Throwback Thursday: When Audi and Ducati Took on Pikes Peak Together

[Source: Audi USA]

As Audi Club North America prepares to return to Pikes Peak for the 104th running of the event on June 21, it’s the perfect time to look back at a unique moment in Audi’s history.

Nearly 14 years ago, on August 10, 2012, Audi shared a video celebrating two brands with deep ties to one of motorsport’s most iconic events: Audi and Ducati. While the companies competed on four wheels and two wheels respectively, both built legendary reputations on the slopes of Pikes Peak, the 12.42-mile mountain course known as the “Race to the Clouds.”

Audi and Ducati

At the time, Audi and Ducati had recently come together under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, and the video highlighted their shared passion for performance. The featured vehicles were the then-new Audi RS 5 and Ducati Multistrada, two machines designed to deliver thrills in very different ways. Audi and Ducati even created a combined ride-and-drive experience that allowed enthusiasts to sample both brands and better appreciate the similarities in their engineering philosophies.

Of course, Audi’s connection to Pikes Peak runs much deeper than a promotional video. The mountain helped cement Audi’s reputation for innovation and performance during the 1980s when the brand’s revolutionary quattro all-wheel-drive system dominated the event. Legendary drivers such as Walter Röhrl, Michèle Mouton, and Bobby Unser helped transform Audi into a motorsports powerhouse while creating some of the most memorable moments in hill climb history.

More recently, Audi returned to the mountain in dramatic fashion with the all-electric Audi RS Q e-tron and its appearances at Pikes Peak, continuing the brand’s tradition of using the event to showcase cutting-edge technology.

As members of Audi Club gather at Pikes Peak again next week to compete, this old video serves as a reminder of just how intertwined Audi’s story is with America’s most famous mountain. Technologies have changed, vehicles have evolved, and powertrains have transformed, but Audi’s pursuit of performance at altitude remains as strong as ever.

Some traditions are simply too good to leave behind.