pierreb

Video stills, since the camera's batteries didn't survive the night.

ccccccccccccccoooold:

<img src="http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/442/coooldxt9.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

It felt much colder, but I know it's far from the coldest seen there. Nevertheless, my trunk refused to latch properly until the temp went back up some. I was worried I'd have a flapping trunk all day...how embarrassing! Yes that's my air bag light . Thank goodness Sirius worked up there since my CD changer needs replacing too. Dover Audi gets the car Monday.

NH backroads. It felt funny being led by a Mini Cooper S for some reason...cool car though.

<img src="http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/3088/approachnr8.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

No snow????

<img src="http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5057/approach2xt1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

*LOST Voice* "Guys...where are we?":

<img src="http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/8956/guyspz8.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

While waiting for the slalom, Larry (Instructor) showed us the part of the skid pad you should <b>avoid</b>...&lt;insert BMW joke here&gt;:

<img src="http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9760/skidpaglarryzq3.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

I spent the next 1.5hrs on the slalom section...most of that with ESP unfortunately engaged. Bruce Jr cracked open the FM and spotted the solution: hold the button down longer and you disable ASR *and* ESP...2 runs through the cones to get the full unaltered by technology experience, and it was off to the avoidance course.

Here's Steve (Instructor) showing a group of vict...I mean students through the course in his DSG A3. You can almost hear the screams:

<img src="http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/160/a3victimssr7.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

I had a blast through this section, even though it was definitely the tightest setup of the school. Some margin of error of course, but don't be stupid...I did murder a cone though, the shame...
This was a really good section to learn the difference between Quattro and the *other* cars as some definitely struggled to make it up the icy hill during the laps. OTOH, Quattro doesn't help understeer all that much, so you still have to be precise around the course or you'll be eating a snow bank!

Things were moving too quickly to get too much worthwhile video, so it was on to the skid pad. JD's Allroad looked like a fun ride:

<img src="http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/4189/jdsallroadjb8.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

I wanted to transplant his manual tranny and engine into my car soooo bad:

<img src="http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/167/jdsallroad2ti2.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

I <b>suppose</b> instructors are allowed to have some fun too...;-)

<img src="http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8113/evo1yv3.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

<img src="http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/2359/evo2jm1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

I can't say enough about Emre...he definitely got me to have some fun with my car, and by the end of the skid pad session I had reached my holy grail: a full revolution while drifting. It felt unbelievable to hold the nose pointed at the center the whole time while bringing the rear-end around the circle...so unfamiliar, yet <b>so much fun</b>! Once all the gizmos are turned off, this C6 can be a blast too!

Finally, a couple of pics of Carter Johnson and Bruce Wiggett Jr. I do have them on video actually rotating in different directions around the pad...

<img src="http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9576/carterbruce1zt2.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

Old Skool:

<img src="http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9810/bruceoldschoolvi4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

Lastly, the unofficial tow truck gets a turn:

<img src="http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4886/towdriftgr6.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

I can't wait to go again. Thanks to NEQ for putting this together, and to Team O'Neil for the snow banks! It'll be a couple days before the grin on my face disappears...

April

but not when it comes time to clean the car;-)

absoluteis

Although eating a snow bank in a new RS4 makes me want to cringe

pierreb

so I probably shouldn't mention the S6 and RS4 the same guy wrecked on back-to-back days last week then?

you'll do just fine if you drive as instructed. no need to show off, especially leaving the facility.

links:

<a href="http://www.neqclub.org/index.php?option=com_events&Itemid=46">NEQ Club events</a>

<a href="http://www.naaclub.org/events">NAAC events</a>

The NAAC next weekend was full and had a few people on the waiting list, so I signed up for the NEQ one this weekend.
Not sure if there are going to be any more this year though

p.s. video's driving me nuts. the sony captured it in wide-screen, but it's playing in this compressed ratio crap on my comp...grrr.

pierreb

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzStaGHi2pA">Part 1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8VLuHV0-1g">Part 2</a>

DxC

wow! looks like a lot of fun!!

germantoy

anyone?

pierreb

I would if I had an appropriate vehicle...

Carson (K03x2)

You can check out my and qfrog's reviews over on the B5 forum. We were the guys sharing the B5 A4 Avant.

https://forums.audiworld.com/a4/msgs/2661637.phtml

dojo

I just moved from Seattle, WA to Stamford and am an Audi instructor and we used to do days like this in the snow and they are sooo much fun!

not to mention a great learning experience!

If there's any info, would love to see it.

David.