BBC_Top_Gear_South_Africa_June_2017
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RACING<br />
LEGENDS<br />
Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO<br />
WORDS: JASON BARLOW<br />
W<br />
henTrans-Ambanned4WDjustafter<br />
theAudi200wonthe1988season,<br />
AudiswitchedtotheIMSAseriesand<br />
set about creating an all-new tubular<br />
steelspaceframe,clothedinabodythatresembled<br />
the90quattrobutonlyifyou’dconsumedyour<br />
bodyweightinstrongliquor.Welikethefactthatit<br />
effectively shoehorned the gizzards of the highly<br />
successful world rally car – and Walter Röhrl’s<br />
PikesPeak’87record-settingmonster–intoa<br />
silhouette track car. Remember, then, Audi was<br />
stillsomethingofanicheconcern,forwhomthe<br />
enduranceracingandLeMans-slaying dream was<br />
still a decade or more away.<br />
The20v,5cyl2.2-litrehadamassiveKKKturbo<br />
bolted onto it, and now made about 540kW. Most<br />
oftheenginewassitedaheadofthefrontaxle.The<br />
exhaust exited, in hugely unsubtle fashion, through<br />
whatwouldhavebeenthepassengerdooronthe<br />
roadcar;theonlythingcarriedoverfromthe<br />
real-world90wasitsroof.Variouscarbon<br />
composites were used in the body, and a lot of wind<br />
tunnel effort was expended on the air dam and<br />
large rear wing. The suspension used double<br />
wishbones and coil springs, with ventilated discs<br />
all round.<br />
AudiofAmericarantheIMSAcampaignitself.<br />
With the Trans-Am champ Hurley Haywood<br />
retained, alongside the mighty Hans-Joachim<br />
Stuck,theteamwonsevenoftheseries’13races,<br />
but was beaten to the punch by the Mercury<br />
CougarsbeingrunbyRoushRacing.<br />
Electing to miss both that year’s Daytona and<br />
Sebringraces,asthecarwasstillbeingtweaked,<br />
themadAudidebutedinMiami,wheregearbox<br />
problemsdistractedfromitspace,aglitchswiftly<br />
overcome. Stuck and Haywood scored a one-two at<br />
SummitPoint;inMay1989,Stuckwonagainin<br />
Mid-Ohio, then again in <strong>Top</strong>eka, at Sears Point, at<br />
WatkinsGlen,LimeRock,andatLagunaSeca.He<br />
finished third overall, while Audi was runner-up in<br />
the constructors’ championship. If they’d raced at<br />
Daytona and Sebring, they’d have won both.<br />
Despitethisstrongshowing,Audi’sGerman<br />
bossespreferredtofocusitsmotorsporteffortson<br />
the domestic DTM series, pulling the plug on the<br />
US exploits after just one glorious season. This<br />
brevityisanotherreasonthe90quattrolingers<br />
longinthememory.“WhenwecametotheStates<br />
with this car,” Stuck remembered 20-odd years<br />
later,“nobodycanbelievewhatwecanachieve…<br />
smallengine,fivecylinder,it’saGermansaloon<br />
car!Wecouldusealaterbrakingpoint,and<br />
practically any line we wanted. When I crossed the<br />
finish line, I started yodelling!”<br />
112 JUNE <strong>2017</strong>
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