Photo: Audi
For a carmaker who aims for the stars, there is probably no better way to start the year than to win probably the most prestigious off-road endurance race on the planet. Don't believe us? Ask Audi, because the Germans just did that.
On January 5 the 2024 Dakar Rally kicked off in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. It was the opening salvo in a competition that would span for a total of 3,100 miles (5,000 km), offering car drivers and motorcycle riders no less than 12 intense stages (and a prologue) of racing.
The competition was perhaps the harshest it's been in years. On multiple days competitors had to tackle stages 250 miles (400 km) long, there were two marathon stages with limited or even no service, and just nine bivouacs to support the teams. On top of that, 60 percent of the route was new, posing new challenges for drivers and riders.
On January 19 (that's today as of the time of writing), the 2024 Dakar Rally concluded, and we have the name of the winner: Carlos Sainz Senior, who managed to drive to the win on board the Audi RS Q e-tron. And his win comes with a series of firsts.
The 61-year-old driver, the father of Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr. and he too an icon in motorsport, climbed to the top of Dakar drivers' list at the end of the rally for the fourth time (the previous wins came in 2010, 2018, and 2020). He was accompanied on the podium by his usual partner in crime, Lucas Cruz.
Whereas these two are used to the taste of winning Dakar, Audi is not, and the achievement will surely enter the carmaker's history books.
This first-ever win for Audi in the prestigious race is even more important considering it was made possible by a prototype vehicle that uses an electric drive. In fact, it's the first time such a vehicle has snatched the title.
Specifically built for racing, the prototype debuted in the race in 2022, when it scored four stage wins. The 2023 campaign was a lot less glamorous, but that, naturally, matters very little now.
The e-tron was Dakar's first vehicle to be powered by a combination of an electric all-wheel drive fueled by a battery and an energy converted that burns residual fuel-based reFuel. This setup allows it to release 60 percent fewer emissions than its competitors.
Sainz and the e-tron finished the race more than one hour and 20 minutes ahead of runner-up Guillaume de Mevius (Toyota). Prodrive's Sebastien Loeb came in third.
The provisional top ten list of winners for the 2024 Dakar includes a single entry for Audi, Prodrive, Ford, and Century, but the remaining six spots all go to Toyota. You can have at all the best names in this year's rally below.
The competition was perhaps the harshest it's been in years. On multiple days competitors had to tackle stages 250 miles (400 km) long, there were two marathon stages with limited or even no service, and just nine bivouacs to support the teams. On top of that, 60 percent of the route was new, posing new challenges for drivers and riders.
On January 19 (that's today as of the time of writing), the 2024 Dakar Rally concluded, and we have the name of the winner: Carlos Sainz Senior, who managed to drive to the win on board the Audi RS Q e-tron. And his win comes with a series of firsts.
The 61-year-old driver, the father of Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr. and he too an icon in motorsport, climbed to the top of Dakar drivers' list at the end of the rally for the fourth time (the previous wins came in 2010, 2018, and 2020). He was accompanied on the podium by his usual partner in crime, Lucas Cruz.
Whereas these two are used to the taste of winning Dakar, Audi is not, and the achievement will surely enter the carmaker's history books.
This first-ever win for Audi in the prestigious race is even more important considering it was made possible by a prototype vehicle that uses an electric drive. In fact, it's the first time such a vehicle has snatched the title.
Specifically built for racing, the prototype debuted in the race in 2022, when it scored four stage wins. The 2023 campaign was a lot less glamorous, but that, naturally, matters very little now.
The e-tron was Dakar's first vehicle to be powered by a combination of an electric all-wheel drive fueled by a battery and an energy converted that burns residual fuel-based reFuel. This setup allows it to release 60 percent fewer emissions than its competitors.
Sainz and the e-tron finished the race more than one hour and 20 minutes ahead of runner-up Guillaume de Mevius (Toyota). Prodrive's Sebastien Loeb came in third.
The provisional top ten list of winners for the 2024 Dakar includes a single entry for Audi, Prodrive, Ford, and Century, but the remaining six spots all go to Toyota. You can have at all the best names in this year's rally below.
- 1. Carlos Sainz (Audi)
- 2. Guillaume de Mevius (Toyota)
- 3. Sebastien Loeb (Prodrive)
- 4. Guerlain Chicherit (Toyota)
- 5. Martin Prokop (Ford)
- 6. Guy Botterill (Toyota)
- 7. Giniel de Villiers (Toyota)
- 8. Benediktas Vanagas (Toyota)
- 9. Lucas Moraes (Toyota)
- 10. Mathieu Serradori (Century)
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