Audi RS Q e-Tron is too hot to handle for Dakar Rally competitors

Dakar Rally participants believe the Audi RS Q e-Tron hybrid car that is competing at the iconic motorsports event is too fast to catch up with. One of Audi's competitors at the event, ProDrive has dubbed the hybrid Audi car as the fastest by a long way, reports Motorsport.

With this, it seems Audi might be shaping the form of rally racing with its innovation. The German luxury carmaker had introduced its legendary Quattro technology in the rally racing arena back in the 1980s. Despite the failure to secure victory in its first entry at the prestigious Dakar Rally, the hybrid Audi RS e-Tron has earned respect from its competitors.

The Audi RS Q e-Trons were forced out of the running for the overall victory at the 2022 Dakar Rally because of a crash and navigational issues. But the vehicle's all-electric drivetrain paired with an internal combustion engine proved its mettle in terms of achieving high-speed capability by winning four of the race's 12 stages. The hybrid powertrain is so powerful that it offsets the 200 kg additional weight of the Audi RS Q e-Tron.

ProDrive chairman David Richards believes if the Audi cars were reliable they would have won the race by an hour easily. Toyota's Dakar team manager Glyn Hall too echoed the same by saying that the Audi RS Q e-Tron was the quickest car in terms of raw pace.

Despite being overweight yet so fast, Audi has propelled its competitors at the event to call for regulations to be even. David Richards said that the competition should have a balance so everyone has an equal opportunity.

"And that’s the job for the FIA to achieve that. Otherwise, Audi would come and kill the sport," said Richards, who also said that regulating new technologies is very hard and takes time. “The FIA will have to address that problem because the FIA committed to making everything level, so I trust in them for that," he further added.