Audi 2007 Annual Report Download - page 68

01
Jacky and Vanina want to
know: Who’s the most ef-
ficient driver? They start
off at Abbaye de la Cham-
bre, where Jacky used to
play as a child.
02
Brimming with ambition.
Vanina’s sights are firmly
set on victory. She drives
smoothly and prudently.
03
The agony of choice: At
famous chocolatier Wit-
tamer, Jacky Ickx selects
the winner’s prize: Bel-
gian chocolates.
next 40 kilometers, they will both be depending on their own
personal fuel-saving tricks, though they will receive support
from the new electronic shift indicator which tells them the
most fuel-efficient gear to drive in. A gear shift indicator in-
forms the driver when he needs to change up or down, en-
abling him to utilize the car’s full potential. The aim is to keep
the engine rotating at the ideal speed at all times. Once famil-
iar with the system, combined consumption can be held down
to 4.5 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers.
Through Avenue de l’Hippodrome, the pair head out onto
Avenue Louise. Vanina is not only competitive on the race-
track, today she is determined to go home as the champion of
fuel economy. She takes it easy on the gas pedal, quickly
changing up, to keep the needle within the lower regions of
the rev counter, while displaying a very sleek, smooth driving
style at the same time. “Environmentally aware driving is not
the same as real racing,” she says. “Here, it’s all about fore-
sight and keeping things fluid.”
Ickx against Ickx. They will soon have to cross the Brussels
ring road; their first stop has been arranged in the historic
district of Sablon. A winner deserves a gift: What better in
Brussels, the home of the world’s best chocolatiers, than
Belgian chocolates? At the Place du Grand Sablon, one of the
most beautiful squares in the old city, they both pay a short
visit to the famous chocolatier Wittamer.
By now it is almost noon, and both cars turn into Place
Jourdan in the center of Brussels. In the middle of the square
is the capital’s oldest French fries stand. You need a little
patience, because for over 50 years, “Chez Antoine” has been
the place to go for original Belgian “pommes frites.” Here you
can find rich and poor, young and old – a real melting pot of
languages and cultures. Among them many a Eurocrat who
strolled over especially through Parc Léopold – the EU quarter
is just a short hop away.
After a cornet of frietjes, our rivals blend into traffic once
more. The next stage, “Botanique,” has been chosen with bio-
logy graduate Vanina in mind. The Botanic Gardens in the
heart of Brussels are a haven of tranquility. In springtime, you
can for instance admire the magnificent display of irises.
Back in the car, both drivers head toward the Atomium, an
absolute must for anyone visiting Brussels. The aluminum
casing has just been replaced, and the world-famous balls are
gleaming like never before.
On the way, I ask Jacky Ickx whether his racing experience
will come in handy for this contest. “You know,” says the
former runner-up in the Formula One drivers’ world champi-
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
WATCH THE MOVIE
At www.audi.com/ar2007/ickx you can see Jacky and
Vanina Ickx on their “tour de ville” through Brussels.
01
02
03