The 46th edition of the Dakar will begin on January 5, 2024 and promises to be a very tough race with many rivals, especially for Carlos Sainz, who is looking for his fourth Touareg trophy. The Spaniard attended the presentation event of the race which takes place in the Saudi Arabian desert and assured that his Audi is a “winning car”, even if there are things that can go “not ideal”.
The three-time winner of the event is hoping to put in a good performance with his RS Q e-tron, and said he will try to get the most out of every aspect with the confidence he has before heading into the Saudi desert for the first stages: “I think, as we all said last year, it's about seeing how we can improve the car. We tried the best in every single thing, it's been a difficult year, but we're confident that the team can have a good Dakar.”
When asked if his car is one of the favourites, Carlos Sainz replied: “It's a winning car, I would say it is, but there are many things that can go, let's say, not in the ideal way. It's a very difficult car to I think what we did years ago is more valuable, putting everything together with this technology, we were brave, and it's not easy to win the Dakar with this car.”
The Madrid native is also aware that there will be a lot of competition between all the competitors, but he underlined some of the keys to keep in mind to try to bring the Touaerg trophy back to Spain: “I think there are fantastic drivers, everyone is improving and it's not easy win with these opponents. I think you shouldn't make mistakes, or make less than others. There will be difficult days, but you have to have rhythm in those complicated moments and try not to have those complicated days.”
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