Impressions from yesterday's Audi quattro® Challenge at Chicago Motor Speedway . (Long)

no.radar · 06-02-2003, 01:01 PM

The Audi quattro® Challenge
1 June 2003

Sorry, no "pics" in this post, but the link to PaulW's photos of the same event a day earlier is below. Our weather was better, but beyond that things "looked" similar. ZCD's got Sunday photos in his PicturePoster, if you're inclined.

In no particular order, really...

- The Audi of America people REALLY did an excellent job with the entire event. Maybe it's due to their having put on so many of these, but sometimes that repetition can count against you when your people lose their "edge." No evidence of it here. Friendly Audi people, excellent sharp-witted (and highly skilled) Panoz driving instructors, and even the exhibitor guys (Bose, Pirelli, Audi Collection were the ones I spent time with) were hospitable, knowledgeable and very pleasant. It really seemed that everybody--on both sides--was having a fun day. From the venue, to the food, to the events and even the "Audi Financial" logo car wash bucket freebies nicely packed into your trunk by the Audi guys at day's end, this was a not-to-be-missed deal. Hey, they're even e-mailing us our individualized "action sequence" photos from the wet-handling course runs! How cool is THAT? (I WILL post that pic when I get it!)

- The Audi owners I met were generally a good, agreeable bunch. Then again, only ONE of you---ZCD--was there, so maybe it wasn't all that representative a sample! Lots of nice Audis. In our "yellow" group there was an EXCEPTIONAL B5 S4, heavily modded w/shark-gill front bumper, God-knows what under the hood, majorly slammed, huge tires, Recaros and more. A beautiful silver car, ably driven and scary fast. Also present, a heavily modded (judging from an exhaust note from heaven) Santorin blue (I think) S4 driven (hard) by an Oriental young lady somewhat shy of 5' in height, whose total weight was less than one of my legs! She brought her own helmet. Gulp. A couple of S4 Avants, one quite amusingly re-id'd with "S3" badges front and rear. Assorted A4s--B5s and B6s--and A6s. Another couple of apparently "stock-y" S4s. Also a sweet Amulet TT 225 convertible and a pair of black TT coupes. No A8s in our group, but I saw three in other groups. No S6s at all (probably all in the shop!)

- While I expected "downtime" during a day that was to stretch from 7:30-5:00, we were never bored. There was always somebody else on the track/courses to watch (and quietly critique) or cars to look at. At the end of the day, you wanted it to keep going.

- The driving was simply a blast. I had done auto-cross once before, 15 years back.. Honest. So, there was a heavy dose of watch-and-learn...fast. My son and I were sorta in the same (pig) boat together, so to speak! Watching the Panoz guy run the RS6 through the course at the beginning of the segment was a delight...car's smooth as silk, sounds wonderful and--no surprise--is fast as hell. Its run also helped "visualize" the whole course a bit. The Panoz instructors give excellent advice, although it's impossible to absorb it all and immediately translate it into one's execution. The best "notion" of theirs I tried to hang onto, was to see/look MUCH farther down the course than you're inclined to do, and avoid getting "target-fixated" too close in front of the car. And no news here to regular auto-crossers, I guess, but "over"-driving" is the big enemy. Miss the brake-within-it-or-else box at then end of the course, and your time for that run is disqualified. (Both the fastest S4s suffered this fate at least once, although since each was a "solo"--only the one driver, not two sharing a car--only their first two attempts could qualify anyway, and they may have just been funnin' when they missed the box later on). Each cone hit along the course adds a second to one's time, so even one'll pretty well take you out of the hunt. ZCD's been kind enough to show the times, which I won't re-visit, except to say it sure felt good. When we left the course we knew we were best at that point, but there were about 40 cars remaining to complete it, so there was no telling if the time would hold. Still, getting to within a second of that RS6's time gave me an antidote to the lure of that $85,000 beast!

- The new A8L is a truly beautiful car. We got to drive it briefly, and look it over closely at the static display. The exterior is as nice--or nicer--than photographs indicate. Inside, the use of metal trim alongside wood in the dash is visually pleasing beyond words. Nav-screen "rise" is so sweet. And as many have said, the MMI is a treat...the graphics are exceptional, and my son figured out the controls darned fast. At the Bose display, we listened to the stereo inside the car and I can't imagine a complaint about that. My only "style" complaint with the car is the chrome do-dads on the front bumper. They just seem unnecessary and oddly, more distracting on the silver cars there, than they were on the one black one. Maybe it's only personal preference, but I think dark colors on this car may be more handsome.

- "Hot laps" at speed on the big oval track had the "students" go first with an instructor in the front-passenger seat. Everybody's helmeted for this segment. Thereafter the students rode as passengers and all six test cars (Audi's cars, not the students' cars) did three laps of VERY hot--and VERY close--"racing." Most-excellent approaches to the turns, just enough drift, and the sweet, sweet sound of rubber transferring itself from tire to...the larger environment! Looking out the front window, it was like some race-simulator!! Just a terrific rush. I can see why they don't have the instructors drive first. The result would be some number of student-piloted cars kissing those white walls. As it was, we saw one student-piloted A4 completely spin out (180+ degrees) on the cone segment of the backstretch. Good sound, though! Everybody watched!!

- Wet-handling course and accident avoidance courses were both fun, with the edge to the wet course. Came this close to losing the car when the instructor used the handbrake to induce oversteer, but I got `er back. Son drove better than I did here. Accident avoidance course was a good warm-up to the auto-cross, I thought.

- Other than the auto-cross time and a perfect time with my son, a great memory of the day: One of the Audi guys saying to me: "When I looked at your car, I thought for a moment YOU had the RS6!" Thank you, sir.

We left Cicero with smiles on our faces, and I'm still smilin' today. If you get the invitation to one of these events, do not pass up the opportunity.

Singletrack · 06-02-2003, 01:26 PM

S4 - supposedly fast as hell. I think she is from around that area.

-st

Pics of her car...

ICONCLS · 06-02-2003, 01:29 PM

Great write-up!

no.radar · 06-02-2003, 01:36 PM

...proving that BLUE is the fastest color....but it DOES make a difference WHICH BLUE ya bring!

no.radar · 06-02-2003, 01:38 PM

Stoney · 06-02-2003, 01:43 PM

A6 4.2 makes best time of the day....

http://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/260309.phtml

no.radar · 06-02-2003, 01:46 PM

no.radar · 06-02-2003, 01:49 PM

ZCD2.7T · 06-02-2003, 01:56 PM

no.radar · 06-02-2003, 01:59 PM

....while I'm ahead! No tellin' what's left out there in the AW cyber world!!

06-02-2003, 01:01 PM	#1
no.radar Guest Account #: 19949 Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 29,995	Impressions from yesterday's Audi quattro® Challenge at Chicago Motor Speedway . (Long) The Audi quattro® Challenge 1 June 2003 Sorry, no "pics" in this post, but the link to PaulW's photos of the same event a day earlier is below. Our weather was better, but beyond that things "looked" similar. ZCD's got Sunday photos in his PicturePoster, if you're inclined. In no particular order, really... - The Audi of America people REALLY did an excellent job with the entire event. Maybe it's due to their having put on so many of these, but sometimes that repetition can count against you when your people lose their "edge." No evidence of it here. Friendly Audi people, excellent sharp-witted (and highly skilled) Panoz driving instructors, and even the exhibitor guys (Bose, Pirelli, Audi Collection were the ones I spent time with) were hospitable, knowledgeable and very pleasant. It really seemed that everybody--on both sides--was having a fun day. From the venue, to the food, to the events and even the "Audi Financial" logo car wash bucket freebies nicely packed into your trunk by the Audi guys at day's end, this was a not-to-be-missed deal. Hey, they're even e-mailing us our individualized "action sequence" photos from the wet-handling course runs! How cool is THAT? (I WILL post that pic when I get it!) - The Audi owners I met were generally a good, agreeable bunch. Then again, only ONE of you---ZCD--was there, so maybe it wasn't all that representative a sample! Lots of nice Audis. In our "yellow" group there was an EXCEPTIONAL B5 S4, heavily modded w/shark-gill front bumper, God-knows what under the hood, majorly slammed, huge tires, Recaros and more. A beautiful silver car, ably driven and scary fast. Also present, a heavily modded (judging from an exhaust note from heaven) Santorin blue (I think) S4 driven (hard) by an Oriental young lady somewhat shy of 5' in height, whose total weight was less than one of my legs! She brought her own helmet. Gulp. A couple of S4 Avants, one quite amusingly re-id'd with "S3" badges front and rear. Assorted A4s--B5s and B6s--and A6s. Another couple of apparently "stock-y" S4s. Also a sweet Amulet TT 225 convertible and a pair of black TT coupes. No A8s in our group, but I saw three in other groups. No S6s at all (probably all in the shop!) - While I expected "downtime" during a day that was to stretch from 7:30-5:00, we were never bored. There was always somebody else on the track/courses to watch (and quietly critique) or cars to look at. At the end of the day, you wanted it to keep going. - The driving was simply a blast. I had done auto-cross once before, 15 years back.. Honest. So, there was a heavy dose of watch-and-learn...fast. My son and I were sorta in the same (pig) boat together, so to speak! Watching the Panoz guy run the RS6 through the course at the beginning of the segment was a delight...car's smooth as silk, sounds wonderful and--no surprise--is fast as hell. Its run also helped "visualize" the whole course a bit. The Panoz instructors give excellent advice, although it's impossible to absorb it all and immediately translate it into one's execution. The best "notion" of theirs I tried to hang onto, was to see/look MUCH farther down the course than you're inclined to do, and avoid getting "target-fixated" too close in front of the car. And no news here to regular auto-crossers, I guess, but "over"-driving" is the big enemy. Miss the brake-within-it-or-else box at then end of the course, and your time for that run is disqualified. (Both the fastest S4s suffered this fate at least once, although since each was a "solo"--only the one driver, not two sharing a car--only their first two attempts could qualify anyway, and they may have just been funnin' when they missed the box later on). Each cone hit along the course adds a second to one's time, so even one'll pretty well take you out of the hunt. ZCD's been kind enough to show the times, which I won't re-visit, except to say it sure felt good. When we left the course we knew we were best at that point, but there were about 40 cars remaining to complete it, so there was no telling if the time would hold. Still, getting to within a second of that RS6's time gave me an antidote to the lure of that $85,000 beast! - The new A8L is a truly beautiful car. We got to drive it briefly, and look it over closely at the static display. The exterior is as nice--or nicer--than photographs indicate. Inside, the use of metal trim alongside wood in the dash is visually pleasing beyond words. Nav-screen "rise" is so sweet. And as many have said, the MMI is a treat...the graphics are exceptional, and my son figured out the controls darned fast. At the Bose display, we listened to the stereo inside the car and I can't imagine a complaint about that. My only "style" complaint with the car is the chrome do-dads on the front bumper. They just seem unnecessary and oddly, more distracting on the silver cars there, than they were on the one black one. Maybe it's only personal preference, but I think dark colors on this car may be more handsome. - "Hot laps" at speed on the big oval track had the "students" go first with an instructor in the front-passenger seat. Everybody's helmeted for this segment. Thereafter the students rode as passengers and all six test cars (Audi's cars, not the students' cars) did three laps of VERY hot--and VERY close--"racing." Most-excellent approaches to the turns, just enough drift, and the sweet, sweet sound of rubber transferring itself from tire to...the larger environment! Looking out the front window, it was like some race-simulator!! Just a terrific rush. I can see why they don't have the instructors drive first. The result would be some number of student-piloted cars kissing those white walls. As it was, we saw one student-piloted A4 completely spin out (180+ degrees) on the cone segment of the backstretch. Good sound, though! Everybody watched!! - Wet-handling course and accident avoidance courses were both fun, with the edge to the wet course. Came this close to losing the car when the instructor used the handbrake to induce oversteer, but I got `er back. Son drove better than I did here. Accident avoidance course was a good warm-up to the auto-cross, I thought. - Other than the auto-cross time and a perfect time with my son, a great memory of the day: One of the Audi guys saying to me: "When I looked at your car, I thought for a moment YOU had the RS6!" Thank you, sir. We left Cicero with smiles on our faces, and I'm still smilin' today. If you get the invitation to one of these events, do not pass up the opportunity.

06-02-2003, 01:26 PM	#2
Singletrack AudiWorld Super User Account #: 25380 Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 16,037	Sounds awesome. Are you sure the S4 wasn't Nogaro? Sounds like Smurfette - she has a Sportec tuned S4 - supposedly fast as hell. I think she is from around that area. -st Pics of her car... __________________ 2008(9?) S5 - ordered 3/29/08 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2000 A6 2.7T - Sold "On the run from Johnny Law; ain't no trip to Cleveland."

06-02-2003, 01:29 PM	#3
ICONCLS Member Account #: 8010 Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 6,268	"Left Cicero with smiles on our faces," how many times have we heard that? ;-) Great write-up! __________________ "A designer knows that he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." --Antoine de Saint Exupery 6 Turbos, 11.6 Liters, 1330 AWD stock HP. I've done away with the use of teh gHey smileys...I'm most likely kidding.

06-02-2003, 01:36 PM	#4
no.radar Guest Account #: 19949 Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 29,995	Yup. That's her. She was "Fastest Female." (NOT "Fastest Overall," however!) ...proving that BLUE is the fastest color....but it DOES make a difference WHICH BLUE ya bring!

06-02-2003, 01:38 PM	#5
no.radar Guest Account #: 19949 Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 29,995	Usually goes along with: "...and ALOT less money!!" (Thanks.)

06-02-2003, 01:43 PM	#6
Stoney AudiWorld Super User Account #: 230 Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 5,270	Here's the link describing that the A6 can be at least as "nimble" as the cheaper fare... A6 4.2 makes best time of the day.... http://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/260309.phtml __________________ A6 (C5 platform) FAQ Stoney's Picture Library Email: jds@sonolithics.RemoveThisPart.com 2001 A6 4.2L, Sport, Premium, Nemo Blue, Melange Interior

06-02-2003, 01:46 PM	#7
no.radar Guest Account #: 19949 Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 29,995	* non-sport * (Thanks, Stoney. As I say, I'm SURE it's the paint!!)

06-02-2003, 01:49 PM	#8
no.radar Guest Account #: 19949 Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 29,995	Better pic---->

06-02-2003, 01:56 PM	#9
ZCD2.7T AudiWorld Super User Account #: 10291 Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,063	Very nice write up no.dot. I second everything you said. Everyone else-If you get the chance, go! __________________ --------------- Mmmmmm-Audi! --------------- 04 A6 2.7T S-line VMR Wheels B7 RS4 replicas, 18" x 8.5" ET38 www.vmrwheels.com Pirelli PZero Nero 235/40/ZR18 H-Sport Sways HP2 calipers w/Mintex Red FUN!

06-02-2003, 01:59 PM	#10
no.radar Guest Account #: 19949 Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 29,995	Back atcha. (You and carbonLORD are good heads. I'm quittin' meeting AW guys NOW...) ....while I'm ahead! No tellin' what's left out there in the AW cyber world!!

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode


Discussion Forums:	Advanced Search