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A class act

Winning by a hair really isn’t his thing. He wants to win by a ten-minute lead: Rally legend Walter Röhrl about an iron will and the good fortune of having turned his passion into his career.

The motivation of wanting to achieve something in my life has been spurring me on ever since I was a small boy. A deeply ingrained drive toward perfection, combined with an almost obsessive ambition. I’ve never considered this perpetual lust for life, the fascination with anything new, and my readiness to fight for things as a burden. Quite the contrary. I have often asked myself what might have made me that way. And I really believe that the cause is related to my red hair. I had my feelings hurt many times as a child because of my hair color. As a little boy I’d fight anybody who’d tease me about my red hair. It didn’t matter if the guy was six feet tall – I’d have a go at him. This defensive stance, not letting anyone get away with putdowns, had a formative influence on my character. I became unusually proactive in facing challenges head-on. I should make one thing clear though: I’ve not gotten into any tussles since I was 12. But even when I’m out cycling with a bunch of athletes 20 years younger, I won’t accept that they’re in better physical shape than I am. So I’m usually also the first to reach the top of the hill. Simply because I’ve absolutely made up my mind to do it. As a rally driver I never intended to win a race by just a one-second margin. Those blink-of-the-eye decisions which many in the sport find so thrilling just don’t do it for me. I want to win by a ten-minute lead. Because only a big lead shows you’ve really got class. Actually, the thrill of speed doesn’t move me either. Nor does collecting titles and awards. Absolutely the only thing I care about is total control. I want to be in command of my cars as though they’re a part of my body. I want to become one with my car. Unfortunately, the satisfaction when this happens doesn’t compare with the dissatisfaction that troubles me when it doesn’t. Even the earlier successes in auto racing haven’t endowed me with lasting self-esteem. What it comes down to is that I am constantly fluctuating between self-doubts and delusions of grandeur. What has spurred me on throughout my life is the fact that I have never, not even in my most triumphant periods, believed that I was the best. Even having reached my highest goal as a racer, winning the celebrated Monte Carlo Rally, failed to quench my ambition. That’s the only way I was able to win it four times, with four different car brands. The fourth victory in 1984 in an Audi ranks among the absolute highlights of my career.

I was always a bit intimidated by conventional circuit races. For one thing, because there were so many people there. They actually made me nervous. What I’d have liked best would have been driving through the woods at night. Because I basically just wanted to know in my own head whether I was really good. Another reason was that the winner in a circuit race is usually the driver who uses his elbows. But I’d much rather run a clean race, always searching for the racing line. The most fascinating race against the clock was “Pikes Peak Race to the Clouds” in Colorado, in 1987. A crazy hillclimb race covering 19.9 kilometers with 156 curves. 1,500 vertical meters separate the start from the finish. Until just before the start I felt uncertain and nervous. We weren’t sure whether we had succeeded in perfecting the technical condition of the Audi Sport quattro S1 with its 500-plus hp engine. But even after the first few meters I felt the car was zooming up the hill as if on rails. With a driving time of 10 minutes and 47.85 seconds I set a new course record. I enjoyed every fraction of a second of this hillclimb race. I’ve rarely been so totally happy as in these not quite 11 minutes. Though when I’m watching the video footage today that was shot from a helicopter, how the mountain drops away sharply from the road right and left, in places for hundreds of meters – like off the edge of a table – and how half of one front wheel or the other sticks out over the abyss in every turn, I have to say: Today I’d have doubts. Back then I felt infallible.

What always excited me was the adventure, anything new. That’s what ultimately motivated me in 1984 to switch to Audi. Up to that time I had driven cars with rear-wheel drive for 20 years. Then I succumbed to the fascination of all-wheel drive. Converting the enormous propulsive forces into motion, that was the special quattro feeling. Just a small touch on the gas pedal sufficed to get more than 500 horsepower to rage on the road, perfectly coordinated and under control. What sets Audi apart is that the quality of its rally cars is always reflected in the high standards of its production vehicles. In the early years of our relationship, we worked together very closely. As a case in point, a test engineer was assigned to me whose responsibility was entirely dedicated to product improvements. It also helped that our communication paths were very short. I was living in Regensburg, barely an hour’s drive from the plant in Ingolstadt. An ideal setup. That’s when the foundation was laid for what makes Audi stand out today. It’s a great achievement by the company to have accomplished such a radical change in its corporate image and to continually set new quality standards. At Audi, “Vorsprung durch Technik” is much more than just an advertising slogan – it’s a philosophy.

Auto racing has triggered many engineering developments that were subsequently used in production cars, thus making a lasting contribution to increasing efficiency. From the carburetor to the injection system. From aerodynamics to efficiency technology. Fuel-efficient driving has become almost an obsession for me. After all, there is also a challenge in driving as far as possible on just a tankful. In a high-powered sports car I start out by stepping on the gas pedal pretty hard just to feel the thrust. But then I increasingly strive to drive as intelligently as possible. When I approach a traffic light, I try to guess as early as possible whether I can make it through on green. If that looks unlikely, I let up on the gas and just let the car coast toward the intersection without stepping on the brake. The motivation to be thrifty and conservative in the use of resources persists through all aspects of my life. For example, I can’t stand it that my wife lets the water run all the time while she’s brushing her teeth. Friends who know me well also know that I’m very attached to nature. Whenever possible I ride my bicycle or I just walk. If you want to save CO2, you might as well do it right. I fully realize how very lucky I’ve been to have had the opportunity of turning my greatest passion into my career. Even though I have driven cars for nearly nine million kilometers – mostly in competition – I still enjoy pushing a sports car to its limits.

Reported by Oliver Wurm. In preparing for this interview, the sports journalist once again watched Röhrl’s legendary record drive in the Pikes Peak 1987 – after that, he didn’t really have any further questions.