„Our plan was to have nine days of testing so that each driver/co-driver pairing could work with the test vehicle for three days,“ says Arnau Niubó Bosch, Project Leader Track Operations. “There were two main objectives: to develop the second evolution for the Dakar Rally and to familiarize the driver teams with the new developments. The weight reduction creates new opportunities for suspension set-up, which we want to exploit. We are moving in a good direction. The electric drive with all its systems is also working more smoothly than at the test a year ago.”
In Morocco, Uwe Breuling, Head of Vehicle Operations Audi Sport, encountered unusually tough conditions with his squad. “At almost 40 degrees Celsius, the temperatures are extreme and push the car, but also the crews, to their limits,” he reports. “Likewise, the test tracks are very brittle this year, which visibly puts an enormous strain on the technology. But there’s nothing that will stop the car, just minor damage that we need to repair.”