News
(september 12, 2008)
Awesome Audi returns to relive glory days at Targa Newfoundland
- Legendary Audi Group B rally car to compete in Targa Newfoundland
- Six time Canadian rally champion Frank Sprongl to drive Audi Canada entry
September 9, 2008, Ajax, ON - Twenty-five years after it achieved legendary status in the hands of rally greats like Stig Bloomquist and Michelle Mouton, an authentic Audi quattro coupe will celebrate the anniversary of the four-wheel-drive technology that revolutionized motorsport in the 1980s with an assault of Targa Newfoundland 2008.
Sponsored by Audi Canada along with Sirius Canada and piloted by six-time Canadian and four-time North American rally champion Frank Sprongl, the 1983 Audi coupe will carry the familiar colours that the factory cars of the era wore when the "awesome Audis" ruled the world rally championship. The car will compete in the Open Division of the Targa competition.
"Next year, Audi will celebrate its 100 year anniversary," explains Diego Ramos, Executive Vice President of Audi Canada. "This year we are celebrating a new Audi facility in St. Johns. What better way to start the celebrations early than supporting a great Canadian Champion with a historically significant rally car racing in the equally unique Targa Newfoundland. This is a rare opportunity for fans to actually see and hear a Group B rally car."
The entry reunites Sprongl with the marque that made him famous. Driver Frank, of Georgetown, Ontario, and co-driver/brother Daniel Sprongl dominated Canadian rallying with their multiple championships and countless competition wins in a series of Audi cars. Indeed, Frank won the famous Mt. Washington Hillclimb in the car that will make the trek to the start of the seventh annual Targa Newfoundland.
Targa Newfoundland starts September 13 in St. John's and concludes back in the capital on September 20, 2008. For more information and updates during the rally please check www.audi.ca and www.targanewfoundland.com
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CONTACT: Cort Nielsen
cort.nielsen@audi.com
905-428-5820
Audi Canada
The history of Audi in Canada dates to 1971, when the brand was first introduced on the Canadian market. Today, a network of 38 Audi retailers nationwide sell and service a range of premium vehicles that include the Audi A3; the A4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the S4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the RS 4 sports sedan; The A5 and S5 Coupes; the A6 sedan and Avant; the Audi Q7 Sport Utility; the Audi A8; the V10-powered S6 and S8 performance sedans; the TT Coupe and Roadster models and R8 mid-engined sports car.
Audi Canada is headquartered in Ajax, Ontario and markets a line of luxury cars built in plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, Germany, Bratislava, Slovakia, Brussels, Belgium and Györ, Hungary. The parent company, AUDI AG, is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Germany.
Additional information on all Audi models and Audi's history can be found at www.audi.ca
