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist steered the innovative low-emission prototype through Stockholm.
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>> October 2023
Testing in Morocco, start at the Rallye du Maroc
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>> October 2023
e-tron on track
They stand for efficiency and enthusiasm in equal measure: Five high-performance Audi models for racing and action embody the path of electrified drives. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro from Le Mans, the Formula E race car e-tron FE07, the Dakar Rally prototype RS Q e-tron, and the two show cars, e-tron Vision Gran Turismo and S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron, met for the first time.
>> November 2023
Final test in France
The last big test before the 2024 Dakar Rally: Team Audi Sport has put the Audi RS Q e-tron through its final test in the south of France. The three Audi driver crews of Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist, Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz carried out the final fine-tuning. Before Audi’s third participation in the Dakar Rally, the engineers’ priority was to further extend the endurance of all the components.
