With the 2024 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia just slightly over a month away, Audi has completed preparations of its third attempt in the world’s toughest off-road competition. The Audi Sport team will use the RS Q e-tron again, with improvements and innovations made after the experiences in the first two events.
The RS Q e-tron is a prototype entry, with a pioneering electric drivetrain, high-voltage battery and an energy converter. As the complex drivetrain technology is basically mature, Audi Sport can concentrate on details in terms of reliability.
The fact that 2 of the team’s 3 cars did not finish in 2023 was not due to technical issues, but due to accidents. Previously, penetrating stones got caught between the rim bed, brake disc and upright. In some cases, they caused considerable damage and necessitated time-consuming wheel changes on more than one occasion.
New fastening elements for the uprights allow greater clearance so that the stones are thrown out more easily. At the same time, more robust rims are being used. Stronger sidewalls also make the new generation of tyres (from BF Goodrich) less vulnerable.
The Dakar Rally is gruelling and requires the full experience of well-coordinated and high-performing drivers and co-drivers. To make their strenuous work easier, the engineers optimized the acoustic shielding, as well as sealing the cockpit. A modified front bonnet now better repels swirled mud and water, which allows the windshield to remain cleaner.
More important, however, is safety for the crews. The accidents of Stephane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz at the 2023 Dakar Rally prompted a review of the safety provisions. “Our goal was to reduce the peak vertical acceleration during landings after big jumps,” said Dr. Leonardo Pascali, and this has been done by working with the springs, dampers and the bump stop in the chassis to better distribute some of the load.
A second contributing factor comes from the foam in the seats. They help to distribute loads on the driver and co-driver over a longer period of time and thus reduce peak loads. The developers have specifically focused on the material stiffness and geometries of the foam in the seats, also taking into consideration how the cockpit temperature influences the stiffness of the foam.
The protection of the occupants after a hard frontal landing of the vehicle, like Carlos Sainz’s second accident at the 2023 Dakar Rally, which ended up with the car rolling over, was also on the minds of those responsible. The CFRP crash box at the front end of the chassis structure is now longer, without compromising the angle of attack, which is so important in cross-country rallying. It now absorbs the energy generated during such accidents better than before.
The engineers looked at various aspects to make the RS Q e-tron even more competitive within the framework of the regulations. Working with the shock absorbers and springs helped the team to find an even better set-up. To get even closer to the minimum weight of 2,100 kgs, while the weight of the new, more robust tyres increases, various components have been optimized in terms of weight. This applies to the rear bonnet, as well as the smaller brake calipers, but also to the footrest for the co-driver.
The regulations also slightly shift the balance between Audi’s T1U model and the opponents in the T1 class in terms of power-to-weight ratio. The 263 kW of maximum output from the electric motors at the start of the 2023 season (including the efficiency coefficient) turned into a value of 271 kW during the Dakar Rally, following a change in the regulations. As of January 2024, the figure will rise to 286 kW. At the same time, the regulations raise the weight of the opponents’ T1 models to 2,010 kgs.
In its search for improvements, the Audi Sport development team also examined the daily maintenance work during rally events. Thanks to many practical ideas in this area, quite a few steps have now been simplified. For example, modified bolted connections, improved tool holders, optimized filling cap devices for operating fluids, new locking solutions for body parts and bolted instead of glued connections all contribute to simpler and faster servicing.
“What the RS Q e-tron is fundamentally capable of has been demonstrated by our drivers and co-drivers with 6 stage victories and 22 other single-day podium results at the Dakar Rally since 2022,” said Rolf Michl, Head of Audi Motorsport. “Now it’s a matter of showing our performance as steadily as possible so that we can fight for top positions.”
Fully electric Audi e-tron models are available in Malaysia. For more information, visit www.audi.com.my.
