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Workforce Audi Sport‘s rally raid effort lastly achieved their major aim after they received the Dakar Rally in January, however it got here at a price as components shortages pressured them to close down before anticipated, unable to race the remainder of the World Rally-Raid Championship. So as to add insult to damage, the FIA introduced Tuesday that they’ve been given a €750,000 tremendous for not showing on the ongoing Abu Dhabi Desert Problem regardless of being registered for the producer’s championship.
2024 was already going to be Audi’s last yr in rally raid earlier than they give attention to their new Method One arm, which can début in 2026, however they nonetheless deliberate to run the complete W2RC season earlier than shuttering. After successful the Dakar with Carlos Sainz, they led the producer’s standings with 76 factors, 13 forward of Toyota.
Despite the Dakar victory, heavy attrition over the previous two years of racing meant they didn’t have sufficient elements left to proceed the season. As the one electrical automobile within the W2RC’s Final class, the Audi RS Q e-tron E2 makes use of specialised components that solely a choose listing of suppliers present, and a few require so long as two years to be produced. Audi consequently folded the division in mid-February and the FIA was knowledgeable of the information on 23 February, two days earlier than the beginning of the ADDC. Sven Quant, who runs Audi’s technical accomplice Q Motorsport, additionally advised the FIA that Audi AG’s new CEO Gernot Döllner didn’t want to proceed the programme following Dakar.
Whatever the circumstances, the FIA deemed their absence a violation of Article 3.4.3 of the Cross-Nation Rally Sporting Laws, which states a marque who has registered for factors “undertakes to take part in all of the Rallies of the Championship with no less than one automobile of Teams Final, Inventory, Challenger or SSV complying with the technical rules in drive.” In 2023, BAIC ORV had all of their factors deducted and have been fined €10,000 after they entered the producer’s championship however skipped the ultimate two rounds. Competing for factors is such a serious dedication that FIA producers should pay €55,000 to be eligible.
€562,500 of Audi’s tremendous is utilized on a suspended sentence supplied they don’t repeat it, although the group’s demise ensures they must pay it off except another person manages to takes their place. Quandt has expressed curiosity in buying the RS Q e-trons for Q Motorsport, although low components stays a difficulty even when Audi approves the switch.
Toyota, Prodrive, and Mini are the one different manufacturers within the 2024 producer’s title battle.
Sainz and his team-mates Mattias Ekström and Stéphane Peterhansel have been allowed to hitch different groups following Audi’s closing, however none are racing at Abu Dhabi. Conversely, Peterhansel’s co-driver Édouard Boulanger is now with Prodrive’s Nasser Al-Attiyah who presently leads the ADDC.
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