Looking for an explanation

[Radek]

Yesterday, my 18-year old son took his 1988 90Q to the track for winter driving school - skidding, emergency braking, accident avoidance, etc.  Around noon he calls me and says "dad, I hit a cone and the car died.  The fuel pump is not buzzing."  He checked for gasoline smell - none.  Reached to fuel pump and checked wires - seemed ok.  Checked fuses and wiggled fuel pump relay - nothing.  Long story short, poor lad had to come back home on a flatbed.

Today I went to check out the car in daylight:  no visible damage underneath (it was about 20 deg. centigrade below yesterday, so the cone could have been pretty hard), fuel lines ok, brake lines ok, electrical connections to fuel pump ok.  The pump did not buzz when the key was turned.  I tried cranking the engine and it sputtered a bit but didn't start.

Because I had no helpers to push the car into the garage, I decided to use the starter.  So I put the car into second gear, released the clutch alone and turned the key:  the car rolled nicely into the garage, and A MIRACLE HAPPENED.  IT STARTED!  I kept it running for a few minutes, turned it off, then on again:  fuel pump is buzzing and car starts as if nothing ever happened.

Is there a logical explanation to this?  For a moment I thought about an immobilizer having been triggered by the impact of running over the cone, but I don't think these cars have one?  Any ideas?  Is it the Audi Gods putting the young lad to the test with his first Audi?

Radek in Ottawa