Dakar | Quandt: “Audi made history by winning with alternative technologies”

Winning the Dakar was a very complicated task for a team that landed in the desert with a totally different concept, that of the RS Q e-tron with fully electric technology. After two failures, success came at the hands of Carlos Sainz, who won his fourth Touareg trophy, together with the precious help of his co-driver, Lucas Cruz.

The German manufacturer has achieved a goal that seemed impossible and, after crossing the finish line in the last special stage of the 2024 edition, one of its top managers and director of Q-Motorsport, Sven Quandt, explained that he had made “history ” in this event in the Saudi desert: “We have made history, winning with this concept, beating other conventional vehicles, is very special. It is the demonstration that you can be at the forefront with alternative technologies.”

Furthermore, they managed to break a longevity record, as the Madrid-born driver stood on the top step of the podium at the age of 61, the oldest to do so, and the German explained: “Carlos called me before Christmas and explained to me that he had received the results of his physical tests. It turned out to be the test with the best results of his life. I could hear the smile in his voice”, said Sven Quandt at the end of the special test which certified the victory of the Teutonic people.

“When he arrived at the bivouac he was very optimistic and this rubbed off on the whole team. Sure, he's old, but he's still in top form,” he added.

When asked what were the keys to the triumph of the German company, he replied: “The first key is that Sainz always competes with himself. He always demands the most from himself, he is very hard on himself, as much as he is with the rest of the team. His fighting spirit, always until the end, is what took him to his fourth Dakar.”

The Spaniard has shown that he is “incredible at his age”, and Sven is confident that he can repeat first place in the toughest race in the world: “He is incredible for his age and if he feels like it he can still achieve many victories in the Dakar. We have known each other for a long time and mutual trust is another key to this success.”