Stéphane Peterhansel: "This is good for morale"

Dakar 2022 | Stage 10 | ALULA > ALULA
January 12 ^th 2022 - 14:40 [GMT + 3]

The absolute recordman of the rally took his 82nd Dakar special, his first behind the wheel of an Audi RS Q e-tron.

"It was one of our first clean specials, without shock absorber issues, punctures or navigation problems. We haven't had any big mechanicals since the start of the second week, so we're making good progress and having fun driving the car. I'm not necessarily a stage hunter, but each Audi driver has now won a stage, and that's fantastic. When Carlos became the first driver to win a Dakar stage in an electric car, it was a milestone, now we confirmed that performance. This is good for morale, not least because it comes after a complicated start to the rally. We need to win in 2023. Failure is not an option. At any rate, we need to be ready. But it's never easy. If you lose 1 h 30 to a navigation blunder, even the best car in the world isn't going to put you back in contention."