André Lotterer climbs into the driving seat at this year’s Festival of Speed, where Audi combines tradition with state-of-the-art technology
- AndréLotterer will be behind the wheel of the R18 e-tron quattro and Audi 90 quattro IMSA-GTO
- Audi Tradition celebrates 100 years since the Audi Type C Alpine Victor secured its first motor racing triumph
- Former British Touring Car Champion Frank Biela to drive the 1936 Auto Union Type C racer
- Silverstone simulation laps available with reigning World Sportscar Champion Allan McNish using state-of-the-art ‘Oculus Rift’ technology
- UK public debut of the Audi RS 4 Avant Nogaro selection
Just two weeks after his triumph at the world’s most famous endurance race with team-mates Marcel Fässler and Benoït Tréluyer, Audi Sport factory driver André Lotterer will be back behind the wheel of two Audi racing cars at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The three-time Le Mans winner and fellow 24-hour stalwarts Allan McNish and Frank Biela will be among the stars celebrating the Vorsprung durch Technik brand’s remarkable track record in motorsport at the much-loved event.
Lotterer, who also set the fastest lap of the 24-hour race, will drive a 2014 R18 e-tron quattro that secured the thirteenth overall triumph for Audi in 16 attempts at the Circuit de la Sarthe. He will also drive the Audi 90 quattro IMSA-GTO up the famous 1.16-mile hill to commemorate 25 years since Audi first entered the GTO category of the IMSA Series. This two-metre wide pure-bred race car develops a staggering 720 PS and achieved seven wins in its 13-race campaign, piloted by Hans-Joachim Stuck who subsequently claimed third place in the 1989 IMSA GTO Championship despite Audi opting to miss two races.
Audi Tradition is also featuring the Audi Type C “Alpine Victor” for the first time at the Festival of Speed. When founder August Horch left the Horch company in 1909, he established a new enterprise in the very same year and named it Audi – the Latin translation of his surname, which means “Hark!” August Horch’s third Audi model, the Type C, was unveiled in 1911 and considered to be one of his best and most mature designs. The “Type C” truly proved its mettle when it won one of the toughest motor sport endurance races of that era – the Austrian Alpine Trial – three times in succession between 1912 and 1914.
The Auto Union Type C from 1936 is a familiar face at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This year it will be driven by five-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela, who is inseparably associated with Audi’s racing achievements. “Driving at Goodwood is always a special experience. I’m really looking forward to the Auto Union Silver Arrow,” remarked Biela.
A real favourite with the crowds, the Silver Arrow piloted by Bernd Rosemeyer dominated European racing circuits in 1936 and, in 1937, was driven to victory by the ‘Mist Master’ in the first Grand Prix to be held at Donington Park. The 16-cylinder engine which produces 520 PS turns hundreds of heads from the moment it is started.
Joining the Audi 90 quattro IMSA-GTO and Type C entrants on the hill and in the F1 paddock will also be the iconic Sport quattro S1 and the 2011 Le Mans-winning R18 TDI sports prototype.
Latest Audi line-up also on display
From Friday to Sunday, the Audi Moving Motor Show area will play host to an “Occulus Rift Virtual Experience” which will simulate what it is like to be driven around the Silverstone Circuit in an R8 or RS 6 Avant by Allan McNish. This exciting ‘ride’ will be open to the public with no need to pre-book.
The Audi offroad experience will also be running from Friday to Sunday, enabling visitors to tackle a special offroad course in either a Q3, Q5, Q7, A4 allroad or A6 allroad. Silverstone Instructors will initially give demonstrations of the circuit to guests, who will then have the opportunity to drive themselves. Participants will also have the opportunity to have their ‘lap’ logged on our “King of quattro Leader Board” which will show the daily performance results of all drivers. The top scorer on the leader board at the end of each day will win a place on the Audi Driving Experience driver training course (involving S, RS and R8 models) at Silverstone in 2014.
The Audi Stand
A total of 30 production and concept cars will be displayed on the Audi Stand, including the new S1, the all-new TT and TTS, the A3 Sportback e-tron, the new super-economical A4, A5 and A6 ‘ultra range’, all the RS models, the allroad shooting brake concept and the Sport quattro laserlight concept. Audi content including product information, social media content and footage from all of the other Audi areas at Goodwood will be displayed on a large scale Media Wall, and the Audi Customer VIP Terrace will also be available once again, providing Audi drivers who show their Audi key with an exclusive area where they can relax and enjoy cold drinks and strawberries & cream as well as a great view of the action on the hill.
Limited RS 4 Avant Nogaro selection UK debut
Also making its UK public debut this weekend will be a limited edition version of the 450 PS RS 4 Avant. Paying homage to the first ever RS Audi to be built – the iconic RS 2 Avant, the new RS 4 Avant Nogaro selection will represent one of less than 50 examples to arrive in the UK and is finished in Nogaro blue pearl effect paint with Nogaro blue interior detailing. A comprehensive list of customisation options are fitted as standard, including Dynamic steering, a Sports exhaust system, Sports Suspension Plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) and an increased 174mph top speed restriction. The RS 4 Avant Nogaro selection is priced from £67,170 OTR and first deliveries are expected at the end of this year.