The first few times are never easy, and even more so for an ambitious project like the one that Audi Sport has developed over the last year and a half. The electric-powered RS Q e-tron prototype complex raced the first special stage in its history from Jeddah on the Red Sea coast to Ha’il, located in the mountainous region in northern Saudi Arabia.
Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz have completed the timed section of less than 19 km, which will serve to choose the starting position for the Sunday stage (and will also count for the general classification of the race), just 12 seconds behind the winner, Nasser Al -Attiyah. So, if the Qatari will have the last word in choosing the starting position, even the Madrid-born was smiling at the end of the day.
“Everything went well and I am happy for all the Audi guys, for all the people involved in this ambitious project, because now we can say that we have completed a stage, even if it is a prologue,” said the three-time winner. of the Dakar before getting on the starting podium in Ha’il.
“It is an extra milestone in the history of this car, because we have completed the first real test without any accidents. The truth is that it was a relief to complete the stage. Tomorrow or the next day, anything can happen, but at least we have completed a special stage, “answered Motorsport.com’s question.
“It was an insignificant stage, we have to wait for the race to go live and see how things go. We will live it day by day”.
The truth is that these first timed 19 km, with almost 800 km of transfer, were a real litmus test for a technologically innovative prototype that had never competed before. Even though Sainz and Cruz took the # 202 to second, Stephane Peterhansel, winner of the 2021 Dakar, and Mattias Ekstrom finished in the bottom of the top 15 and will start further back tomorrow.
Audi Sport dreams of making the history of the Dakar and this January 1st took the first step necessary to do so. The first real special stage will arrive on Sunday, with 59.9 km of initial connection, 333.18 km of special stage and 121.30 km of connection in a loop that will be held around Ha’il.
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