Audi is a serious favorite for the final victory in the Dakar 2023. A revolutionary car with exceptional drivers such as Stéphane Peterhansel on board should not be far from the best time at the finish.
Nine days before the big departure, hearts are already beating. The 2023 edition of Paris-Dakar, relocated to Saudi Arabia, promises to be disputed with many prestigious contenders for final victory in the car category. To start with defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Toyota driver has already triumphed three times. That’s three times more than Sébastien Loeb (Prodrive), whose track record remains blank. However, the nine-time WRC world rally champion is not far from his first coronation in 2017 and last year as well. And finally the third favorite is Stéphane Peterhansel (Audi).
Dakar Future with the Audi RS Q e-tron
A new Audi RS Q e-tron for Team @audiosport ’s second Dakar Rally.
Many evolutions in the second development stage of the innovative prototype: energy management, aerodynamics, new sustainable advanced fuel! ?
#Dakar2023 #DakarFuture pic.twitter.com/vta6lbJBMJ— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) December 20, 2022
This year, the German manufacturer has not skimped on the means to compete with the best. The Audi RS Q e-tron, at the wheel of which the ex-biker will sit, is revolutionary. Improvements made to the weight of the car, its aerodynamics, the operation of its engines, transmission and energy saving, for example, place the brand with the four rings as a very serious customer. A fortiori if this Audi RS Q e-tron will be driven by the greatest record of the Dakar. Crowned with six titles in the motorcycle category before taking the plunge into the car, Stéphane Peterhansel was even more crowned with eight final victories, the latest of which is quite recent, in 2021.
Running in Morocco
In addition, Audi has other very serious chances of success with another champion in this area: Carlos Sainz. A three-time Dakar winner, the Spaniard recently won the Rallye du Maroc in October, just ahead of Stéphane Peterhansel. The latter failed on the 3rd step of the podium in North Africa, behind another Audi driver, the Swede Mattias Ekstrom. These three great riders will try to confirm this trend from the eleven kilometer prologue on December 31 at Sea Camp, the starting point for this new edition because even if the brand with the four rings is aiming for a podium, it is hard to imagine it being content with a failure.