Dakar 2023 – Audis gain power, not Toyotas and Prodrives

The note released by the decision-making committee of the World Championship rally-raid (W2RC) is succinct, of the order of 6 lines, but it could completely disrupt the established order on this Dakar 2023. Indeed, the Equivalence of Technology (EoT), implemented for the first time in this 45th edition ( December 31-January 15) and underwent a modification at the end of the fourth stage of the event, this Wednesday January 4.

The EoT is supposed to guarantee fairness of opportunity between vehicles with innovative engines (T1U, hybrid Audi RS Q e-tron) and T1+ (4×4 with petrol engine like the Prodrive Hunter and the Toyota Hilux, two-wheel drive with petrol engine like the Century and MD Rally, 4×4 diesel like the Mini JCW). AUTO n°2394hebdo, available in digital version and on newsstands, allows you to understand everything about this regulatory aspect.

ALSO READ > Audi, an irrational fear? Our report to understand Technology Equivalence 

The new EoT grants an increase in maximum power, only for the T1U, of around 8 kW (10,8 horsepower). The power of the Audi RS Q e-tron of Stéphane Peterhansel-Édouard Boulanger (3rd in the Dakar after stage 4), Carlos Sainz-Lucas Cruz (4th) and Mattias Ekström-Emil Bergkvist (8th) is increased to 266 kW (361,6 horsepower). This decision comes into effect from the 5th stage of the Dakar 2023, around Ha'il.

This EoT was modified by the W2RC committee, composed of David Castera, the Dakar Race Director and representative of Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) and Jérôme Roussel, the representative of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

The two men based themselves on the acceleration data of the T1 class cars collected and dissected by algorithms on the first three stages of the Dakar 2023 as well as in the prologue. FIA employees are also present on site in the bivouac, with the sole task of analyzing these readings.

This change in regulations will certainly not please the Toyota, Bahrain Raid Xtreme, and GCK Motorsport clans. This Wednesday evening, a few hours before the FIA ​​and ASO deliver their verdict, Mathieu Baumel, co-driver of Nasser Al-Attiyah and leader of the competition, was worried about the pace of the Audis.

« The Audis will gradually come back up. It's a little scary though. Stéphane is going to come back very strong, and Carlos is not going to let it happen either. » The boss of Overdrive, Jean-Marc Fortin, was of the same opinion. “If we let go a little, the Audis will pounce on us. Nothing is done. »

The previous version of the EoT had targeted all T1s, without exception. The T1+ and T1U had lost an almost identical amount of power: 42 horsepower for the Toyota and Prodrive and 30 kW for the Audi. This time, only Audi is revalued upwards.