Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 122

Lively discussion between
technical experts: Gerd-R. Lang
(left) and Rupert Stadler.
120 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
Tradition meets modernity in the
shadow of the North Loop: the
veil of a dull November morning
is gradually lifted on an encounter
between a thoroughbred sports car and
its great-grandfather. And on a meeting
between two men whose hearts beat
faster at the mere mention of watches
and whose pulses accelerate at the
sound of race engines.
You have both been driving extra-
ordinary cars today: the Auto Union
Grand Prix Type C racing car from 1936
and the ultramodern Audi R8* sports
car. What is the particular fascination of
driving on the Nürburgring – does it tie
in with your everyday lives?
LANG: My experience of the Nürburg-
ring goes back a long way: it was one
of the places I worked at 30 years ago.
I was a timekeeper in Formula 1 racing
and got to know the Nürburgring as a
circuit that demanded everything from
a driver. It was possibly the most chal-
lenging racetrack in the world at that
time. I truly admired the people who
powered their cars around this circuit
with such courage and dedication. That
was a formative experience for me –
recognising that you won’t achieve any-
thing half-heartedly.
STADLER: Every racetrack has its very
own emotional appeal that arises from
probing the limits. That also involves
being a touch in front of the others. It’s
what gives you that feeling of butter-
flies in your belly. I’m convinced that the
Audi brand’s motor sport activities are
a worthwhile investment. If a brand
such as Audi lays claim to be sporty and
progressive, and to embody Vorsprung
durch Technik, it has to do something to
cement that claim authentically. That in-
cludes measuring up to the competi-
tion, which is what happens out here on
the racetrack, but also every day in front
of our customers.
Do you believe that what Audi is doing
today is the logical continuation of what
was started with Auto Union’s racing
cars in the 1930s, Mr. Stadler? How
important to you both is such a factor of
tradition?
STADLER: Every brand must be con-
scious of its own history. A company
needs roots, and also larger-than-life
characters. Bernd Rosemeyer in the
1930s, a Type C racing car with immense
torque of more than 800 Nm at 2,500
rpm even in those days – these are
some of the highlights of our corporate
history. That’s why I believe you should
always be prepared to seek out the
positives in your past. And you should
repeatedly look to the past for guid-
ance on how to shape the future re-
sponsibly.
LANG: Today I sat in the Auto Union
Type C that was driven here before
the war, giving a display of ultimate
performance with Bernd Rosemeyer at
the wheel. When you now look at the
present day, at the new Audi R8, you
can sense the genes of a progressive
company. Then I see a connection
between the R8 and my watches: I was
the first to introduce the idea of
watches with a glass base. Because I
wanted to show people how beautiful
the things we are making are. In
essence exactly the same principle
applies when I contemplate the >>
* fuel consumption figures
at the end of the Annual Report