Re: Summit Point and Re: ACCA

[u3109@calv1.cray.com (Mike W. Young)]

>  Should we have them publish the quattro list subscription address 
>  in the newsletter?

I mentioned this discussion group this to a few members at the 
Summit Point event and participation interest existed.

> Eliot> they also organize track events which i think is their main
> Eliot> activity..  unfortunately i don't live anywhere remotely close
> Eliot> to minnesota and so far there has only been one event on the
> Eliot> west coast.
>
[snip]

Renting a track is expensive, and perhaps a local organizer can
get two smaller clubs to share the track. The VW club did this with the
mini cooper club, and the BMW club and some others I can't remember.

> Eliot> finally, if i were to punt 4 wheel thingies around the track
> Eliot> my preference would be to be on a kart rather than on my daily
> Eliot> transportation appliance...  :)
>
> I don't think that I would like to do this every weekend, but I
> enjoyed doing it once.  I will probably do it next year, again - I
> like knowing how the car will act at speeds and conditions that are
> not available at 55mph.  The drive home was a lot more boring than
> usual for some reason :-)  maybe I will become an SCCA groupie for a
> while. 
> 
> 	-Jim

Jim, you don't want to do this every weekend?
You mean "Not in my own car" don't you?
I would love to make a living at it! :-)

The official title of the track event was "Second Summit Point
Safety Seminar Autocross" and the focus was on car control, and
driving skills. Safety, Safety, Safety was the focus. 

There were no timed laps, or head-to-head competition, this is for the
SCCA, and kart guys. There were many serious drivers who had prepared
their cars for this type of event. Shaved Yoko 008Rs ruled the day.

I have participated in VW club events at Sears Point,and other marque
car club events at Laguna Seca, as well as having alot of Auto-X time.

Bill Scott owns the race track and runs BSR Advanced Driving School.
They supervised the entire Quattro Club event, and ran the classroom
and skid pad, as well as supplying the instructors who rode along
with those of us unfamiliar to the track, or who wanted to improve
their line and lap times (Although untimed). 

I have never had that level of professional instruction available
at any other club event. My instructors each helped me with a different
aspect of getting my 90CS hustled around the course with a minimum of
drama and maximum speed within my ability and the cars. 

The final session I had with an instructor was with "Bruce" the chief
instructor at BSR, and Crew chief for several professional racing teams.
I was alittle intimidated, but he proved to be very good at talking
and analizing in near real time without distracting me from the business
at hand. In the final analysis, he told me to stop shifting down into
second gear at the end of the main straight into turn 1, and just let
3rd gear torque pull me around. The turn 1-2 combo was difficult 
because just as I had accelerated through turn 1 into turn 2 (~180 deg. at
completion of turn 2)  I was at redline and shifting into 3rd upset the 
balance of the car. Following his advise I had a ten miles an hour 
increase in speed between turns 2-3 which was only about 1/4 of a mile. 

He also gave the same advise through the combination of turns 5-6-7-8
and leaving it in 3rd and just letting the engine build speed smoothly
really helped gain a real storm of energy to unleash into turns 9-10.
The real point was that because I was not shifting I had better 
concentration on placing the car where it should be on the track, and
I did not need to watch the Tach except on the main straight.

The V6 is amazing. I had to keep one eye glued to the tach because the
damn thing was so linear in torque that I could not feel any flatness
or increase in noise as I approached the cutoff past redline. 
With the V6 I was able to go somewhere between an indicated 110-115
down the main straight after my best exits from turn 10.

I did tear great big chunks out of my Eagle GA tires in front, but all
the more reason to buy 008Rs before the next event. We had two M-B 190
2.3-16 cars participate and one really set the pace. He kept up with
an Audi Coupe GT which had been in the weekend SCCA regional event in
the ITB class (Improved Touring-B) and the M-B was stock with 130K 
miles and ten track events on it. I can only hope my 90CS fares as well.

Ned Richie was at the event giving advise, assisting those in need (at
no cost) and provided on-the-spot mods to those in need of more speed.

I spoke with him at length about Peter Wales, and Ivor at TAP.
Ned spoke about Peter and his products with the highest of praise
and Ned felt without doubt that Peter's Superchip products were of the 
highest quality. I rode in Neds '86 5000 TQ and with 380K miles on the 
chassis and ~50K on his 380hp 20V inline 5cyl. I will spare you of any
sounds it made, but I was impressed beyond words. That car moved like
it was dropped of a building, well... not really. It accerated faster,
and could stop. It was the sort of acceration that makes the un-initiated
start to panic and look around for runoff areas. It went 0-120-0 between
a couple of, well...uh, stop lights, uh, I can't really say it was a 
public road or anything, because we past everything so quickly, but, 
we did stop at a pizza hut on the way back.

If you have ever seen Ned, or I, you would know that we could not pass
a Pizza Hut at any speed more than once.

As for getting value for your $30 in the Quattro club, I think you
might have missed the point if all you wanted was technical information
at no cost. I have been a member, and participated in the VW club for
many years (Since 1983). It was a way to gather with other people who
shared my enjoyment of the vehicle, and trade experiences, and knowledge.
We also created a large group to increase buying power for some products.

The dues are now $36, I guess a drop in enrollement is forthcoming. 

BTW, for those who know him, Bill Bartlett placed second on Saturday,
and took the checkered flag on Monday in his Showroom Stock-C Mazda.

I also had the good fortune to meet and have lunch with Bart and Dora
Chambers last Saturday (9/3) afternoon, and could not have had a
better or more pleasant time. I also met Felix.
Thank's Bart, lets do that again.

All in all, a fun filled, action packed 5 day weekend, I *will* do it
again. There is an event in October at BIR near Minneapolis...? 


Mike  



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