[s-cars] RE: Confessions of indiscretions

[QSHIPQ at aol.com]

Elijah:
Comments inserted....
In a message dated 10/22/2003 8:52:31 AM Central Daylight Time,
Elijahallen92 at aol.com writes:
>James,
>I agree with you. Most of this depends on the track. For example in the
>advanced group at gingerman this year I could keep up with most of the pack
but
>anything small with some decent power would end up passing me. That track is
>small and technical with lots of camber changes and radius changes
throughout the
>turns (not very good for miss piggy). This fall at Road America I was in the
>advance group and there was not a car in the group I did not pass. I was also
>running street tires. Because of the long straights and fast, mostly
>predictable corners the big pig shined and has for the past four years I've
done that
>event.

EXACTLY my argument tho Elijah.  The problem with power, is it's simplicity.
A bad driver can take a car with hi horsepower, and lay out every straight,
eating cars along the way, set a lap time.  What did you learn?  That tracks
with long straights make miss piggy shine?  Ok.  A good driver quests for better
training, it's the turns that makes a good driver on a road course = good.
I'll freely disagree with your assessment of Gingermann, other that the fact
that it needs a good consitent driver, not a lot of HP.

> At mid Ohio this year I took a ride in an s4 with RS2 goodies and even
>though Scott did not let us pass in his URQ we were definitely faster. Sure
he
>had us in the corners but overall Bill was letting off on the gas to keep
from
>running miss piggy into the back of Scott.

Interesting, I believe that was the Black S car with Big Reds?  If so Elijah,
I believe the reason I held Bill up, was because of his LINE thru the corners
being off, not the car thru the corners, and I also believe that the "lead"
was traded more than once.  From my perspective (see above) an S car can set a
lap time by mashing on the gas and chewing straights, including my whimpy
200hp urq.  But, specific to Mid OH that car wasn't faster... As a lap time that
car was caught from behind, which puts the power in perspective.  That car was
faster in the straights, period, Bill needed it to be.  My point.  That's not
learning to drive a quattro better, that's big dogging equipment at the
expense of driver skill.  That has a steep and expensive learning curve associated
with it.  I watched some lines that were downright dangerous, at which point I
look at "faster" and was glad Bill didn't run into my backside.

> All in all I don't really care. I
>have great respect for both the person who turns there s4 into a monster and
>the guy who decides to make a dedicated track car. Either way you spend a lot
>of time and money.

A dedicated track car has the benefit of making a better driver of the street
car Elijah.  You don't HAVE to spend a lot of money.  You certainly can, but
I'd rather see a consistent lap time out of driver at Gingermann, than fooling
the clock at RA anytime.  ACNA will be (already is) addressing "fooling the
clock" game soon IMO, the theatre in the HP wars is getting pretty silly.  In
fact, at Mid OH last year, it was my suggestion to Craig, that the advanced
groups were split up into those with the big dogs, and those wanting to work the
line.  I took the latter freely.

My .02

Scott J