Quattro Club Event - Second Creek Raceway (Denver)

[Kaklikian, Gary]

> Thanks to the hard work of Don Gruenler, Larry Boyer, Bill & Dawn Darling,
> Bob & Deb Polich, and numerous other volunteers , the Quattro Club event
> at Second Creek Raceway this past weekend was a resounding success.  There
> were no major mishaps (other than a blown turbo on a S4tt) and the weather
> even held up (for the most part). 
> 
> An instructor clinic was held on Friday, Saturday consisted of classroom
> sessions,  a series of exercises (slalom, lane toss, threshold braking)
> and a couple of lapping sessions,  and Sunday included more classroom and
> ample track time.  This was my first event as an instructor  (and I use
> that term loosely). I helped out with the lane toss exercise on Saturday
> and then accompanied my two students on their track sessions.  One,
> driving a nice silver A4 Avant (with cloth interior noless), had some
> autocross and track experience, though he'd never driven at Second Creek.
> He was smooth and fast by his second session and definitely stood out in
> his run group. The second, driving an immaculate cashmere '95.5 S6 with
> chip, suspension, and brake upgrades (I was envious), was a track novice
> and wonderful student.  It was really gratifying seeing the improvement in
> his technique by the second day, though I was only one of several who
> assisted him.  His remark "I never realized my car could do this" summed
> up what these events are all about.
> 
> Second Creek is a tight 1.7 mile course with 14 turns and two 2000-ft
> "straights",  one with a single kink, the other a straight only in the
> sense that you don't brake through its turns. A track map and description
> is at http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/SecondCreek.html
> Although it was in the best condition I've ever seen, it's not one of my
> favorite tracks. It's very technical, hard on brakes, and the only place
> where my water and oil temps get high enough to limit my track time.
> 
> I don't have the exact numbers, but I would guess the attendance was at
> least 80% Audi's, a good mix of older and newer models. Of course, the new
> A4/S4's predominated, but there were a few UrQ's, type 44's, 20v coupes
> and sedans, and UrS's.  Most of the instructor's cars were fitted with
> track tires,  most commonly BFG R1's and DOT Hoosiers.  My  4000tq was
> fitted with well-worn 16"  P7000 summers, the same tires I use on the
> street.  I can't imagine a better street tire for track use - no chunking,
> very sticky, and easy to control at the limit (as witnessed when I passed
> an UrQ at the end of the front straight, missed the braking points, and
> had to brake hard and rotate the car simultaneously.) 
> 
> Even with "only" 15psi boost and running a mix of pump gas and 101 octane,
> my 4000 ran great, with exhaust temps rarely exceeding 1400F and plenty of
> power to easily distance myself from anyone on the straights (though I
> never did get an opportunity to dice with the 20vt UrQ).  Elicited many
> comments of "what the heck do you have under that hood?", to which I
> replied, "oh, just an old Audi I-5." 
> 
>   I used the opportunity to test out my new Porsche 996 calipers and A8
> rotors, and am happy to report, the car finally has sufficient brakes.  I
> could outbrake most anyone, though I did nearly completely wear out a new
> set of Porterfield R4S pads (ok, call it brake abuse).
> I had a power steering belt flip and almost break Sunday morning, and,
> after this was replaced all was well until my brake pedal suddenly sank
> exiting Spectator Hook.  I thought a line had burst, but inspection
> revealed no fluid leaks. The failure was sudden; there was minimal fade
> prior to this. Bleeding the front brakes, there were few air bubbles, but
> barely enough pressure to push the fluid, so I imagine I've lost the
> master cylinder for the front brakes. (I have a Girling dual master
> cylinder setup with no power assist.) But then again, maybe the fluid
> boiled, trapping air in the master cylinder and I just need to flush the
> system thoroughly.
> Oh well, at least the failure occured in a safe place, and the master
> cylinder is only 1/2 the price of a new set of brake pads.  The stock A8
> rotors held up fine, aided by some cooling hoses routed from ducts in the
> lower grill.   
> 
> Lap times? Well, as could be expected a few cars with competition tires
> were faster through the corners than I was on my street tires.  Best I
> could manage was 1:24's, whereas two others, one in a nicely-prepared A4
> turbo, the other in the 20vt UrQ, both running R1's,  dipped into the
> 1:22's.    But, then again, John and Larry are also much smoother around
> this track than I am. 
> 
> I did get selected to drive a few laps with a camera mounted to the hood
> of my car  (the newer cars were far to pretty to risk scratching the
> paint).   Unfortunately,  I had to go solo on the track and was just
> getting into a groove when time expired, but hopefully a clip will be
> posted to a Qclub site. 
> 
> So, my weekend ended a bit early Sunday with the brake problem.  Shortly
> after I left, the fickle Colorado weather took a major turn for the worse.
> Most of the day was warm and dry, actually hot, and then a cold front came
> through, kicking the winds up to 50+ mph, causing a dust storm. When I got
> back home, it started to snow. By the next morning, we had 4 inches of
> fresh snow on the lawn and the 4000 was covered.  I hope everyone who
> drove to the track on race tires got home safely in time.
> 
> Again, thanks to the Rocky Mountain Region Quattro Club for a great event.
> And a special thanks to my "pit crew"  - Ed and Joe. 
> 
> Gary Kaklikian
> '86 4ktq
> '92 S4
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