Brainerd QCUSA Event - LONG

[PDQSHIP@aol.com]

Well, the largest fanfare of the Quattro Club USA in Brainerd MN is now a
fleeting memory for 1995........  A few thoughts from one who was
there........
Cars:
S4 - plethora                               911 SC - 1
V8's - a few                                 90cq - 2
5k/200 - majority                          4kq - see v8
Sport q - 4
Wild - Ned/Marnie's yellow 90
urq's - second to 5k/200
100/90 - a few
ZR 1 - 1
Maserati Biturbo - 1

Netsters - Jim Fease 4kq
                Yours truly
A quick insert (yea right) of springs Thurs nite meant a all night drive for
me and my 3 1/2 yr old co-driver to make it for the Fri morning beginning of
the wkend......  Rolled in after 10 solid hours of Rain to a very wet and
cold Brainerd........   Friday turned out to be the calm before the storm as
far as car count goes, there were about 40 of the 90 cars due to show
Sat......  Kent and Keith are in their element at this event, and I stuck
with Kent thru the Instructors Instruction most of the day.......   The chalk
talk proved to be the highlight of the day, since the design of the school
hasn't changed much in the 4 yrs I've been active at them.......   Mike was a
very capable instructor for the Porsche Club and had a very strong sense of
instructor being in control whenever his student was on the track......  A
few minor disagreements with some of the statements like "threshld braking
and the accelerator pedal won't get you into trouble, it's after the apex..."
(I even saw Keith wince on that one).   But all in all a very good
informative lecture for the new instructors on maintaining control on
students, which hadn't been stressed b4, and got a little out of hand at some
of the earlier schools........   He did a nice job, albeit Eric Fletcher in
absensia.....

Caught up with Ned Ritchie (and Marnie, driving a very hi profile 90q 4dr in
yellow with one of those uuuuuuuge rear wings and quite a few euro tweeks)
and Mike Goliwas (Charlie Days' wrench, the most tweeked q I've seen to date)
in the afternoon, and some computer, turbo, valve, intercooler nerding went
on for most of the afternoon.....  Ned had set me up with a one-off computer
that, well, to say the least, is awesome, but unfortunately for me, no time
to dial it in b4 the event......   Friday nite was a great get - together of
the quattro club to kick off the wkend....  I continued to nerd out with Mike
and some others on the potential of the q's and 'course the turbos......  

Saturday morning turned out to be a beautiful day, low 60's, sunny and
perfect turbo weather........  There were 4, count 'em, 4 Sport q's, and all
the participants were given passes for co-rides in the beasts during the
wkend.   They were all in one of the garages, and that mental picture will
last a lifetime, they look sound and ride like the beasts they are......
  Wow!    

Since the School itself was Friday, Sat and Sunday were dedicated to track
time, Full Track Time.........  There were 5 groups (group 5 being the
instructor group) and I had Eric F.'s two students assigned to me (tried my
best Eric F. imitation)......   The Track itself, for those of you who
haven't been, is affectionately referred to as Brainless, cuz there really is
no elevation changes and the bank on turn one is NASCAR like, as well as ten,
coming into the 3/4 mile straight.....  I saw 134 on the straight before I
blew the caps off my IC (not once, but three times needing a tow), and
managed to give a sport q a run for his money from 10 thru 5 before I popped
the can again......  The look on the guys face as he just edged past me on
the straight was incredulous........   The straight is a NHRA 1/4 mile set up
too, quite the versatility for Northern MN.......

DEER!!!!!!   What?  Yep, seems in the woods there be deer, and one of the
students managed to clobber one in his Pearl 200tq, on the back straight no
less, luckily only putting his right fender in the fold so to speak, the rest
of the car was fine......  Only saw two off's on Sat, a green S4, and a Black
S4.....   The green one had some front end damage, and a humbled driver.  No
one spun on track despite the majority of cars over 100 on the straight, turn
2 over 90mph, then a hard 90right on 3.......

I managed to miss the timed runs on Sat while putting the MacGuyver Knife to
my IC, but took great pleasure in stopping to chat with all the folks, and
always went with  my students and anyone else who wanted to give a co- rider
opportunity........  I knew my prollums were to die for, too much boost on
throttle off, gee who could be bummmed.......   One of my students really
didn't care for the line at 7, and while I coached him well on the turn, his
all season tires didn't follow the x-cution, 5 cones down, two to go, and he
got them on the next lap......  I said to him that when my brake pedal does't
work on the passengers side, he needs to slow down......  But he finished
looking really good, and cones are just suggestions meant to be hit........

Sunday was more of Saturday, and after some massive reduction of boost, I
managed to enjoy the whole day without incident, but wanted to wrench that WG
spring in a big way......   Lots of deceivingly smooth drivers, and I
actually enjoyed being the chase car more than the lead, cuz you could rate
the driver the line and your car in reference to the lead.......    

It was over too soon, and back to reality.......  A great show of quattro
strength, and the ur-q contingent was most impressive.......   Now this is
getting too long, so off I go, if I missed any of the excitement, let me
know.....  This event is not to be missed if you're into the four rings in a
big way.....

Scott
'87 5ktqRS2 stage VIII, IA box, IC fixed, still smiling.......