The hunt for the Dakar will start again on January 5th, with Audi Sport still at the starting line with three cars, the RS Q e-tron which intend to become the first electric-powered cars to win in the overall category dedicated to cars.
The German company, to achieve its goal (even in the face of strong competition), has worked in depth on the cars, despite the fact that the plan to bring Audi into Formula 1 in 2026 has inevitably taken important resources away from the project dedicated to the most famous in the world.
The RS Q e-trons which again in 2024 will be entrusted to the crews of Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz, Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger and Mattias Ekstroem/Emil Bergkvist have been updated in all the main aspects to try to bring the famous trophy to Ingolstadt of the Dakar. Let's find out what has been changed or modified.
“The fundamental capabilities of the RS Q e-tron have been demonstrated by our drivers and co-drivers with six stage victories and a further 22 podiums (also stage) in the Dakar Rally since 2022,” says Rolf Michl, Head of Audi Motorsport. “Now it's about showing our performances as consistently as possible, so that we can fight for the top positions.”
Audi Sport has analyzed previous releases, identified weak points and set clear priorities for further development. Leonardo Pascali, the project's new Technical Director, has been focusing on five key topics with his development team since the beginning of the summer.
Performance
Photo by: Audi Communications Motorsport
Audi RS Q e-tron
In today's motorsport, performance is the basis of a racing car, even in those dedicated to rally raids, which have always been questions of resistance but, nowadays, also of close battles against opponents and the clock.
This is why almost all components at Audi have been revised, from the software to the chassis, from the bodywork to the transmission. After last year's Dakar, the riders had asked to be able to work more on the set-ups to improve the balance. The team worked on springs and shock absorbers to meet their requests.
That's not all, because the RS Q e-tron has undergone a significant slimming treatment in every component to get closer to the minimum weight of 2,100 kilograms, despite the increase in weight of the new tires for the competition. Audi has worked on the rear bonnet, on the brake calipers which have become smaller, as well as the co-driver's platform. The minimum weight of T1 cars (Toyota GR Hilux, for example) will increase to 2,010 kilograms.
The power-to-weight ratio of Audi's T1U cars compared to the T1s has also been changed. If at the beginning of 2023 the maximum power kW of electric motors was 271, in 2024 it will increase to 286 due to a change in the regulation.
Reliability
The Audi RS Q e-trons have been stopped during the last two Dakars by various problems. Although reliability improved last year, the 2023 final result did not live up to initial expectations (due to accidents). That's why Audi has worked hard to reduce or eliminate potential dangerous situations that have been seen on the cars in the previous two editions of the rally raid.
Photo by: Audi
Audi RS Q e-tron
During the 2023 Dakar, Audi drivers were often forced to stop due to stones getting stuck between the struts, brake calipers and rims. This year the fastening elements of the uprights have been changed and these allow for more free space, so as to expel the stones from that area more easily.
Important work was also done on the rims, which have now become more robust at the sides to make the new generation tires made for the 2024 Dakar by the official supplier BF Goodrich less vulnerable.
Photo by: Audi
Audi RS Q e-tron
Safety
The accidents that slowed down Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel in 2023 led Audi to continue working on safety after noticing windows to increase it.
Pascali explains: “Our goal was to reduce the peak vertical acceleration during landings after big jumps.” By working on the springs, shock absorbers and chassis bump stops, the engineers have better distributed part of the load over time. In this way it was possible to achieve optimal control of the platform, which is so important for the overall performance of the car.”
Photo by: Audi
Audi RS Q e-tron
“A second contributing factor is the foam of the seats. They help to distribute the loads on the driver and co-pilot over a longer period of time, thus reducing peak loads. The developers focused in particular on the rigidity of the materials and on the geometries of the seat foam, also taking into account how the cabin temperature influences the rigidity of the foam”.
“Those responsible also thought about the protection of the occupants after an abrupt frontal landing of the vehicle, as in the case of Carlos Sainz's second accident at the 2023 Dakar Rally, which ended with the car overturning. The CFRP crash box at the end front of the chassis structure is now longer, without compromising the angle of attack, so important in cross-country rallies. It now absorbs the energy generated by these crashes better than before.”
Comfort
Another aspect that should help drivers improve performance and their driving is the work done by Audi Sport engineers on acoustic shielding, waterproofing of the passenger compartment and, above all, from the point of view of ergonomics of the front bonnet.
This element has been redesigned to better repel mud and water. This should allow the riders to have a cleaner windscreen during the various stages they will face in a few days, reducing dangers and, if possible, improving chronometric performance at the end of the stage.
Photo by: Audi
Audi RS Q e-tron
Vehicle maintenance times
Improving the car is not just a question of performance and reliability, but also of the time dedicated to its maintenance. This is why the team intervened to simplify operations by once again putting its hands on the RS Q e-tron.
Bolted connections, tool holders, fluid filling devices, body locking solutions have been modified.
Photo by: Audi Communications Motorsport
#211 Team Audi Sport Audi: Mattias Ekstrom, Emil Bergkvist
“Our engineering team has further improved the RS Q e-tron with many creative solutions,” says Rolf Michl, Head of Motorsport. “The drivers and co-drivers, as well as all the mechanics and engineers, benefit from imaginative ideas. We believe we are best prepared for the Dakar Rally.”
Audi Sport has been trying all these new solutions since last July. After 6 months of testing, these will be mounted on the official RS Q e-trons of Sainz, Peterhansel and Ekstroem to chase overall victory at the 2024 Dakar.
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