“Racecar Powertrain of the Year” award for the Audi RS Q e-tron

A few days before the second edition of the Dakar Rally, Team Audi Sport won one of the most important prizes in the motorsport industry with the Audi RS Q e-tron. After a two-year break due to the pandemic, the specialist magazine “Race Tech” organized the World Motorsport Symposium in London, at which experts from all over the world exchanged views on the latest trends in motorsport.

During the event, a specialist jury awarded prizes for the most important technical developments. The Audi RS Q e-tron received an award in the “Racecar Powertrain of the Year” category. Contestants in the same category were Mercedes (Formula E), Toyota (Le Mans Hypercar) and Swindon (BTCC Touring Cars).

With the RS Q e-tron, Audi Sport celebrated four stage victories on its debut appearance at the Dakar Rally in January 2022. In March, Stéphane Peterancell and Edouard Boulanger won the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. This was the first victory for an alternative powertrain and transmission vehicle in a cross-country race.

The Audi RS Q e-tron has an electric transmission system with an energy converter. It consists of a combustion engine and a generator as well as a high-voltage battery and two electric motors – one on the front and one on the rear axle.

At the 2023 Dakar Rally, which will be held from December 31, 2022 to January 15, 2023, Audi is also using sustainable fuel for the first time, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60%.