The 2012 Race to the Clouds will not only see a contingent of  groundbreaking electric vehicles,  and an all-tarmac surface.  It will be a reunion of sorts as well.  A reunion of a man with his car, at the mountain he tamed 25 years ago.  Although those 25 years have seen a multitude of changes on the mountain, the Audi S1 Pikes Peak and its driver Walter Rohrl will be as potent as ever.  Most of this is due to Walter’s driving, but Audi themselves have been massaging the 600hp beast over the past few months.  The way the car and driver perform in this video, makes it seem like the car and driver have went back to the future.

While most of us are not fluent in German, you get a sense of the pride and emotion this car emits.  This year’s race will not only be a race of new ideas, new techniques and new drivers, but a time to look back and remember the Pikes Peak of the past.  July 3rd starts the madness.  Be there.

After testing in the altitude chamber, allowed the Audi S1 Pikes Peak right now feel asphalt under the tires. The 600-horsepower “monster” comes with Audi on the track. It pushes no less than Walter Röhrl the accelerator down to S1. It is the ultimate test of the two legends before it on July 8 at the 4,000 meter high Pikes Peak comes to the point.