En Route to a New Record With the Audi A3: Three Continents in Three Days
INGOLSTADT, GERMANY – May 29, 2009: Covering over 4,900 kilometers
(3,044 miles) in three days, driving specialist Gerhard Plattner is gearing
up for his next record-breaking attempt as the first driver to reach three
continents in just three days. On June 8, Plattner and his co-pilot Franz
Doppler will depart from Rabat, Morocco, in an Audi A3 1.9 TDI e with the
goal of reaching the Asian side of Istanbul no more than 72 hours later.
Today’s presentation of the vehicle at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt
marks the beginning of a phase of intense preparation for the team of
drivers.
Gerhard Plattner has already circled the globe seven times in attempts
to set new records. Now the passionate motorist is seeking to set his
latest world record by reaching three continents in just three days,
covering over 4,900 kilometers (3,044 miles) from the Moroccan capital of
Rabat to the Asian side of Istanbul, crossing Europe and a total of 13
countries – in just 72 hours. The route will present an enormous
challenge to the team’s endurance, driving skill and physical
fitness.
Extreme conditions on the record-breaking drive will also serve as a
tough test of the vehicle’s safety, efficiency and comfort on
long-distance routes.
Plattner and his co-pilot Franz Doppler therefore chose a standard Audi
A3 1.9 TDI e with an output of 77 kW (105 hp) to help them successfully
complete the difficult journey. “The A3 has ideal characteristics for
all three continents. Nevertheless, any attempt to break a record also
requires a lot of good luck, especially regarding the weather and
traffic,” said Gerhard Plattner during the presentation of the
vehicle at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt.
The two driving specialists plan to start their journey on June 8 from
the royal mausoleum in Rabat, later crossing to Tarifa in Spain with the
high-speed ferry. Plattner and Doppler will then drive along the
Mediterranean coast of Spain, France and Italy. After crossing the Alps and
a brief stop in Munich, Plattner will pilot the A3 through the Balkan
States, arriving in Istanbul and crossing the Bosporus to reach the finish
line in Asia on June 11, after no more than 72 hours of total driving time.
However, the driving specialist is not just interested in a new entry in
the record books. Plattner plans on returning to Ingolstadt with a
photographic document containing precisely 100 commemorative photos –
the passionate driver’s way of wishing the Audi brand a happy 100th
birthday.
The Guinness Book of World Records has dubbed Gerhard Plattner
“the most versatile driver in the world.” To date, the
journalist from Tyrol has covered just under 7 million kilometers (4.3
million miles) by car, setting numerous world records for speed, efficiency
and endurance in the process. In 1991, Plattner completed the fastest
round-the-world drive in an Audi S2, a record that still stands today.
Plattner also set a record for the most efficient round-the-world journey
in a car from the brand with the four rings, an Audi 80 TDI. In 1992, the
record-breaking driver piloted an Audi duo, the world’s first
standard hybrid vehicle, from Ingolstadt to the World’s Fair in
Seville.
