<< Prev Page 3 of 3 By the time the Sport Quattro S1 made its debut, the Peugeot 205 T16 had already won six rallies out of a possible eight. At the new car's first outing, reigning champion Blomqvist scored a commendable second with the S1, behind a Peugeot of course. Röhrl salvaged the season for Audi by winning the San Remo Rally. There the massive power and traction of the Audi gave it the edge over the better handling and much nimbler Peugeot. Having barely caught on with the Peugeot, Audi was confronted with an all new turbocharged and supercharged Lancia at the final round of the season.
Audi's engineers worked hard over the winter on the engine, which reportedly produced in excess of 600 bhp at the start of the 1986 season. The podium of the traditional season opening Rallye Monte Carlo was telling with a Lancia and Peugeot heading the third placed Audi of Mikkola. Audi's presence in the World Championship came to a dramatic end after the Rallye de Portugal. Three spectators were killed and a further 30 were injured after a Ford RS200 pilot plunged into the crowd. Audi announced their withdrawal from the sport shortly after.
Audi also dispatched the Sport Quattro and Sport Quattro S1 to the United States for the annual Pikes Peak Hillclimb. In 1984 Michelle Mouton became the first woman to win 'The Race to the Clouds.' In 1985 she repeated that feat in a Sport Quattro S1. Bobby Unser continued Audi's winning streak in 1986. With Group B cancelled in 1987 the competition at Pikes Peak was much stronger that year. Röhrl was handed a mildly modified Sport Quattro S1 with an even wilder bodykit. The turboboost was raised to produce a rumored 1000+ bhp. The German rally-legend won at his first attempt.
Audi's world rally program lasted less than five years but its influence can still be felt. With four championships, the adventure was also highly successful for Audi. The Sport Quattro and the extreme Sport Quattro S1 represented the final development of the 'urQuattro' and remain as the most powerful rally cars ever built. The valuable lessons learned were later applied to GT and Touring car racing, winning Trans-Am, DTM and BTCC titles in the following years. << Prev Page 3 of 3
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By the time the Sport Quattro S1 made its debut, the Peugeot 205 T16 had already won six rallies out of a possible eight. At the new car's first outing, reigning champion Blomqvist scored a commendable second with the S1, behind a Peugeot of course. Röhrl salvaged the season for Audi by winning the San Remo Rally. There the massive power and traction of the Audi gave it the edge over the better handling and much nimbler Peugeot. Having barely caught on with the Peugeot, Audi was confronted with an all new turbocharged and supercharged Lancia at the final round of the season.