>Lovell's 11:52.6 most closely matches the elder Millen's
>1991 11:51.37 ... in an RX-7.
>
>Best Audi time was Walter Rohrl in '87 at 10:47.85, much
>quicker than Mouton's best 11:25.39 ... despite the
>commercials.
>
>Fascinating table, thanks for the link! (All is forgiven.)
>
>Ken Hawley
>Silenus Motorsports
>Kalamazoo, MI
>Audi 4000Q - #577
Couple of points:
As I mentioned in another post - the parts of the highway used for the race were gravel throughout the 80s. There were some road treatments then, for sure, but nothing like the stuff used since the mid-90s that pretty much locked down the loose stuff. And no tarmac at all except that little bit around the Glen Cove guard shack. I'd expect that recent runners have benefited significantly from better grip up to treeline, at least. Rodney's RX-7, by the way, was an AWD machine but I don't believe it was turbocharged (maybe it was in '91).
http://www.realautosport.com/pics/PPIHC/millen.jpg
So far as the last two works Audi runners are concerned, keep in mind that Michelle Mouton was driving something of a worn out rally car in 1985 while Herr Rohrl drove a Quattro in '87 that was pretty much purpose-built for the hillclimb.
http://www.realautosport.com/pics/PPIHC/wrohrl.jpg
Rohrl's rookie run - against a three-car Peugeot 205T16 team - was one of the most astounding drives I've ever witnessed. He won and took the overall record by lopping almost half a minute off Bobby Unser's record set in the same car Audi debuted in '86.
Halley ...
http://www.realautosport.com