The AWE/German Performance Service Audi B8.5 S4 piloted by Ramana Lagemann placed second in class and fourth overall, in what has been called one of the most grueling races in the country, the Mt. Washington Climb to the Clouds.

“The fact that we were able to fare so incredibly well with products that anyone can grab off the shelf, vouches for the products’ engineering strength. The car ran incredibly well and the preparation was flawless. I’d call this a resounding success and I’m thrilled to have been a part of this,” stated Ramana Lagemann, the car’s driver.

The concept of the build, and campaign, was to take street performance products that are accessible to the public “off-the-shelf,” put them on a street car, and race it -- with the goal of demonstrating the quality and performance of these products.

“To take second in class and fourth overall against world-famous drivers like Travis Pastrana and David Higgins - who set a new world record on the course -  is a true testament to the quality of these daily-driver performance products,” states Jesse Kramer, VP of Marketing at AWE, who supplied the majority of the performance products on the #CommuteMonday car.

Race Sunday, Commute Monday

The car was campaigned under the slogan “Race Sunday, Commute Monday” to demonstrate how the products could be raced on a Sunday, then one could drive to work on Monday in the same car with the same parts. The car has become known by its hash tag, #CommuteMonday.

“We simply walked through the AWE catalog, and other performance catalogs, and chose parts. Every one of the AWE products are off the shelf, accessible to anyone for street use,” stated Owner of German Performance Service Marc Feinstein. Feinstein was also the chief builder on the car.

Results

Lagemann (Open Class, 2013 S4, S-Tronic, #CommuteMonday car) placed second in class, and fourth overall with a time of 6:40.09, besting his previous runs by :17.39. Lagemann’s first run was thwarted by a punctured tire in turn three, and he was unable to complete the morning run, leaving only the second and final run of the day to race.

Higgins, with co-driver Drew (R1 Class, 2013 Subaru WRX STi) broke the course record with 6:09.09. Pastrana, with co-driver Beavis (R1 Class, 2013 Subaru WRX STi) did 6:12.29 and Tingaud (Open Class, Audi SuperChicken) did 6:22.70.

The Build, The Sponsors

The #CommuteMonday car build is as follows:

AWE Track Edition Exhaust, with Chrome Silver 90mm Tips
AWE Non-Resonated Downpipe
AWE ColdFront Heat Exchanger
AWE ColdFront Reservoir
AWE ColdFront Protection Screen
AWE ColdFront Coolant Pump
AWE 3.0T S-FLO Intake, Carbon Kit
AWE Stage 2 Performance Pulley Kit
GIAC Stage 2 Performance Pulley Software
SPC Control Arms
Ohlins Dampers
H&R 60mm race springs
H&R sway bars
Pagid RS19 racing brake pads
Pagid RBF Brake Fluid
Audi Genuine Parts, RS5 Calipers and Rotors
Yokohama Advan A005 racing slicks

About AWE

AWE is the authority in performance engineering for German automobiles. From award winning hand-crafted performance exhausts to track tested big turbo kits to vetted Performance products including G.I.A.C., Bilstein, H&R, Brembo and more, AWE innovates, designs, retails and distributes choice performance products globally through its preferred network of dealers, online and from its headquarters outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since 1991, AWE's elite team of researchers, engineers, innovators and drivers have track-tested and introduced premium performance upgrades for some of the finest automobiles in the world.