After three years, Staff Audi Sport is pulling the plug on their Dakar Rally effort. On Tuesday, Audi Motorsport head Rolf Michl confirmed to Motorsport-Magazin.com that because the German producer prepares to enter System One in 2026 as an engine provider for Sauber, they are going to reduce a number of racing divisions together with the rally raid programme and manufacturing unit assist for buyer groups in DTM and GT3.
2024 was already set to be Audi’s remaining Dakar on their present three-year deal, which features a partnership with Q Motorsport run by X-raid Staff boss Sven Quandt. On the staff’s début in 2022, Mattias Ekström, Stéphane Peterhansel, and Carlos Sainz every gained a stage and Ekström notched a prime ten within the total. Audi constructed upon this by profitable the Abu Dhabi Desert Problem with Peterhansel, adopted by Sainz setting the quickest complete time amongst all vehicles on the Rallye du Maroc regardless of not being eligible for the normal T1 class.
The successes of 2022 led to an upgraded automobile, the RS Q e-tron E2, being launched for 2023 and competing within the T1.U “Final” subcategory for electrical T1 automobiles. Nevertheless, regardless of a lot fanfare and Sainz profitable Stage #1 at Dakar, the staff struggled to maintain tempo with the T1+ entries of Prodrive and Toyota even after an influence enhance from the FIA’s Equivalence of Expertise. Sainz and Peterhansel subsequently crashed out whereas Ekström completed a distant fourteenth.
Save for a demo on the Race of Champions, the e-tron E2 has not raced for the reason that Dakar debacle. In Could, the staff regrouped for testing to find out what went unsuitable at Dakar. Though there was preliminary hesitation to return for 2024, the staff has since dedicated to coming into the occasion, which seems to be their final pending a shock renewal.
Audi’s Board of Administration got here to the choice on Monday. Groups that race Audis in DTM and the Fanatec GT World Problem will proceed to take action past 2024, albeit with much less assist from the marque comparable to engineering help.
Each manufacturing unit driver on each the pavement and off-road fronts can be free to move elsewhere. Regardless of Sainz’s seniority, he has burdened that he hopes to win a fourth Dakar earlier than retiring, whereas Ekström races within the World Rally-Raid Championship‘s T3 class for South Racing. Peterhansel has not given any indication on his future plans, however ran the Morocco Desert Problem in March on a motorbike.
The 2024 Dakar Rally begins on 5 January.
