Electric Audi Leads the Dakar at Midpoint

The innovative Audi RS Q e-tron stands out for the efficiency of its electric propulsion and its reliability over the first 4,200 kilometers.

But the race is no leisurely drive for the Audis. Rugged surfaces ranging from volcanic rocks to scree, traversing challenging dunes in the Empty Quarter in Saudi Arabia, and a two-day marathon stage with limited or no support options. As announced, the 46th edition of the Dakar Rally is decidedly unforgiving.

Just the first three stages alone covered more than 400 kilometers. After Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist’s victory during the prologue, the Audi driver duos continued their best performances. Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz secured first place in the second stage. The next day, Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel, driven by Edouard Boulanger, claimed his 50th personal stage victory in a car aboard the Audi RS Q e-tron, adding to his 33 motorcycle wins. Sainz / Cruz briefly took the lead for a day and remained regularly in the top 3 until the fifth stage, while Ekström / Bergkvist followed behind in fourth place.

The race’s turning point occurred during the 6th stage during the 48H Chrono just before the rest day in Riyadh. It spanned Thursday and Friday, covering 547 kilometers of stages and a total of 765 kilometers. In the dune mountains, average speed dropped from over 110 km/h to just 74 km/h. The stage offered no outside assistance. Drivers and co-drivers were also separated from other teams overnight and had to rely solely on themselves.

The 48H Chrono stage caused chaos. As leader Yazeed Al Rajhi rolled his Toyota, Prodrive driver Nasser Al-Attiyah, another favorite, lost 2h45 due to technical failure. Stéphane Peterhansel / Edouard Boulanger also encountered issues with the hydraulic system after a difficult landing following a jump. So far, this is the only significant damage suffered under Dr. Leonardo Pascali’s management. Peterhansel / Boulanger dropped back to 22nd position.

Second place was enough for Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz to take the lead with a 20.21-minute advantage.

After 2,304 kilometers of stages and a total distance of 4,201 kilometers to date, teams will start the second half of the rally on Sunday. Once again, long daily distances of nearly 500 kilometers of stages and tough terrains await the participants. All the action can be followed on AUTOhebdo.

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