OOOOwww-D 3 for 3 in a close battle!

[Steven Verona <vrona@infinet.com>]

I finally ran into some real competition thiis past Sunday.  Other than the Natiional 
Tour race last year, I have been winning my class by a HUGE margin in autox terms.  This 
year on a local level, nothing has changed.... very little serious competition.  OTOH, 
on a regional level everything has changed.  A former National Champion and another 
Toledo driver have purchased the two best cars for the class I compete in.  I will have 
the oportunity to race them at almost every race this year.  I am looking forward tot he 
competition to help force myself to go faster.

On Sunday John and Debbie Fessler showed up in their new Toyota Paseo with 105hp and 
only 2000lbs.  Last year they both beat me at a fun event in a Toyota Celica that they 
say is slower than their new Paseo... they tested them both and decided the Paseo was 
faster.  Anyway, both of them a great drivers in a killer car.  All day long I was 
between .5 and .9 seconds behind John and a few tenths ahead of Debbie.  I was actually 
very pleased to be so close to John considering all of his experience and my lack 
thereof... about 11 months.  Both John and I were running very fast times in the 37 
second bracket... running with the much faster cars in other classes.  It came down to 
the last run when I changed my line in one corner and drove better than I had ever done 
before.  I took .7 seconds off of my time!!!!!  I ended up running a 37.114 to beat John 
by almost 15 hundreths of a second!!  Nobody could beliieve I beat him... honestly, I 
was shocked.

John and Debbie came up to congratulate me after the run.  I thanked them for enteriing 
the class so I can learn to go faster. I doubt I would have come within a second of my 
times if I did not have someone to chase after.  We ended up in a long conversation 
about my driving and the car.  Neiither one of them could beleive the times I was 
turning.

This had to be the best race of my short career (if you can call it that)!!!  I think I 
have finally proven that the heavy old quattro can win against a great car with a great 
driver.  It should be a very competitive year... I can't wait!

Now on to what I learned:  The track was very wide and flowing compared to most autox 
tracks I have run.  The corners were all taken at about 4000rpm in second gear except 
for one really slow corner around 2000rpm and another constant radious left hander at 
about 3000rpm.  The temp was about 50 degrees and the tires generated very little heat. 
 The medium speed corners generated a lot of wheelspin coming out of the exits as the 
engine was in its power curve.  The wheelspin cost me a lot of time.  Also, the car wa 
oversteering for the first time.   After the second run, I deciided to try and lock the 
center  diff to eliminate the wheel spin, improve braking, and eliminate the oversteer. 
 It worked like a charm.  The car ran awesome!  I actually was able to spin the inside 
front AND rear tires exiting one corner.  Several specatators said it was quiite a 
sight... I wish I had seen it.

Next weekend is a test session that I do not know if I can attend.  The weekend after 
that is the first Central Division series race in KY.  I can hardly wait!

Steven Verona
86 Audi 4000q
Can I call it a "killer" H Stock car yet? ;-)