183 – Goodwood Festival features Walter Rohrl and Jacky Ickx

The Pikes Peak Quattro: Walter Rohrl will drive it at Goodwood

Audi celebrates centenary at Goodwood

It’s been a while since I last went to the Goodwood Festival – a celebration of motorsport at Goodwood, in Sussex.

But it’s a fabulous event. I liked going on the Friday – fewer crowds, more proximity to the cars, and you could still watch the cars practising up the hill. I often went with a friend of mine who had a passion for old Mercedes…and a Morris Minor.

This year – over July 3-5 – there is the chance to witness former world rally champion Walter Rohrl and Le Mans legend Jacky Ickx. Both are coming to help celebrate Audi’s 100 years.

Walter Rohrl will be driving an original flame-belching 1986 Audi Sport Quattro S1 Pikes Peak rally car.

Pikes Peak is an awesome (to use American phraseology) 12.5-mile, 156-corner hill climb in Colorado. It features sheer drops off the narrow, winding and rocky track to the 14,000 feet summit.

Until Audiarrived in 1985, the hill had been the preserve of special machines built for the Pikes Peak climb. But that was until Michele Mouton arrived with the four-wheel drive Quattro. Not only did she win the event, she did it in a four-wheel drive car…and…and…she was female to rub salt into the old boys’ wounds!

The following year, American auto racing legend Bobby Unser Sr stepped into the Quattro and duly won. But the one climb that really stood out was in 1987, when Walter Rohrl, on his last ascent, was the first driver to dip under the 11m bracket with a stunning 10:47.85.