Neuburg a. d. Donau, November 29, 2023: Audi improves the RS Q e-tron as soon as once more: Ahead of its third outing within the Dakar Rally, the rally prototype with its pioneering electrical drivetrain with a high-voltage battery and an vitality converter receives improvements in lots of areas. The Audi driver crews of Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist, Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz will profit from quite a few element enhancements in January 2024. The enhancements make the RS Q e-tron safer, extra dependable, extra snug and a bit of lighter, in addition to having shorter upkeep occasions for the staff.
In January 2024, Audi will tackle the world’s hardest desert rally for the third time with its low-emission automobile. “What the RS Q e-tron is fundamentally capable of has been demonstrated by our drivers and co-drivers with six stage victories and 22 other single-day podium results at the Dakar Rally since 2022,” says Rolf Michl, Head of Audi Motorsport. “Now it’s a matter of showing our performance as steadily as possible so that we can fight for top positions.” Audi Sport has analyzed the earlier outings, recognized weak factors and set clear priorities for additional growth. Dr. Leonardo Pascali, the challenge’s new Technical Director, has targeted on 5 key subjects along with his growth staff because the early summer time.
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Audi: RS Q e-tron options
Safety: Continue to enhance on a excessive stage
The accidents of Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz on the 2023 Dakar Rally have prompted Audi to enhance security but once more. “Our goal was to reduce the peak vertical acceleration during landings after big jumps,” says Dr. Leonardo Pascali. By working with the springs, dampers and the bump cease within the chassis, the engineers have higher distributed a number of the load over time. They thus allow optimum management of the platform, which is so essential for the general efficiency of the automobile. A second contributing issue comes from the froth within the seats. They assist to distribute masses on the driving force and co-driver over an extended interval and thus cut back peak masses.
The builders have particularly targeted on the fabric stiffness and geometries of the froth within the seats, additionally making an allowance for how the cockpit temperature influences the stiffness of the froth. The safety of the occupants after a tough frontal touchdown of the automobile, like Carlos Sainz’s second accident on the 2023 Dakar Rally, which ended up with the automobile rolling over, was additionally on the minds of these accountable. The CFRP crash field on the entrance finish of the chassis construction is now longer, with out compromising the angle of assault, which is so essential in cross-country rallying. It now absorbs the vitality generated throughout such accidents higher than earlier than.
Reliability: intelligent details for the large image
The Audi RS Q e-tron is a really dependable race automobile, even within the hardest circumstances: All three automobiles noticed the end line at their first Dakar Rally occasion in 2022. The indisputable fact that two of the three automobiles didn’t end in 2023 was not because of technical points, however because of accidents. As the complicated drivetrain know-how is comprehensively developed, Audi Sport can focus on details by way of reliability.
Previously, penetrating stones received caught between the rim mattress, brake disc and upright. In some circumstances, they brought on appreciable harm and necessitated time-consuming wheel adjustments on a couple of event. New fastening components for the uprights permit better clearance in order that the stones are thrown out extra simply. At the identical time, Audi Sport is utilizing extra strong rims to any extent further. Stronger sidewalls additionally make the new technology of tires, from the management tire provider BF Goodrich, much less weak.
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Comfort: higher sealing for larger focus
Audi depends on skilled, well-coordinated and high-performing drivers and co-drivers. To make their strenuous work simpler, the engineers optimized the acoustic shielding, in addition to sealing the cockpit. A modified entrance bonnet now higher repels swirled mud and water, which permits the windshield to stay cleaner.
Performance: concepts in lots of areas
From the chassis to the software program, from the physique to the electrical drivetrain: The engineers checked out numerous facets to make the Audi RS Q e-tron much more aggressive throughout the framework of the rules. Working with the shock absorbers and springs helped the staff to seek out a fair higher set-up. To get even nearer to the minimal weight of two,100kg, whereas the burden of the new, extra strong tires will increase, numerous elements have been optimized. This applies to the rear bonnet, in addition to the smaller brake calipers, but additionally to the footrest for the co-driver. The rules additionally barely shift the stability between Audi’s T1U mannequin and the opponents within the T1 class by way of power-to-weight ratio: The 263 kW of most output from the electrical motors at the beginning of the 2023 season (together with the effectivity coefficient) become a worth of 271 kW in the course of the Dakar Rally, following a change within the rules. As of January 2024, the determine will rise to 286 kW. At the identical time, the rules increase the burden of the opponents’ T1 fashions by 10kg to 2,010kg.
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Maintenance occasions: shorter work, higher consequence
In its seek for enhancements, the Audi Sport growth staff additionally examined the every day upkeep work throughout rally occasions. Thanks to many sensible concepts on this element space, fairly a couple of steps have been simplified. For instance, modified bolted connections, improved software holders, optimized filling cap gadgets for working fluids, new locking options for physique elements and bolted as a substitute of glued connections all contribute to less complicated and quicker servicing.
“Our engineering team has improved the RS Q e-tron even further with many creative solutions,” says Rolf Michl, Head of Motorsport. “Drivers and co-drivers, as well as all of the mechanics and engineers, benefit from the imaginative ideas. We feel that we are prepared for the Dakar Rally in the best possible way.”
Since the center of the 12 months, Audi has successively integrated the adjustments and began testing them, thus making certain the incorporation of all of the improvements in time for the 2024 Dakar Rally.
Published by Audi on Newspress
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