Van Loon Racing Preparing One of Four Audi Rally Cars for Dakar Classic

Editor’s Note: It’s that time of year again when the Dakar Rally prepares to kick off the FIA World Rally Raid Championship. And, while Audi Sport and its RS Q e-tron have notably stepped away from the sport following last year’s overall win, a quartet of quattros are being prepared under the name “Dutch quattro Legends” (#705, #713, #717 and #729) and are stepping in to fill the void in their own way by competing in the Dakar Classic, a parallel event less about outright speed and more about celebrating the heritage of Dakar. Given the quattro legend in rally, not to mention a few quattro-based Dakar campaigns we’ve covered in the past including that of the ur-ur quattro the VW Iltis, it’s incredible to see a team bringing the quattro legend into the Dakar Classic.

We’ve got the full translated press release from Van Loon Racing, a team fielding one of the four cars, plus a few photos they’ve released of their cars.

PRESS RELEASE: Erik van Loon Goes for Victory in Dakar Classic

[source: Van Loon Racing, translation by Apple]

On Friday 3 January, the Dakar Classic starts in Bisha, Saudi Arabia. Erik van Loon and Hein Verschuuren are at the start with an Audi S1 Quattro. The Dakar Classic is a different type of rally than the normal Dakar Rally, during the Classic it’s about regularity and not so much about speed. That does not alter the fact that Erik would very much like to win the rally.

“Of course I would like to win,” says Erik. “Although it is a different type of rally and speed is less important here. But we will do our best. The most important thing about the Dakar Classic is to enjoy and drive through the desert without pressure. During the daily tests, Hein and I will try to score as well as possible, but we will mainly have a nice adventure together in the Audi.”

The Audi was built in Veghel by Auto Sport Veghel. “In total, four of these Audis are going to Saudi Arabia. We have tested it before in Morocco and the car did very well there. During the Dakar Classic there are several speed categories and we ride in the fastest class, the H4 class. We look forward to traveling and starting in a few weeks.”

What is the Dakar Classic?

With the introduction of the Dakar Classic in 2021, the organization wanted to revive the old days of the rally. The cars and trucks that can participate are all at least 20 years old. It is a regularity rally, where participants must try to drive at a predetermined average speed. The closer the participant gets to this average, the fewer penalty points he gets. The team with the fewest penalty points wins.

In addition to the average speed, participants are tested in two other ways. There is the navigation test, in which the GPS is kept to a minimum in part of the stage and the navigator has to navigate just like before. And the dune test, where participants have to pick up waypoints in the dunes as efficiently as possible. In this way, the participants are tested in classic vehicles in the toughest terrain.

Do they drive on the same course as the regular Dakar?

No, they have their own tests but they do share the same bivouac. It may happen that the Dakar Classic crosses the route of the regular Dakar, but otherwise the participants should not meet each other on the test. In total, the Dakar Classic covers 4,033 kilometers, which count for the standings.

The trials, on the other hand, are certainly no less challenging. The organization is doing its best to map out a diverse route for the Classics as well. During these tests, there are sections, from 10 to 100 kilometers, that the participants have to cover at a certain speed. This speed changes based on the terrain on which they drive.

The Dakar Classic starts on January 3 in Bisha and finishes on January 17 in Shubaytah. For more information, visit https://www.dakar.com/en/dakar-classic.