Grattan 2002 Event Report....

[QSHIPQ at aol.com]

...  Or "Singing in the rain"....  Well, the 20 some track Event schedule of
the Audi Car Club debuts every year, this last weekend in April.  Here's the
scoop, in Best Of format:

*  Best quattro Advantage:  Rain, buckets of it.  Saturday morning it was dry
until about 3:00 or so, then the rain hit, and in a big way.  The plethora of
Porsches (of which there were at least 6) went from top dog to bumming.

*  Best "just like racing":  t44tq full race spec car flunked the "on
trailer" tech check Thursday night (structural cracks in rotors).  Gave the
car owner the choice of Coleman Rotors fedexed to hotel for Sat morning
install, a drive of my 83 urq, or he could haul up his coil over equipped neu
S4tt.  He chose the Fedex method.  Made for a long morning Saturday.

*  Best friend in need.  Audi Connection v8 commiserator Keith Tackett, out
for a visit, spent Saturday morning with me installing 4 brake rotors into
the race car.  Finished all 4corners just in time to put it on track for the
lapping session in the afternoon.

*  Best spin doctor:  930T (massively tweeked) owner and qclub instructor
Dana T cut the grass at Grattan several times...  IN the dry (friday).  Car
spent a lot of time in the trailer Sat and Sun.  No real carnage, only minor
spoiler and duct damage. Watching that car rocket the straight was a had to
be there experience.

*  Best track day decision.  After putting the brake rotors on the t44tq,
looking at the sky and choosing the rain tires.  Within the hour, that became
a really good call.  Which leads to....

*  Best rain tires:  Toyo Proxes.  I couldn't get the 44tq to break loose,
even with full on rain downpour.  Similar in tread design to the Sumitomo,
but my comparo is that the proxes give up a little dry handling to the
HTRZII's, but much better wet handling.

*  Best locked differential setup:  Ok Glen Powell, tried both locked vs rear
only locked.  Rear only locked (front open) understeered less in the tight
turns.  Locked rear it was, at least for this 4 coil over full race setup.
It was too wet to try a comparo with center only locked....  We'll try that
at mid ohio

*  Best woops...  A slight communication problem resulted in 108 leaded into
the track car, vs the 93 unleaded requested.  Cost:  1 thunderbird supercoupe
O2 sensor within about 5 minutes.  Tried disconnecting the 02 all together,
still didn't run well.

*  Darn, no plate:  Finding some of the frustration of track only cars that
aren't street legal.  When they run right in the shop, don't assume they do
on track.  Under boost the car would sound awful, but was still plenty fast
at 8-10psi boost levels.  Of course, pulling codes revealed nothing....

*  Growing up with no roots...  This is the first event in my 12+ years where
the urq count on track was exactly 0 for the event.  Thankfully, lister Bob
Dupree showed up to spectate on Sunday with his '84 tornado.  At least we
could drool a bit....

*  Best Rat Pack:  The misfit corner with all the trailers corraled:  RB and
myself with the t44tq (2 trailers -1 car), Dana with thumper (see above) and
a nice aluminum box trailer, Dave H with the 78 911T and the
ex-Anderson/Beddor RUF 4wd van.  Serious ordinance for a bunch of goofballs
having a blast.

*  Aw Hail Dave...  A mention of possible hail storms for the weekend had
Hackl up and about very early Sat morning to get a garage.  A 911T with golf
ball dimples compromises the art I suppose.

*  Best chase:  Taking the 44tq track car (LTIIQ?) and chasing down Chaulk
Talk instructor Phil Smith in his ProRally MGGT.  "Hey is that a scandinavian
flick?  Sure, we can do that too".  Both of us laughing after that run group,
many times the views from his side window was our front end.  Always best to
have someone to share the laughs with.  That technique must be the "advanced"
driving course....

*  Best brakes...  After air ducting the LTIIQ (4x4 pot outlaw with coleman
rotors), this car, admittedly lightened (2700lbs), just slowed this car with
extreme prejudice.  They felt like my ride in the GT3 Porsche last year, you
definitely wanted the belts cinched tight for the end of the straight.

*  Best sharing.  The owner of the LTIIQ insisted on me installing 2 seats in
the track car, replacing the 1 seat of the previous owner.  Without question
sharing great quattro rides IS the spirit and intent of these events.
Matching Momo seats and belts was just gravy.  Most runs in this machine were
with pass on board.   Everyone left either seat with big grins. Where's the
fun if you can't share?

*  Best challenge award:  Dallas Smith trying to deal with the electronics vs
left foot braking technique in her 2001 TT.  3 second of LFB, then the
throttle wire goes dead.  The post 3 second power drop was a...
Disappointment? (major understatement).  Feeling the haldex suddenly become
"engaging", really made for a underwhelming demonstration of this quattro's
rain prowess.  Here's hoping the computer geeks can get this one cracked.

*  Best record continued:  No serious offs, no dead quattros.  Not at all bad
for the weather we had.

*  Best "no complaints from the gallery":  When the rain hit on Saturday, it
was horizontal in orientation.  Eventmaster Mike Fisher stuck it out till the
very end, and called the day only short 1 run group.  Not a peep from the
warmer and driers.

*  Calling for the meld.   Interesting to see how many keyboard drivers
actually show up to drive these events.  When you search thru all the
"spacebar" flurry on these lists (especially over the last couple months), my
conclusion:  You qlist guys need to get out more often.  No better experience
than quattro content in full 3 dimension/5 senses.

*  Best eats:  Prevos Italian Restaurant in Plainfield MI.  A traditional
stop near the track for some of the best italian food in the state.  The post
event ralaxing food dogging makes for wagging trailers on the ride home...

*  Best going nowhere fast but warm all the way:  50miles/13.5gals = 3.5mpg.
My toyota truck/warming hut idled 2 days straight.  Nothing like warm handled
tools when it's 30 degrees.

*  Best on-site delivery:  Ingo R (91 200tq) showing up to deliver the urq
trunk/spoiler.  Same day delivery on a Sunday!

*  Second best on-site delivery:  Coleman Machine (fri) to Lexington Suites
(sat).  One gratefully reflects on how many 'saves' this company must
routinely do during race season.  Thinking of the logistics, that kind of
service:  Priceless.

*  Ok, the round of thanks...  Mike Fisher, a great yearly debut event as
always, Scott Olsen as well, speedy recovery to Scott.  Phil Smith, great
picking up of the pace with regards to all aspects of instruction.  Keith
Tackett, best of friends that finally meet, a big thanks for the assist on
Saturday, never tension, even under the loaded gun of time.  RB for sharing
of the LTIIQ ride, and spending the right side seat bux.  A true reminder
sharing fun IS the e-ticket ride.  My student Bryan (a first timer), excited
after the second day, and waaaay hooked on the experience...  I smile sharing
in that success.  Mary and Larry, very behind the scenes on this event, but
your attention to detail is always appreciated.  Dana, Hackl, RB, Keith....
The misfits of quattro toys, laughing and helping each other is a great bond.
  Sara (my 11 year old daughter), for quick delivery of custom parts from the
garage to the car, glad we brought those rollerblades.  To my wife and now 10
year old daughter (- happy birthday!), for the continued tolerance of my
marque mistresses.  And to all the folks that come up and shake my hand,
thanking me for "getting" them hooked...   In the end, that really is the
reward.

End of  Report

Scott Justusson
'87 4runner turbo
second chair
CAM Racing LTIIQ