Rally-Raid
Dakar 2024 – Mattias Ekström: “The battle to win the Dakar is over”
The Swede worked on his car. Photo DPPI / Antonin Vincent
He was the surprise guest on the podium of the Dakar 2024 at the halfway point in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). Mattias Ekström (Audi) quickly became disillusioned when relaunching his attack during the seventh stage, this Sunday January 14.
The Swedish driver, associated with Emil Bergkvist, lost around three hours following a mechanical failure in his Audi RS Q e-tron E2 hybrid. Like Stéphane Peterhansel during the 48 Hours, the problem did not concern the electric motors or the thermal generator.
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“Everyone will ask me what could have happened, but I don’t have much to say at the moment, he said in an Instagram video. After 30 km, we felt that something was moving abnormally in the car. We heard a noise, “clack, clac clac”, not very loud, but repetitive. Later we had a slow puncture and part of the steering knuckle was rubbing against the rim. »
Forced to wait for the assistance truck to repair the damage, the former champion of DTM and the World Rallycross plunged out of the top 10 in the general classification, despite being only 20 minutes behind the leader Carlos Sainz this morning. “The battle to win the Dakar is now over. Of course, I am very disappointed. »
Medhi Casaurang
Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!
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