edcayton Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Does anyone know why Audi would want, or even be allowed to, run a rear drive car when ASFAIK all their production models are front drive or "quattro"? Surely their main competitor is BMW, and this is giving the message that rear drive is better? Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedy Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 As far as I know, its a privateer team running the Audi's, not a works team, so its not something that Audi themselves are involved with, plus the rules don't allow 4 wheel drive I don't think. I remember when they last had a works team back in 1998 - the car was front wheel drive (as 4WD had just been banned), but the car was still branded a quattro). Is there any motor racing that Audi are in now where the rules allow 4 wheel drive? Their works efforts in the DTM are rear wheel drive, and the sportscar teams are as well (although with various hybrid/electric/energy recovery setups). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Didn't MG/Rover have a rear wheel drive racer, when the production car was front wheel drive? I also remember seeing somewhere somebody had taken a front wheel drive Ford Escort, (mk3?) and made it rear wheel drive for rallying, seemed a bit daft, why not just use a mk2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sidecar Racer Posted April 8, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 8, 2012 Didn't MG/Rover have a rear wheel drive racer, when the production car was front wheel drive? I also remember seeing somewhere somebody had taken a front wheel drive Ford Escort, (mk3?) and made it rear wheel drive for rallying, seemed a bit daft, why not just use a mk2. Possibly because Mk 2's were getting harder to find as the rally boys destroyed them . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 you can get more power down through the back end as the suspension set up is not complicated by the steering, when you accelerate hard the front of the car pitches up pushing weight onto the rear end helping to keep grip. basically, rear wheel drive is better suited to high performance motorsport. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted April 8, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 8, 2012 Because RWD is just better. Better transfer of power to the road. No messing of steering feel. More natural balance, better weight distribution. Even my hot hatch was RWD - and the biggest version was a successful rally car Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted April 8, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 8, 2012 Possibly because Mk 2's were getting harder to find as the rally boys destroyed them . You'd not guess that from the number I seem to see on tv classic rallies set in 2012! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catkins Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Didn't MG/Rover have a rear wheel drive racer, when the production car was front wheel drive? The big MG (Rover 75) was available with rear wheel drive and a big lump up front, but it did cost! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted April 8, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 8, 2012 You'd not guess that from the number I seem to see on tv classic rallies set in 2012! Best Escort model Pity about the cart springs (Avenger fan) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted April 8, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 8, 2012 You'd not guess that from the number I seem to see on tv classic rallies set in 2012! Clean Mk2 bodyshells change hands for upwards of £5-6000, they do look and sound good and can take a bit of punishment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 My favourite rally car of the early 1980's was the Opel Ascona 400. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted April 10, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 10, 2012 My favourite rally car of the early 1980's was the Opel Ascona 400. Sunbeam for me, but I like the big GM cars as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poindexter Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I also remember seeing somewhere somebody had taken a front wheel drive Ford Escort, (mk3?) and made it rear wheel drive for rallying, seemed a bit daft, why not just use a mk2. Ford actually produced a rear wheel drive for rallying called RS1700T but it to canned http://www.rsownersclub.co.uk/car_info/esc31700t.php Then a company called Gartrac produced a kit to RWD a mk3 so you could transfer all your mk2 bits onto when it had had one shunt to many. Anyone remember John welch and his fire breathing 4x4 Gartrc rallycross escort in the mid 80's http://www.gartrac.com/company/johnwelchmk3.htm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waveydavey Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Anyone remember John welch and his fire breathing 4x4 Gartrc rallycross escort in the mid 80's Oh yes. I used to do a bit of marshalling at Croft and really enjoyed when the big boys came in their group B cars. Dimi Mavropolous in his Quattro, Mark Rennison in an RS200 and Will Gollop in the Metro 6R4. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invicta Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Yes, as Poindexter says, rebuilding your tired Mk2 Escort into a rwd Mk3 shell, either using a Gartrac G3 shell or a home-brewed job, used to be a fairly common way of upgrading your rallycar at club/national level in the 80's, and the same went for rallycross, where there were quite a lot of rwd Mk3s and even Fiestas around. I've read somewhere that the reason the Rob Austin Audi team are allowed to run rwd is that the A4's engine and gearbox are mounted longitudinally,rather than transversely as in most fwd cars, and within the new 'NGTC' touring car rules, which impose the use of a standard off-the-shelf subframe to mount the engine, front suspension etc, then rwd was the only way an NGTC-rules A4 could be done... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 when vauxhall entered the cavalier in 1990, they had a fwd one for John Cleland and a RWD for Chris Hodgetts, the front wheel drive one came out the better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 John Cleland explains... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrTi4nCcA8o&feature=relmfu Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 Yes, as Poindexter says, rebuilding your tired Mk2 Escort into a rwd Mk3 shell, either using a Gartrac G3 shell or a home-brewed job, used to be a fairly common way of upgrading your rallycar at club/national level in the 80's, and the same went for rallycross, where there were quite a lot of rwd Mk3s and even Fiestas around. There were some works Mk1 Fiestas built as RWD for rallying. a short lived effort, can't remember if it it was an interim between the mk2 and mk3 escorts or an effort to show a large presence across the lower groups of rallying as well as the top end. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invicta Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 when vauxhall entered the cavalier in 1990, they had a fwd one for John Cleland and a RWD for Chris Hodgetts, the front wheel drive one came out the better. Also, when Andy Rouse built the first BTCC Mondeos in '93, they were originally intended to be rwd, but testing revealed that the drivetrain absorbed a lot of power (much like Vauxhall did when they experimented with the rwd Cavalier), so they reverted to fwd. That's why the Mondeos didn't debut until well into the latter half of the season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 7013 Posted May 2, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 2, 2012 Audi ran some A4 quatros in the BTCC some years ago, they were pretty well unbeatable until ballast was introduced to level things then they pulled out...as in most motor racing, German backed teams run in a particular formula when the odds are stacked with them, as soome as the playing field is evened out they pull out. It has happened over many years in sports cars and touring cars. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Mc Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 One other point to consider is this. The chassis upon which the privateer Audi A4 is mounted is a NGTC chassis.These have different mechanicals than the BTCC cars of last year.As you may see,the Honda's of Matt Neal and Gordon Sheddon have the NGTC chassis.I'm not 100% fully clued up on the specs,but I believe they are a 1.6 litre turbo engine,either front or rear drive,have wider wheels and tyres and also run higher boost than BTCC and S2000 engines. The NGTC chassis is also able to have the bodyshell from a whole host of manufacturers to be simply bolted to the chassis.At the moment,you see Frank Wrathal has a Toyote Avensis body.Also on the grid,you'll see the Audi A4 in question and also a Vauxhall Insignia although this is run by a severely underfunded team so is very much under restricted development.There was also supposed to be a team fielding a Skoda Octavia bodied NGTC chassis,maybe this was for next season.Also,you have Jason Plato in the MG6 and as stated earlier,Matt Neal and Gordon Sheddon in their NGTC Honda's. In short,the teams have a choice of the bodyshell they choose to use and I.suspect that the manufacturer supplies bodywork panels in exchange for a bit of advertising. Another pount to consider is that Audi is already committed to a full factory bid to run the Le Mans team effort and also a DTM team as well so perhaps not so bothered with our piddly BTCC series. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-DIMB Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 The Audis of Biela and Bintcliffe were really only in form during the 1996 season but the Volvo T5s gave them a run for their money. By 1997 Renault and Alain Menu were the in form team. By 1998 Audi had gone but the works teams of Nissan and Volvo fought it out with Rydell pipping Reid by being more consistant (Reid had more poles and wins but Rydell was on the podium more). There have been so many changes but one thing remains constant, Jason Plato and his suicidal bid to win! I suppose the MG6 has to be good at something All the works teams have gone and i also note many of the foreign drivers have gone. Giovanardi was the last one but now it really is the British Touring Car Championship. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sidecar Racer Posted May 8, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 8, 2012 I like Plato's consistency , if he gets hit off , it's the other blokes fault , if he hit's someone off , well surprise , its the other blokes fault for being in the way . Some of his driving and excuses at the recent Donnington event were laughable . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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