Watch Carlos Sainz wallride a dune in his Audi RS Q e-tron

The 2023 Dakar Rally route is the longest since 2014. With more than 3,000 miles of special stages – and a marathon stage in the Empty Quarter – spread over two weeks of intense racing, Saudi Arabia is currently throwing its gnarliest terrain at the competitors of the jewel in the crown of rally raid racing. 

But no matter how hard one particularly steep sand dune tried, Audi Sport's three-time Dakar champ (and WRC legend) Carlos Sainz wouldn't back out of his RS Q e-tron's throttle pedal when the going got tough. What ensued was one of coolest dune surfs captured on film. In this video Audi Sport's rally ace gives his take on that viral footage and impressive feat of driving. 

For more of Audi's Dakar coverage, head over to TopGear.com's Dakar hub.

*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.

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