Audi makes history at 2024 Dakar Rally

MANILA: Audi has made history at the 2024 Dakar Rally by winning the desert race with the Audi RS Q e-tron.

“Congratulations to Team Audi Sport on winning the Dakar Rally,” commented Audi Chairman of the Board of Management Gernot Döllner.

“Audi has once again set a milestone in motorsport. Winning the world’s toughest desert rally with an electrified drive is a visible ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ and points the way to our electric future,” he added.

The German carmaker became the first brand to emerge victorious in the world’s toughest desert rally race using a low-emission prototype with an electric drive, high-voltage battery, and energy converter.

Audi’s Dakar Rally-winning RS Q e-tron runs on residual fuel-based reFuel. The fuel used can save 60 percent of carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional fuels.

“With our revolutionary electrified drive, we have overcome one of the biggest challenges in motorsport after just three years. We are thus continuing a long series of pioneering achievements that have always characterized Audi in four decades of motorsport. I would like to thank the entire team for this outstanding performance in a particularly tough edition of the Dakar Rally,” Audi Member of the Board of Management Oliver Hoffmann noted.

Another milestone achieved by the Ingolstadt-headquartered carmaker is the win brought by Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz. The two Spaniards led the rally without interruption since the sixth stage, contributing to their momentous win.

“It means a lot to me,” Sainz said in a report published by RedBull.

“Audi believed in this special car and in this special concept. We never gave up,” he added.

To note, Sainz and Cruz have together won the Dakar Rally in 2010, 2018, and 2020. This 2024 win marked their fourth victory allowing the two old dogs to show that age is just a number and that with experience, the pair can still conquer 7,900 kilometers of sand and sun.

“To be here at my age and to stay at the level, you need to do a lot of work beforehand. It doesn’t just come like that,” he explained.

Reportedly, El-matador’s son and Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team driver Carlos Sainz Jr. flew to celebrate with his dad after the 61-year-old rally racer achieved his fourth personal victory.

Photos from Audi

Also read:

Audi Q8 e-tron SUV, Sportback get 2023 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ ratings

Audi posts around 1.9-M global sales in 2023

Upgraded Audi RS Q e-tron to enter 2024 Dakar Rally