Video: What happens before a Dakar Rally?

Audi’s Dakar effort has made it to Sea Camp, the first bivouac of the 2023 Dakar Rally. This temporary village on the coast of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, is a dusty hive of activity and base camp for the start of the race.

But before the three innovative RS Q e-trons even hit the start line, there’s plenty to do; infrastructure needs to be built, scrupulous scrutineering needs to ticked off and a final shakedown of all three cars needs to happen before race day.

It’s fascinating stuff which you can check out in the video above. And stay tuned for more updates on Audi’s Dakar campaign, here on Top Gear’s Audi Dakar Hub.

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*This vehicle shown here is the Rally Dakar vehicle that is not available as a production model. Closed course, professional driver. Do not attempt. The Audi RS Q e-tron combines an electric drivetrain with an energy converter system comprising a TFSI engine and generator.