Just a few days away from traveling to Saudi Arabia, towards Dakar 2023, Carlos Sainz and his co-pilot Lucas Cruzattended the press in Madrid at the Carlos Sainz Center in Las Rozas in a work of Audi to study what will be the next edition of the toughest race in the world, which will start on December 31 and will consist of almost 5,000 kilometers of timed specials, with a prologue and 14 stages until reaching the final which is the goal Carlos SainzLucas Cruz and Audi are eager to cross as winners in their new Audi RS Q e-Tron E2. This is the second year of the ambitious project led by the man from Madrid in the German firm, with an innovative vehicle, with an electric motor, that arrives more prepared in its second participation, an evolution that has been perfected on the good base of last year, a car less heavy than 2022 and with excellent aerodynamics. In the last Rally of Morocco, even though it was in the FIA category, Carlos Saiz showed tremendous speed, but the Spanish crew did not want to raise expectations.
“I see it with a little more optimism and calm than last year. Last year we came very close, without any race, with many questions and many doubts. Many of the doubts we cannot admit. But in Finally the Rally was strangely better than we thought”, highlighted Carlos Sainz.
“In 2022, we managed to win two stages and the mechanical problems are not related to how complex this car is (they are not from the electric motor system) and on the second day there was the famous hidden ‘ way point’, because the roadbook was wrong and we were not cancelled. We are more confident, calmer and have fewer doubts. With so much enthusiasm and so much desire. I hope the day comes because it’s been a long year. Because it’s over this, you study, had time to evolve the car, test and run in Morocco. I’m looking forward to it starting, commented the man from Madrid, who also wanted to make it clear that he has “total confidence” that David Castera, director of the Dakar, will take a roadbook without a problematic point such as that of Stage 1 B of 2022, which will take time for the Spanish and most of the competitors.
Carlos is confident that Castera and his team have done a good job in terms of the roadmap and expects a race with “Dakar DNA, with logical navigation and a very difficult race, where the most prepared driver and co-driver will win.” .
100 kg more according to regulation
One of the past controversies of the Dakar was over the regulations created by the FIA.
“The big difference is the 90 kg less weight compared to last year, but by regulation we will carry 100 kg more than others (2,100 minimum weight for electric or hybrid cars like Audi and 2,000 minimum weight for combustion cars). It would have been difficult for us to reach that 2,000 kilos, but it is difficult for me to understand these regulations. Not encouraging a brand by regulation to go on the path of maintenance with some specific help, surprised me. I want to emphasize that this is a very, very technologically complex car. Audi is very brave. I don’t think its courage to make a car like this appreciated in a race as complicated as the Dakar. It’s like science fiction.”
“This car is a brutal technological challenge and that makes it special to be involved in it. Who would have told me 40 years ago that I would be doing this technology today”, he added about the car, happy to be -its behavior: “The tests went well, the car behaves well… thinking about what would happen if we were 100 kg less…”, he added, recalling again the greater regulation weight of his car.
“But we don’t want to argue with these regulations, we want to focus on what we have and we want to think we have the car to fight for the race. Favorite? Nope. Last year’s winner was a favorite. I would like to think that Audi can fight to win the Dakar, that we will be competitive, but favourites?
“We need to consider an approach in dune stages”
“This race will be a bit different than what we are used to. A first week of 8 days before the rest day, with long specials and an extra difference: the specials will not have neutralization in the middle of the day, where we will stop for 15 or 20 minutes to control and have references on how we are doing. This year they will all be in a row, so the speed you have will not know if it is good or bad until the end”, said Lucas Cruz, Carlos Sainz’s co-driver, about the route.
“You don’t have a clear reference of how the race is with your rivals. And in the second part there are long days and then the Marathon phase, with 3 days in the ‘Empty Quarter’, with sand, complex sand and slow specials that will significantly reduce the average speed of the race. We have to plan a strategy in this type of special because the sand coming out at the front is punishing”, added the Catalan.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
