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The Audi Sport quattro S1 Pikes Peak

The S1 exited the stage with a phenomenal victory.
Following the end of Group B, the S1 was still able to celebrate one last triumph victory in the 1987 Pikes Peak mountain race with Walter Rhrl at the wheel. The International Hill Climb on the 4,301 meter (14,110.89 ft) mountain in the U.S. state of Colorado takes place at dizzying heights. The starting line is at 2,866 meters (9,402.89 ft) and the finish line is at the summit 19.99 kilometers (12.42 miles) away. At that time, the serpentine course with its 156 curves consisted mainly of sand and gravel over a solid substrate of clay. The course is six meters (16.69 ft) wide on the straights and up to 15 meters (49.21 ft) wide in the corners; there are no guardrails. The course repeatedly runs along sharp edges like the edge of a table. At a point known as the Bottomless Pit, there is gaping 1,800 meter (5,905.51 ft) drop-off. Audi entered the Pikes Peak for the first time in 1984. Michle Mouton finished second in the Sport quattro; she won the race in 1985. In 1986, local driver Bobby Unser set a new record of 11:09.22 minutes in the S1; Walter Rhrl followed him the next year. His Sport quattro S1 was a concept of bare functionality pushed to the absolute limit. The five-cylinder engine pumped out 440 kW (nearly 600 hp) and 590 Nm (435.16 lb-ft) of torque. The recirculation system kept the large turbocharger spinning. A dualclutch transmission directed the power to a quattro powertrain with three locking differentials.

Sitting behind the 16-inch tires with the cut slicks was a small and lightweight brake system developed specifically for hill climbs. The S1 weighed only around 1,000 kilograms (2,204.64 lb) and featured a tubular space frame paneled with steel and plastic. Massive wings at the front and rear pressed the body against the ground, and even the flanks sported vertical stabilizers. On race day, June 11, Rhrl started second to last, before the driver with the fastest practice time, Ari Vatanen (Peugeot). As calm and collected as ever behind the wheel, the Bavarian navigated the worlds highest highway in the record time of 10:47.85 minutes. He got the Sport quattro S1 into sixth gear four times and was clocked at 196 km/h (121.79 mph) at the fastest part of the track. Rhrl beat Vatanen by nearly seven seconds.

Source: DVD quattro Highlights 2010 | Status: 03/2010