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christian garcia
December 21, 2022
The RS Q e-tron E2 adds a series of improvements focused on achieving the first Touareg in history for the Ingolstadt brand next January. The duos Sainz-Cruz, Peterhansel-Boulanger and Ekstrom-Bergkvist will seek success at all costs on the dunes of Saudi Arabia…
There is little more than a week left before one of the most anticipated annual shows by lovers of motorsport: the toughest rally in the world, the Dakar 2023. With the permission of Mini, which has a practically new car that they have barely been able to test in the race, three are the favorite teams for victory: Toyota, BRX and, of course, Audi. The brand with the four rings, the only one of the big ones to bet on electric technology, has evolved its buggy with improvements that fall mainly on aerodynamic aspects and weight. For example, him Audi RS Q e-tron E2 declares 90 kg less than its predecessor, although the regulation insists on penalizing the most efficient and sustainable technologies, endorsing them an additional 100 kg compared to their rivals.
Audi RS Q e-tron E2: improved version to win the Dakar
In any case, already last year during its premiere the German machine proved to be more than competitive even with the typical new failures. Therefore, with more experience and homework well done, this second edition looks really good for the three units that make up the Audi Sport fleet. And how could it be otherwise, together with Monsieur Dakarwill be Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz who command the army.
Will the fourth Dakar arrive in 2023?
The Spanish collect a whopping three touaregs and they want the fourth, which would be the first for Audi. Before starting their trip to Saudi Arabia, we have shared a little chat with them and they have told us about the difficulties they will encounter while covering the more than 8,500 km that await the runners once they embark on the next December 31 in the 45th edition of the Dakar, as well as the strengths they have to precisely compete for that fourth and long-awaited trophy.
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«We left with more experience and, therefore, with more optimism and tranquility than last year, when we arrived without any previous race, with many doubts; although in the end, everything turned out better than we thought, because we got stage wins and the problems that arose were not related to the powertrain. We are much more animated, happier, more confident, very excited and looking forward to the start of the race”, comments the two-time world champion.
Despite the difficulties that many pilots and sailors went through a year ago with the happy waypoints hidden, the Spanish duo trusts that the organization has learned from its mistakes. In this sense, Lucas Cruz highlights that the DNA of the Dakar is still intact. «This year, from what I have seen, it is going to be very hard. The navigation has been complicated, but I have hopes that it will be a logical navigation », he assures.
What no one doubts is the sophistication of the new RS Q e-tron E2. It is the result, as Sainz says, of immeasurable courage on the part of Audi (especially when your main rival remains faithful to a 3.4-liter V6 and when from above they impose some disadvantage on you compared to who you are risking glory.) In any case, they also estimate its assets: «electrical distribution of traction on both axes, energy recovery that makes us hardly have to use the brakes, three electric motors and a combustion engine… it is a huge technological challenge . Driving such an advanced car, and participating in this technological evolution makes me very excited, especially from the point of view of a veteran driver like me, “says the man from Madrid. Hopefully we can receive you in mid-January with the satisfaction of having overcome another challenge…
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