The newly-christened Audi Sport division has officially thrown its weight behind Swedish driver Mattias Ekström’s EKS RX team in the World Rallycross Championship.
That’s a big deal for EKS, which will now benefit from full factory support from Audi’s motorsport wing, who will help maintain, develop and further refine the S1 EKS RX quattro rallycross car.
But on the eve of the 2017 Monte Carlo Rally, we can’t help but feel slightly bittersweet in the knowledge that we’ll never get to see the car grace a proper world rally stage.
Audi ruled the World Rally Championship roost throughout much of the 1980s with the legendary Quattro, and was one of the most successful WRC teams in the history of rallying.
However, when the Group B cars including the Quattro were banned towards the end of the decade, Audi pulled out of the WRC and has never returned since.
These days, it’s primarily concerned with endurance racing, and although the news that it’s now entering rallycross is positive, it’s still unlikely that it’ll make a return to stage rally.
For one thing, parent company Volkswagen announced a shock last-minute departure from the WRC late last year after four years spent as the undisputed kings of world rallying.
It’s unlikely it would allow Audi to replace it, at least anytime soon, particularly given that VW still maintains one foot in the door with the Skoda WRC2 team.
But if ever there was a dead ringer for the original Group B Quattro, it’s the S1 EKS RX quattro with its huge rear wing and engorged box arches.
Maybe there’s a glimmer of hope, though. The 2017 WRC season is set to be the most exciting since the Group B days, for reasons you can read about here, and will feature the much-awaited return of one of rallying’s other legends, Toyota.
If this year’s WRC season proves to be as popular as pundits anticipate, could it be enough to tempt back former legends like Audi, or even Subaru, to the gravel stages? We can certainly dream.
