7/30/2019 Audi quattro S1 Pikes Peak

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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 o Colorado takes place at dizzying

heights. The starting line is at 2,866 meters (9,402.89 t) and the

nish line is at the summit 19.99 kilometers (12.42 miles) away.

At that time, the serpentine course with its 156 curves consisted

mainly o sand and gravel over a solid substrate o clay. The

course is six meters (16.69 t) wide on the straights and up to

15 meters (49.21 t) wide in the corners; there are no guardrails.

The course repeatedly runs along sharp edges like the edge o a

table. At a point known as the Bottomless Pit, there is gaping

1,800 meter (5,905.51 t) drop-o.

Audi entered the Pikes Peak or the rst time in 1984. Michle

Mouton nished second in the Sport quattro; she won the race

in 1985. In 1986, local driver Bobby Unser set a new record o

11:09.22 minutes in the S1; Walter Rhrl ollowed him the next

year. His Sport quattro S1 was a concept o bare unctionality

pushed to the absolute l imit. The ve-cylinder engine pumped out

440 kW (nearly 600 hp) and 590 Nm (435.16 lb-t) o torque. The

recirculation system kept the large turbocharger spinning. A dual-

clutch transmission directed the power to a quattro powertrain

with three locking dierentials.

Sitting behind the 16-inch tires with the cut slicks was a small and

lightweight brake system developed specically or hill climbs.

The S1 weighed only around 1,000 kilograms (2,204.64 lb) and

eatured a tubular space rame paneled with steel and plastic.

Massive wings at the ront and rear pressed the body against the

ground, and even the fanks sported vertical stabilizers.

On race day, June 11, Rhrl started second to last, beore thedriver with the astest practice time, Ari Vatanen (Peugeot). As

calm and collected as ever behind the wheel, the Bavarian navi-

gated the worlds highest highway in the record time o 10:47.85

minutes. He got the Sport quattro S1 into sixth gear our times

and was clocked at 196 km/h (121.79 mph) at the astest part o

the track. Rhrl beat Vatanen by nearly seven seconds.

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

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