Audi was the first manufacturer to develop a T1U model for the Dakar Rally. The aim: the electrically powered prototype is to prove that a low-emission vehicle can master one of the toughest motorsport events and be competitive at the same time. “The Audi RS Q e-tron has already caused quite a stir in its first two Dakar appearances,” says Rolf Michl, Head of Audi Motorsport. “Audi was once again a technological pioneer in its outstanding motorsport history. We have initiated a paradigm shift. The combination of an electric drivetrain and a reFuel-powered energy converter is unique and very efficient. We know what we have already achieved. At the same time, we are looking forward to the next Dakar Rally with respect. It represents a major challenge.” As was the case the past two years, Audi is relying on the Q Motorsport team of experienced team principal Sven Quandt.

Dakar Rally with a total distance of approx. 7,900 kilometer

The drivers, co-drivers, and management of Team Audi Sport agree: A particularly challenging edition of the Dakar Rally lies ahead of all participants. Twelve special stages during 14 days in Saudi Arabia cover 4,727 kilometers. Including all of the liaison stages, the route results in a total distance of 7,891 kilometers. The teams often have to complete more than 400 kilometers a day on the special stages. “That’s why it’s important not to lose your stamina during the rally,” emphasizes Stéphane Peterhansel. “I have trained a lot on my bicycle. We have to be able to rest well during the nights, and we also pay attention to our diet.” One of the special challenges this year is a 48-hour stage. It takes place on January 11 and 12 and forms a joint stage – the sixth of twelve. The organizers have chosen the Empty Quarter with its seemingly endless sea of dunes as the venue. As the motorcycles and quads are on different routes, the leading crews in the cars and racing trucks will not have any tracks in the sand on these two days. In addition, the participants have to do without the regular service from the team and are only allowed to help each other. That night, however, they are spread across multiple bivouacs. They are also unable to perceive and assess the performance of their opponents. “This will be a big strategic challenge,” says Peterhansel’s co-driver Edouard Boulanger. “But the second week will also be tough, because this year the rocky stages only come at the end. Then things can still change.”

Detailed development work on the Audi RS Q e-tron

The development team led by Dr. Leonardo Pascali has improved the RS Q e-tron in many areas. “The new set-up improves comfort and is also very efficient,” emphasizes Carlos Sainz, who has optimized many rally cars in his almost 40 years as a professional driver. Mattias Ekström adds: “For me, it’s all about how we use the car perfectly in the sand. It helps that we can drive over the dunes without needing to change gears.” Edouard Boulanger notes a shift in the emphasis of individual topics: “At the beginning of the project, the focus was on the fundamental development of the complex drivetrain technology and the car. In the meantime, we have also found the time to improve many aspects of the cockpit. We can better control the noise levels and the effects thereof, and the driver and co-driver are also better protected against the effects of hard impacts and extreme loads. The technicians have worked hard on this during the past year and made real progress. A big compliment for that.” The electric drivetrain of the RS Q e-tron with a high-voltage battery draws its power from an energy converter. Audi has been relying on residue-based reFuel for its operation since the last Dakar Rally. This saves 60 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. The regulations limit the output of the electric drivetrain to 286 kW in January 2024, distributed between the front and rear axles. Many other new details reduce maintenance times for the team and make the prototype safer, more reliable, and more comfortable.

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In January 2024, Audi will take on the world’s toughest desert rally for the third time with its low-emission vehicle. “What the RS Q e-tron is fundamentally capable of has been demonstrated by our drivers and co-drivers with six stage victories and 22 other single-day podium results at the Dakar Rally since 2022,” says 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.” Audi Sport has analyzed the previous outings, identified weak points and set clear priorities for further development. Dr. Leonardo Pascali, the project’s new Technical Director, has focused on five key topics with his development team since the early summer.

Safety: continue to improve on a high level

The accidents of Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz at the 2023 Dakar Rally have prompted Audi to improve safety yet again. “Our goal was to reduce the peak vertical acceleration during landings after big jumps,” says Dr. Leonardo Pascali. By working with the springs, dampers and the bump stop in the chassis, the engineers have better distributed some of the load over time. They thus enable optimum control of the platform, which is so important for the overall performance of the car. 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.

Reliability: clever details for the big picture

The Audi RS Q e-tron is a very reliable race car, even in the toughest conditions: All three cars saw the finish line at their first Dakar Rally event in 2022. The fact that two of the three cars did not finish in 2023 was not due to technical issues, but due to accidents. As the complex drivetrain technology is basically mature, Audi Sport can concentrate on details in terms of reliability. 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, Audi Sport is using more robust rims from now on. Stronger sidewalls also make the new generation of tires, from the control tire supplier BF Goodrich, less vulnerable.

Comfort: better sealing for higher concentration

Audi relies on particularly experienced, 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.

Thomas Wendl, Head of Works Council Service, welcomed more than 130 guests to the donation ceremony on Monday evening, where he explained: “Stability, security, a future, but also community and cohesion: That’s what people long for, especially in extreme situations.” According to Wendl, that makes it all the more important to support the work of such organizations, especially in times of crisis. “Because they offer people support, someone to talk to, a hand – or a shoulder,” said Wendl.

Jörg Schlagbauer, Audi Chairman of the General Works Council, thanked the representatives of the 110 organizations and said: “I greatly appreciate your dedication and let me emphasize: It is anything but a matter of course. You are really putting heart and soul into your work.” Schlagbauer also said: “An outstanding 99.6 percent of the Audi employees in Ingolstadt participated in this 47th donation. At the end of the day, that means that once again, more than 41,000 Audi and Audi BKK employees supported the valuable work of social institutions in the region.”

Jürgen Frank, Head of HR Business Partners at Audi Ingolstadt, emphasized the importance of the Audi Christmas donation, which has been regular fixture on the calendar since 1977. According to Frank, the company’s long-standing commitment shows that its employees are willing to help others, even in difficult times. "For many years, this has been an expression of the fact that we Audi employees have close ties to our home region and assume social responsibility,” summarized Jürgen Frank.

By way of background:
For over 45 years, the Audi Works Council has been calling on the staff to participate in the long-standing Christmas donation. The former Chairman of the Works Council Fritz Böhm started the fundraiser. Since then, Audi employees have collected more than 20 million euros and used it to support charitable organizations around Ingolstadt, where Audi is headquartered. Together with the Audi site in Neckarsulm, we are able to donate a total of one million euros to the people in need this year.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com