Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 55

TECHNOLOGY: ENDURANCE TEST FOR THE AUDI Q7
53AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
Sept 10: Birdsville,
Queensland
The wind has kept up overnight, and a
thick layer of sand has to be swept
off the tables of the Innamincka Hotel
before we can eat breakfast. Still,
we reach Birdsville in time to give
the Audi Q7s a run up Nappanerica,
the tallest sand dune in Australia.
Conquering Nappanerica, better known
as Big Red, is the Holy Grail of
Australia’s 4WD fraternity, but the
Audi Q7s make light work of the
challenge. We spend the afternoon
hurtling up and down the steep slope,
the engines growling as on Dakar Rally
cars, then celebrate with chilled
champagne as the sun plunges into the
Simpson Desert. Sydney seems a long,
long way away.
Sept 12: Clayton River,
South Australia
Today the cars face another outback
trial, the legendary Birdsville
Track. This notorious road is strewn
with potholes, boulders and splin-
tered rock, but it proves no match
for the Audi Q7s. The cars’ adaptive
air suspension irons out the bumps and
we make camp hours ahead of schedule.
Even Johannes Strobl, the ice-cool
‘Flying Technician’ from AUDI AG, who
has travelled from Ingolstadt to be
on the trip, can’t hide his approval.
Crossing the
giant Nappanerica
sand dune,
also known as
Big Red.
In the South Aus-
tralian outback
the temperature
would drop
dramatically at
night, making
the campfire the
best place for
a beer and a yarn.
A sign written in Aboriginal slang
advises drivers to reduce speed.
The reverse side of the barrel says
“PUTTUM BACK DOWN”.