The three driver crews covered a total distance of over 900 kilometers during the five-day test hosted at Château de Lastours. “We have thus fulfilled our development tasks and are now concentrating on the remaining logistical work before January,” says Rolf Michl, Head of Audi Motorsport. “We have prepared as well as possible, but the Dakar Rally remains the most ambitious and by far the most difficult task on the calendar. And we approach it with great respect. A big thank you also goes out to the entire team, as well as to our drivers and co-drivers for the work they have done to date for this very demanding challenge.”

Under the leadership of the Technical Director Dr. Leonardo Pascali, the focus for the engineers was the confirmation of quality standards. The innovative Audi RS Q e-tron is characterized by its electric drivetrain with a high-voltage battery and an energy converter. The battery system and other components of the highly efficient and low-emission concept had to pass final endurance tests at the venue between Narbonne and Perpignan on the French Mediterranean coast. “Logistically, this location was ideal for us to travel to and allowed short reaction times if we needed something from Germany,” summed up Pascali. “We have gone over all of the assemblies and systems, both the parts taken over from the previous model and the newly developed ones. It was about meeting the specified quality standards for all areas.” At the same time, the drivers were able to once again confirm the RS Q e-tron’s set-up for the Dakar Rally, which they had developed on different terrain over the course of the season.