thE fantastiC - Audi Encounter
Transcription
thE fantastiC - Audi Encounter
Text Hermann Reil the fantastic Photos Matt Howell Stefan Warter four 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. 138 Encounter Technology 139 Encounter Technology AUSTRIAN ALPINE RUN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Vienna Karavankas Rijeka Trieste Bolzano Stelvio Pass Reschen Pass Innsbruck High Tauern Audi Type C 1914 8 9 7 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. 2 6 ALPEN SIEGER 1 5 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. 4 3 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. 140 Encounter Technology 141 Encounter Technology AVUS BERLIN 1 2 3 4 Start/finish line Südschleife Exit to Nordschleife Nordschleife 1 4 3 Goodwood Revival – Auto Union Type A ahead of Mercedes W25 – the adversaries of 1934. 2 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. 142 Encounter Technology 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. 143 Encounter Technology 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. 1 3 2 5 Stig Blomqvist’s victories in the 1984 WRC 144 Encounter Technology 145 Encounter Technology 1 2 3 4 5 Sweden Ivory Coast Greece New Zealand Argentina 4 Le MAns 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 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 6 5 7 4 AUDI R 18 e-tron quattro 2014 3 8 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. 9 1 2 10 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. 146 Encounter Technology 147 Encounter Technology