thE fantastiC - Audi Encounter

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Hermann Reil
the fantastic
Photos
Matt Howell
Stefan Warter
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Motorsport is part of Audi DNA
Competition is what drives us. For more than 100 years, Audi has been asserting itself with major
success on the race tracks of the world – be it in the contests of the pioneering era,
the Grand Prix races of the 30s, the rally tracks of the 80s or the legendary Le Mans circuit.
Just four examples from a victorious century.
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AUSTRIAN
ALPINE RUN
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Vienna
Karavankas
Rijeka
Trieste
Bolzano
Stelvio Pass
Reschen Pass
Innsbruck
High Tauern
Audi Type C
1914
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Where the boss himself won
Motorsport was tough in the early years. The Alpine run organized by the k.u.k. Österreichischer
Automobil-Club (Austrian Automobile Club) was over six days and covered an
almost 3,000-kilometer arc from Vienna, across the Alpine passes to the Adriatic and back.
It was referred to at the time as “the world’s greatest automobile sporting event”.
In the years before the First World War, the steep, still unsurfaced Alpine passes were a huge
adventure for both man and machine.
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ALPEN
SIEGER
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For August Horch, these harsh tours were the best way to prove the quality of his automobiles.
He founded the Audi brand in 1909 and, from 1912 to 1914, the Type C was triumphant
three times in succession. After that, the Type C, driven by a 3.6-liter four-cylinder, proudly bore the
addendum “Alpensieger” (Alpine victor). It was the most successful model of the early
Audi era, with unit sales of more than 1,100.
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Horch at the wheel –
the Audi founder was a big motorsport fan – and active driver.
No fear of heights –
even in the 21st century, the Audi Alpensieger
is not afraid of mountain passes.
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AVUS BERLIN
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Start/finish line
Südschleife
Exit to Nordschleife
Nordschleife
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Goodwood Revival –
Auto Union Type A ahead
of Mercedes W25 – the adversaries
of 1934.
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Record run –
Hans Stuck on the straight of the
AVUS track in Berlin.
Thunder clap –
the sixteen-cylinder has an elaborate
starting procedure.
world
record
Auto Union Type A
1934
It started with the record
It was nothing less than a revolution. The new race car bearing the four rings was utterly different
from anything else ever seen in motorsport. Professor Ferdinand Porsche, one of the
greatest automotive geniuses of the first century of the automobile, had created a hi-tech, mid-engine car
for the Auto Union – it had better weight distribution, more traction, a fuel tank in the middle –
the idea was inspiring, but not entirely straightforward to implement.
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But the race track provided immediate proof – at its very first outing on March 6, 1934 on
the AVUS in Berlin, Hans Stuck drove an impressive world record. The sixteen-cylinder engine with a Roots
supercharger in the Type A started off with a displacement of just 4.5 liters and 295 hp.
The revised Type B followed in 1935 with five liters of displacement and 375 hp. Porsche’s design blossomed
fully in 1936: The V16 grew into a six-liter unit, with the output climbing to more than 500 hp.
The era of unique, fascinating, high-performance machines ended in 1939 with the twelve-cylinder,
twin-supercharged Type D. And what began as a revolution – the mid-engine layout –
had become standard by the late 50s.
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world
ChaMP
Heroes meet –
Stig Blomqvist and Walter Röhrl at the
2014 Eifel Rally Festival.
Audi Rally quattro A2
1984
A force of nature on the rally track
Audi revolutionized rallying; quattro broke like a force of nature onto what was back then a rather
low-key scene. In 1982, only its second year of competition, quattro secured the
brand championship for Audi. By 1984, there was no longer anybody who doubted the superiority
of permanent all-wheel drive. Quite the opposite, in fact – the competition upped their
game and the battle on gravel and asphalt became every tougher.
Good speed –
even at the age of 68, Stig Blomqvist
is still impressively fast.
Then came October 4, the final day of the Ivory Coast Rally. Audi works driver Stig Blomqvist
made the “big point”, winning in the Audi Sport quattro with a lead of 22 minutes. Thanks to previous
victories in Sweden, Greece, New Zealand and Argentina, his championship total stood
at 125 points – unassailable. On the same day, Audi leapt over the bar in the brand championship, too –
unassailable. For Blomqvist, winning the driver title in the World Rally Championship
was the highlight of a great career. The Audi team was able to celebrate not only the second brand
championship title after 1982, but also the first championship race win for
the newly developed Audi Sport quattro.
Greek dust –
Stig Blomqvist on his way to victory
at the Acropolis Rally in 1984.
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Stig Blomqvist’s victories
in the 1984 WRC
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Sweden
Ivory Coast
Greece
New Zealand
Argentina
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Le MAns
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LE MANS
Start/finish line
Course Dunlop
Virage Du Tertre Rouge
Ralentisseur Playstation
Ligne Droite des Hunaudières
Ralentisseur Michelin
Virage Mulsanne
Virage d’Indianapolis
Virage d’Arnage
Virage Porsche
WINNER
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AUDI R 18 e-tron quattro
2014
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Motorsport Holy Ground
The 13.629 kilometers in the heart of France are motorsport holy ground.
24 hours at the absolute limit. Speed counts, but reliability and strategy are almost more important.
Audi has been a serial winner since 2000. The trophy had already gone no fewer than
12 times to the team with the four rings.
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The battle in 2014, however, was a very tough one. The changed hybrid regulations and the
entry of Porsche as a new competitor set the bar very high. The competition was also extremely fast.
What mattered once again in the end though were consistency, reliability and caution.
Audi Sport Team Joest came through against the toughest of competition from Toyota and the returning
Porsche team in a race that was, for a long time, completely open. It wasn’t until the final
phase that the pendulum swung toward the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro in places one and two.
It was the 13th Le Mans success for the brand with the four rings out of 16 starts –
and perhaps the most precious so far.
Hard work rewarded –
the interaction of technology, driver
and pit team secured
a double victory for Audi at Le Mans
in 2014.
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