At this year’s Festival of Speed, which takes place at Goodwood in the South of England from 12 – 14 July, Audi Tradition will celebrate three major anniversaries. Held for the twentieth time, the Festival is the largest historic motor sport event in the world and attracts 150,000 visitors from all over the world with its “Best of” programme. For this, Audi is shipping over an iconic vehicle, the 1936 Auto Union Type C racing car, and is also celebrating two other milestones in the history of Audi Sport: in 1983, 30 years ago, Hannu Mikkola became the first Audi driver to clinch the World Rally Championship title, at the wheel of the Audi Rallye quattro A2, and 25 years ago Audi Sport took the American TransAm title with the Audi 200 quattro, in the very first year in which it was entered for this race series.
At this year’s Festival of Speed, Hannu Mikkola has an opportunity to look back on his own contribution to motor-sport history. It was in England that he clinched the World Rally Championship title thirty years ago, driving the Audi Rallye quattro A2. On a memorable day in November 1983, the final stage of the British RAC Rally, the last event of the season, was due to take place. Mikkola had by then gained the most points and only Walter Röhrl could overtake him in the rankings. When Röhrl failed to start, Mikkola only had to finish in order to take the title. He recalls: “The tension was enormous, but then the news broke and I was able to drive the RAC Rally in a very relaxed way.” Perhaps not quite as relaxed as he suggests, since he came in second behind another Audi driver, Stig Blomqvist, and took the Championship title.
Audi Tradition has planned a surprise for Hannu Mikkola: some years ago the AUDI AG Historical Department was able to acquire the actual car that won the 1983 RAC Rally. Extensive restoration including the original paint finish has now been completed, and the 1983 World Rally Champion has been invited to give the restored car its maiden outing at Goodwood. Mikkola: “To be back in the car I drove back then is a very emotional experience.” To make the occasion perfect, the 1983 World Championship team will be complete for the Goodwood Hillclimb, with Hannu Mikkola joined by the man who was his co-driver for eleven years: Arne Herz.