Welcome to the future. For the first time in the history of the toughest rally in the world, the winner among the cars is an electrically powered car. Although it is one with a petrol engine. Carlos Sainz Sr. and navigator Lucas Crus are the first to complete the twelve grueling stages in the Audi RS Q e-tron after 48 hours, 15 minutes and 18 seconds. It is the fourth gold Dakar medal for 'El Matador'.
Like every year, it was no piece of cake for the winner of the 2024 Dakar Rally. The first six stages were won by six different drivers. The leading position in the general classification was therefore frequently varied. The big turning point came at the 48 hour stage. Teams had to get as far as possible on day one, drive to the nearest bivouac and work on the car themselves. Technicians were not allowed into the desert.
Sainz wins Dakar 2024 because the competition disappears
Here Sainz and Loeb gained a lot of time by taking it easy. Other drivers, such as Nasser Al-Attiyah and Stéphane Peterhansel, lost a lot of time with damage that they found difficult to repair. The final battle then seemed to be between Sainz and Ekström, but Ekström had technical problems and lost a lot of time.
The victory was then almost impossible for Sainz to miss. Sébastien Loeb opens a final offensive, but that came too late. Just before the end of the rally, Loeb fell far back. The Belgian Guillaume de Mevius benefited from this. He took the silver medal for Overdrive Racing, 1 hour and 20 minutes behind Sainz. Loeb finished third at 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Sainz's electric car
The Audi RS Q e-tron is powered by electricity, with a Formula E motor on each axle. It has a potential of 680 hp, but the rules say it must be limited to around 400 hp. The motors are powered by a 50-kWh battery. For a little more range, there is a 2.0-liter DTM turbo engine on board as a range extender. A kind of plug-in hybrid, then.
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