ROHRLREUNITED WITHOUATTROS1

Germantodrivepikespeakcarateifelrallyefestivalin2018

Walter Rohrl will return to the wheel of his 1987 Pikes Peak-winning Audi Sport quattro S1 E2 as the famous American hillclimb is celebrated during the Eifel Rallye Festival in Germany on July 19-21.

Pikes Peak is the theme for this year’s Eifel event and Audi Tradition will take two original works cars to the host town of Daun. As well as the 600bhp Sport quattro for Rohrl, Harald Demuth will drive the 1985-winning car. A third privately-entered quattro will be entered for double Pikes Peak winner John Buffum.

The ‘Race to the Clouds’, held in the Rocky Mountains, covers 12 miles and 156 corners en route to the summit of Pikes Peak at an altitude of more than 14,000 feet. On the Eifel Rally, the Pikes Peak cars will complete two demonstration stages.

Rohrl was the first driver to break 11 minutes for the climb. “I drove up the mountain eight times and made my own pacenotes. Then I gave each of the 156 corners a specific name and learnt all of them by heart. In contrast to some of my rivals, I knew where I was all the time. It is great to see Audi take this unique car out of its museum and show it in action to the audience.”

Another Group B rally car from the Pikes Peak story will head to Germany in July. British driver Mark Rennison, who tackled the US hillclimb in a modified Ford RS200 as recently as 2014, will enter the event.