Audi's racing drivers thrill fans at the GP Ice Race

Audi wowed fans and spectators at the GP Ice Race in Austria's Zell am See with spectacular drifts on ice and snow from Formula E Driver Daniel Abt and DTM Champion Rene Rast as they tackled slippery terrain with their Audi race cars. The 1984 World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist and Triple Le Mans Winner Benoit Treluyer also joined the Audi show.

Daniel Abt turned several spectacular laps on snow with his Audi e-tron FE06 and pulled the Freestyle Ski Ace Benedikt Mayr on a rope, in traditional skijoring-style, behind his Formula E racer.

"Bene is a professional skier, I drive race cars, so we had the idea to do something together here again. Over time, this event with exciting racing cars from several marques and eras has turned into a hot spot of the motor racing scene. The drivers spend a great day together, there's no competition pressure, and we give the fans a great show," said Abt.

In difficult conditions around freezing point, the two-time DTM champion Rene Rast also shared driving duties in his Audi RS5 DTM #33 with Frenchman Benoit Treluyer.

Because the DTM-Audi lacked the required traction last year on ice, the rims were now 12cm narrower and significantly slimmer studded tires were fitted. "After we had adjusted the setup for the soft, deep surface and to the special tires, my run in the DTM-Audi over snow was huge fun for the fans," reported Rast.

The spectacular display of the Audi brand was made perfect thanks to Stig Blomqvist. The former Audi factory driver who won the World Rally Championship in 1984 in an Audi, piloted the historic Audi Sport quattro.

Meanwhile, Benoit Treluyer drove another classic: In the skijoring event, the 2012 FIA World Endurance Champion towed the 1987 slalom World Champion Frank Worndl with a historic DKW F91. Worndl was on Alpine Ski Racer Willy Bogner's original 1960 Olympic skis.