It has nothing to do with it being an EV.
The 2023 Dakar Rally is done and literally dusted, and we tip our hats to South Africa. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel and their Gazoo Racing Hilux won overall, a full 1:20:49 ahead of Sebastian Loeb and Fabian Lurquin in a Bahrain Raid Extreme Mini. The electric Audis failed, but, oddly, the powertrain was the most reliable component.
Five of the top 10 vehicles, including the winner, were built on an industrial estate in Kyalami. Most people know it as the home of Africa's most famous F1 track, but it's also an affluent suburb on the outskirts of Johannesburg. It was a dominant win for internal combustion and Hallspeed, the company behind the Gazoo Racing Hilux.
All-hail the mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6! But at one point, it seemed as if the Audis were going to dominate. Early on in the race, Team Audi Sport was in the lead for three days, leading to some serious sulking from other competitors.
But what happened to the electric Audis? Audi Motorsport sent three cars, and two had to retire before the end of the most demanding off-road race of them all.
Stephane Peterhansel had to retire after a severe crash during stage six. Peterhansel told the medics that he blacked out during the impact, and his navigator, Edouard Boulanger, suffered a severe back injury. Even though the car could be rebuilt, the toll of the accident was just too great. At least Peterhansel got further than he did last year.
Carlos Sainz crashed at the same place on the same day, also taking himself out of contention. Sainz and co-driver Lucas Cruz managed to fix the car on the spot, but that evening Team Audi Sport realized that there was severe damage to a critical safety component, so Sainz and Cruz retired before stage 10 kicked off. You can see the impact in the video below.
With Peterhansel and Sainz out of the picture, Audi had to rely on Mattias Ekstrom ad Emil Bergkvist. The duo eventually finished in 14th place, which is a stellar achievement. Merely finishing the Dakar Rally is a huge accomplishment. Ekstrom came home six hours and 51 minutes behind Al-Attiyah.
Ekstrom lost several tires during the first few stages, and one of Saudi Arabia's infamous hidden rocks destroyed his suspension during the seventh stage. Even so, Ekstrom managed to come back hard, finishing on the podium five times in a row during the second half of the Dakar Rally. That's a new record.
In the end, Audi scored 14 stage podiums and ranked amongst the top three in the overall standings seven times.
Sainz won the first stage, and that was the only one Audi managed this year. Last year Sainz won Stage 3. The cars were constantly nipping at the heels of the ICE racers out there, which means Audi has proved that electricity is a viable alternative. If you're not convinced, look at Sainz tacklng the dune in the video below. The benefit of all that instant torque is undeniable. It's why we love the RS e-tron GT so much.
The powertrain was not the problem, but rather everything around it. The car needs to be more robust, and that's likely where Audi will start when developing the 2024 Audi RS Q e-tron.
“The pace of our innovative Audi RS Q e-tron was good right from the start and also showed at the end,” said Oliver Hoffmann, Board Member for Technical Development at Audi. “Unfortunately, we also had bad luck in the desert and many punctures. Despite the setbacks, the team celebrated a finish thanks to strong performances. We will now analyze all areas. A podium was our goal. It remains so, because we will definitely compete again in 2024.”
In summary, Audi has once again proven that an electrified powertrain can handle the demands of the world's most extreme Rally-Raid, but the strength of all the components surrounding that powertrain is questionable. Nevertheless, Audi is a titan of industry and tends to achieve the goals it sets itself in motorsport.
While Al-Attiyah cruised to a comfortable win that showed his experience, Audi has learned more about how to build a reliable package and will come back even stronger next year.
While we're on the subject of remarkable achievements, Sebastien Loeb set a Dakar Rally record by winning six stages in a row. Not bad for someone who retired from full-time World Rally Championship racing a decade ago.
Keyword: Why Team Audi Sport Lost The 2023 Dakar Rally