Back to the desert

Following its successful competition debut in this year’s Dakar Rally, the Audi RS Q e-tron will once again compete in top level international motorsport this weekend when it contests the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

The second round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, the off-road rally event will run from March 6 to 10 and see the competitors tackle five stages of between 217 and 318 kilometres each day for a total rally length of just under 2000 kilometres including transport stages.

The French duo of Stéphane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger will take care of driving and co-driving duties respectively, Peterhansel having won this event seven times in the past, most recently in 2019 with his wife Andrea, in the co-driver’s seat.

Like his record 14 Dakar victories, Peterhansel has won the Abu Dhabi Challenge on both two and four wheels, and his knowledge and experience in the event will be crucial during the competition.

Despite being shorter than the Dakar, the Abu Dhabi Challenge will be run in significantly higher temperatures and a larger 69 percent of the race distance is timed, placing greater pressure on the Audi Sport team and vehicle.

“Experience shows that around 80 percent of the route of this rally is in large dune mountains, the remaining 20 percent on flatter sandy ground without any tracks. At the Dakar, there were at most 60 kilometres of dunes at a stretch,” says Peterhansel.

“Likewise, the heat is higher now than in January.”

This poses new challenges for Audi and its team partner Q Motorsport, the RS Q e-tron having to prove itself in temperatures that were not encountered in the Dakar Rally. Also, the higher temperatures mean softer sand which, combined with the long dune passages, significantly increases energy consumption. 

“Our energy systems performed very well in January. The tasks in Abu Dhabi are a clear increase,” says Peterhansel. 

The softer sand also increases the likelihood of getting stuck, particularly given the high dune climbs. But it is here that the RS Q e-tron’s electric drive will have the chance to shine, according to the veteran Peterhansel.

“The dune crests are the most difficult. If you drive too slowly, you lose time or get stuck. If you’re too fast, you risk jumping into the unknown,” says Peterhansel. “With conventional rally cars, you always have to decide on a gear and can make a mistake. The continuously variable drive of the Audi RS Q e-tron on the other hand is perfect, as is the high torque.”

It will be another acid test for the RS Q e-tron and Audi Sport, but the success in the Dakar and the experience gleaned from that outing will be invaluable in the Abu Dhabi Challenge and further honing the RS Q e-tron.