News in brief, April 2005

Red Bull Formula One racer David Coulthard is to open his first British hotel — at Brooklands. The Scot, fourth in this year’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, is planning the Columbus Hotel at the Weybridge venue to complement his existing Columbus Monaco venture and Mercedes’ Heritage and Technology Centre at Brooklands. Coulthard said: “We are proud the name will be associated with Brooklands, which is synonymous with British firsts in automotive and aeronautical engineering. Columbus will continue this approach with an avant-garde approach to design and operation.”

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Audi celebrated 25 years of the Quattro at its Ingolstadt headquarters in February. Highlights Included rally legend Walter Röhrl’s demonstration in a Pikes Peak Quattro E2 which comprised mainly a series of donuts around the factory’s snow-covered ice rink. Emanuele Pirro then followed suit in an early ’90s Super Touring 80 Quattro. After the sublime came the ridiculous, when 2004 DTM champion Mattias Ekström drove the new RS4 road car up a purpose-built ski jump.