Learning a New Mountain: David Hackl Takes His Audi quattro to Mt. Washington

After more than a decade and 13 starts at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, David Hackl knows what it takes to race a mountain. But in 2026, he faced a completely different challenge when he brought his 1983 Audi quattro to the historic Climb to the Clouds at Mt. Washington for the first time.In this episode of All Wheel Driven, David takes us behind the wheel of one of Audi’s most iconic hill-climb cars and explains what makes Mt. Washington so different from Pikes Peak. While Pikes Peak offers a longer, faster course and extreme elevation, Mt. Washington presented a narrow, steep and unforgiving road that David had barely had an opportunity to learn before race day.Then came the weather. Fog, rain and dramatically reduced visibility made an already unfamiliar mountain even more challenging. With limited practice and no years of experience memorizing the course, David knew the goal wasn't simply to unleash the car's approximately 750 horsepower—it was to make it safely to the finish.David also tells the story of the 1983 Audi quattro that started life as his daily driver before being transformed into a competition car. After spending roughly 2,500 hours building the car for its 2012 Pikes Peak debut, he has continued developing it for more than a decade. Now, with plans to eventually push toward 900 horsepower, the quattro still has plenty of life left.From learning a new mountain and managing unpredictable weather to mentoring fellow Audi competitors and reflecting on more than a decade of hill-climb racing, David offers a fascinating look at what it takes to compete at the edge—and why he keeps coming back.EPISODE CHAPTERS:00:00 Breaking Down The Episode00:53 Introducing David Hackl01:3406:53 Why Doesn't Mt. Washington Run Every Year?10:27 The Drive To Mount Washington18:22 First Impressions Compared to Pikes Peak24:04 How Was This Year's Weather?29:23 Word From Our Sponsor: Continental29:50 David Tells Us The Details On His Audi Quattro Race Car39:00 Tell Us About Your Audi Journey44:00 What's Next for the Race Car Build?49:52 Mentoring the Newer Pike's Peak Racers53:01 Any More Hill Climb Races on the Bucket List?56:06 Final Thoughts & Farewell==========================All-Wheel Driven is presented by XPEL, the official paint protection film of Audi Club North America. Subscribe and connect with @audiclubna for exclusive Audi content.==========================Not yet a member of Audi Club North America? Join the world's largest community of Audi owners and enthusiasts and unlock benefits including:Discounts on Audi parts, accessories, and new or leased vehiclesAward-winning quarterly magazine (quattro)Exclusive driving events, clinics, and track experiencesA network of 32 chapters across North AmericaAnd much more!Learn more and join today: https://audiclubna.org