'Ring Masters

Exploring the opposing ends of Audi’s RS performance spectrum on afast-flowing racetrack in Spain

- Parth Charan

Somewhere between my second and third lap around the Parcmotor Castellolí circuit near Barcelona, I seem to have forgotten that the car I'm piloting is in fact a 2.35 tonne behemoth of an SUV. Kerb weight on cars is only a performance hindering factor if it can be felt, and the Audi RSQ8 Performance appears to have jettisoned much of its poundage back at the pit lane.

WWhat is supposed to be a sunny track day on the periphery of Barcelona, has suddenly turned into a rain-soaked affair with the sort of torrential downpour generally reserved for the tropics. It doesn't bode well if you've got 640 hp at your disposal. But Audi's proprietary Quattro AWD is a steady ally in the battle against aquaplaning and within moments, the RSQ8 is darting towards the first corner like a javelin. In RS mode, with the drive mode set to Dynamic it's more rear-biased, so, right on cue, the tail snaps out but is instantly brought back in line by a myriad of electronic stewards. Even half a decade ago, this sort of effortless performance from a large SUV, would have inspired incredulity. This is how bonafide supercars perform and that's exactly what the RSQ8 Performance is.