Tuesday 7th August 2012

Audi to return to Pikes Peak?

Audi Sport liveried RS5 teased ahead of 25th anniversary of Rohrl's Pikes Peak victory

---

Perhaps inspired (or then again, perhaps not...) by the A1 Competition Line pack, Audi USA's Facebook page has run an intriguing teaser image ahead of the weekend's Pikes Peak hillclimb.

Promising "we've got a surprise for you" with the intention to "pay homage to our record-breaking past here", the only other material offered is a short history lesson (Audi's words) in video form showing the likes of Rohrl, Mouton and Unser attacking the hill in increasingly mental S1 Sport Quattros.

So, any more than a set of stickers? As we've seen, Audi isn't shy of building the odd limited-run special, with or without the involvement of Quattro GmbH. And it is 25 years since Walter Rohrl won Audi's third Pikes Peak victory on the trot, beating Ari Vatanen by seven seconds with a dominant display of Vorsprung Durch (lots of) Technik, his Quattro including then cutting-edge tech like ... a dual-clutch gearbox. Something the RS5 and plenty of Audis besides now feature as standard, of course.

Looking at the entry list it wouldn't appear Audi is planning an official assault on the now fully paved and, since last year, sub-10min course, though there are three privateers in Time Attack class Audis. So we'll have to expect some sort of road car.

Meanwhile preparations for the event, delayed from the original July date by forest fires in the region, kick off today ahead of race day on Sunday. British interest will be focused on Liam Doran, running his RS200 in the unlimited class alongside similarly equipped Mark Rennison while recent king of the hill and last year's winner 'Monster' Tajima goes electric. Meanwhile expect the locals to be cheering on the amusingly named Cody Loveland in his 850hp Honda NSX. Full live streaming (pay per view) is available on the official Pikes Peak website.

The S1 Quattro at Pikes Peak

 

 

[kyleecob]

Anyone know if a Sky channel runs any coverage or highlights?

[Mark-C]

Not sure an A5 would be my first choice of car to base a Pikes Peak special on so would guess this will be a set of stickers and some nice wheels (white magnesium Speedlines?)

And whilst I'm in a grumpy mood - can we have some gravel back on the circuit, and lots of it? Seems tame these days no matter how mad the cars are ....

[KMB]

It could be one of the few Audis that doesn't send you to sleep behind the wheel!

I'd also like to see it back on gravel.

[Dakkon]

Hnadling on the standard RS% is supposed to be very numb, but I would imagine any Pikes Peak RS5 would be fitteed with suspension far from standard.

[richb77]

Am I alone in truly hating these video game style sneak peak photos?

The promo shot of the front of the Audi half in shadow is purely an exercise in computer generated art and because of that look fake.

It spoils the whole article IMO.

[Pistonwot]

Mark-C said:

Not sure an A5 would be my first choice of car to base a Pikes Peak special on so would guess this will be a set of stickers and some nice wheels (white magnesium Speedlines?)

And whilst I'm in a grumpy mood - can we have some gravel back on the circuit, and lots of it? Seems tame these days no matter how mad the cars are ....

+1

Audi really suck at the moment and I doubt their fat S5 could get to the top of the hill if it was towed.
Audi's racing heritage is what 'made' them great and cars they produce now, especially the "sticker pack" produce, are utterly embarrasing.

[vdubbin]

[quote]
I'd also like to see it back on gravel.
[/quote]
Aye, it's a shame the PP course is all Tarmac this year…

[hope2421]

Getting sick of Audi using its Quattro Rally heritage to sell new models but they don't support it's parts etc the people who still try to care for the original ur quattros.

[M@1975]

Hmm a white A5.. haven't seen one of those in... Oh hang on, the work car park is full of them, ignore me.

Repmobile for the Peak? not interested.

[quantum_man]

M@1975 said:

Hmm a white A5.. haven't seen one of those in... Oh hang on, the work car park is full of them, ignore me.

Repmobile for the Peak? not interested.

At least they can't cut you up when they're sat stationary in a car park

[Mattmeister]

maybe (since they took over Ducati) they spotted the Multistrada Pikes Peak edition and decided they wanted to do something similar.

At least Ducati actually entered the bike though (and won last year), a sticker set and 25yr old video is pretty lame.

[markCSC]

Would be nice if they built one with the TTRS 5 pot turbo in it. At least it would then sound like the UR quattro.

[Pistonwot]

Mattmeister said:

maybe (since they took over Ducati) they spotted the Multistrada Pikes Peak edition and decided they wanted to do something similar.

At least Ducati actually entered the bike though (and won last year), a sticker set and 25yr old video is pretty lame.

That is the Audi/VAG ethos is it not? (cynical marketing k-nobs that shamelessly rape all they can to shift another unit)
Consider the cold, dead Audi response to the question "Will Audi contest F1?"

[hairykrishna]

That's a bit of a disappointing tribute. They could have thrown a few million of their marketing budget at some kind of one off monster then let Walter go back and show everyone how it's done again.

[Guvernator]

Hang on, have I just read that Pikes Peak is now fully paved!! WHHHYYY?? The best thing about Pikes Peak was seeing the monster cars, spitting gravel 20ft in the air as they did 90 degree power slides inches from the edge of a precipice, why would they feel the need to change this?

[GH80]

Thanks Audi, that music was brilliant. It is much better than the original 5 pot screaming and backfiring.

fking cretins, give me my 5 cylinder warble! Lucky I have seen this many times before with the original soundtrack.

[Twincam16]

richb77 said:

Am I alone in truly hating these video game style sneak peak photos?

The promo shot of the front of the Audi half in shadow is purely an exercise in computer generated art and because of that look fake.

It spoils the whole article IMO.

Me too. I hate it.

What happened to the big motor show reveal? Let the magazines speculate all they like, but they'll only know the truth when the covers are whipped off. It's far better showmanship than all this digi-geek wkery.

[Jayinjapan]

Guvernator said:

Hang on, have I just read that Pikes Peak is now fully paved!! WHHHYYY?? The best thing about Pikes Peak was seeing the monster cars, spitting gravel 20ft in the air as they did 90 degree power slides inches from the edge of a precipice, why would they feel the need to change this?

Taken from Wikipedia.

"Litigation was pursued by the Sierra Club in 1998-1999, on grounds of environmental damage from the gravel portion of the road.[3] The environmental damage was caused primarily by the 150,000,000 pounds (68,038,856 kg) of gravel that washes away annually. The same amount needed to be hauled up the mountain each year in order to maintain the road surface. Environmental damage includes alpine ponds and wetlands becoming filled with gravel, and layers of gravel averaging 2 feet (0.6 m) to 4 feet (1.2 m) feet deep covering the forest floor below[4]. Pursuant to the settlement agreed by the Sierra Club and the City of Colorado Springs, the unpaved portion of the Pikes Peak Highway became a hard-surface road, despite concerns that such a project would radically change the nature of the annual automobile and motorcycle race. The paving project was completed on October 1, 2011[5].
Pikes Peak Hillclimb champion Rod Millen warned that paving the road will put an end to the race.[6]"

Full article for the lazy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pikes_Peak_Highway

So there you go, environmentalists, trying to save everything but ruining stuff that made life fun in the first place while they`re at it......

[Antj]

Doran Junior is not doing it now Due to ERC but Pat Doran has taken the Drive.

Also does anyone know why Walter Rohrl dropped out as he was entered originaly to be taking an S1 up , assume it was a date thing.

[Pistonwot]

Guvernator said:

So there you go, environmentalists,

Not sure about the "enviro" bit but the rest of that word describes these misery freaks perfectly.
Darwin needs to meet these killjoy douche bags.