Audi to race electric SUV in 2022 Dakar Rally after ditching Formula E
Audi has announced it will tackle the punishing Dakar Rally with an electrified SUV in 2022, while confirming its withdrawal from Formula E as a constructor.
While affirming the brand’s “multifaceted commitment to motorsport,” Julius Seebach, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH, said it was also “intensively preparing to enter the new sports prototype category LMDh with its highlight races, the Daytona 24 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours.”
Formula E out: Le Mans and rallying back on Audi’s agenda. Purists rejoice, with the caveat it’s to be electrification powering the four-ringed entries.
The teaser Dakar 2022 SUV prototype (see main picture) can’t help but pique interest with its muscled shape and all-terrain tyres seen in Audi’s rendered image. Scant details are known but Audi says the “innovative prototype” will combine “an electric drivetrain with a high-voltage battery and a highly efficient energy converter for the first time.”
Audi hasn’t had a factory rally entry since Walter Rohrl’s victory at the 1987 Pikes Peak Hill Climb in a Quattro S1 E2. And for a brand with such a proud rallying history, an entry – let alone a victory – on the Dakar is a glaring omission from its resume.
As you’d expect, charging infrastructure presents a problem on the Dakar. This year’s edition, in Saudi Arabia, covered a total of 7900km with 5000km of special stages.
The Audi Dakar rally racer will have its battery charged while driving via an energy converter – this being a TFSI petrol engine. Audi hopes its motorsport learnings using such technology “will then be incorporated into the further development of future electrified production models.”
Audi’s withdrawal from Formula E is a substantial loss for the all-electric single-seater race series. It has had a full factory entry since 2017 – and supported partner ABT Sportsline since 2014 – but 2021 will be the brand’s final season as a works team. It will continue to offer its newly developed powertrain to customer teams beyond this date.
The brand also withdrew from DTM racing this year – Germany’s touring car series – after competing since the series’ 2000 inception.
Positively, this frees up cash for another tilt at Le Mans, which Audi has dominated since 2000. The brand has enjoyed 13 outright victories since the turn of the millennium, including three straight wins from 2012 using its hybrid R18 e-tron Quattro prototype.
With its proposed Le Mans Daytona Hybrid (LMDh) hypercar, Audi can once again expect to compete for top honours at the Le Mans 24 Hours. This petrol-hybrid sports prototype race car will be used in the top class of the World Endurance Championship, alongside Le Mans Hypercars such as Toyota’s and Peugeot’s efforts, slated for a 2022 debut.
Audi did not reveal if its LMDh entry would be ready for 2022 events, but with Porsche and Lamborghini also rumoured to be considering entires, it has the makings of a hugely competitive and entertaining race series with packed grids.
