Grattan quattro Event (MI) - LONG

[QSHIPQ@aol.com]

Well folks, it's that time of the season once again.  While my FJ continues
to await the first 70 degree day in Chicago to claim "spring,"  the quattro
season started with a great couple of days at Grattan Raceway in (Grand
Rapids) MI.  60 drivers, 15 Instructors, and some great weather made for a
fun event again this year.  

Grattan is a 13 turn Multiplane road course that challenges the best of
racers including an off camber downhill L turn, a "toilet bowl" left and a
off camber R (the out is a lake), as well as your requisite bumps and a very
wide straight.  The excitement, and some egos/testosterone made for another
interesting start to the first qclub event of the season.  Very few spin
outs, and 1 car on the rail on SUN afternoon, slightly clouded an otherwise
good event.  Ingo was the only (and I'm sure my foggy memory will get
corrected) Lister running with his v8, the spectator lister contingent more
pronounced:  Graydon (Mr. EFI), Brendon, Todd C and a few others parusing the
paddock area.  

Notables:
*  Keith Andersons Urq (got my wild ride once again) with some interesting
4pot calipers (can you say sport q? behind STOCK wheels.)
*  Palumbo Bros (NJ) showed up trailering a gourgeous Blue Urq.
*  WG Giles (ex prorally champ) with his sport hood equipped 84 tqc in
Tornado Red - now needing brakes
*  Keith Anderson's stock "looking" 86 5ktq
*  A couple of stock A4tq
*  A very tweeked A4tq in Pearl
*  Mike Fisher (eventmaster - v8 5 spd) 4pot braked on each corner
*  Charlie Days' MC equipped Urq - DOA SAT nite
*  The now infamous "Lava Machine" of Craig Jones at Shaumburg (MC 84 4000)
*  Greg Somervilles' massively Hoppen tweeked 6spd 94 S4 (no track run tho)
*  PDQ new owner with new toys (5ktqRS2 with coil overs and trick brakes)
*  A lightning quick Tornado 86 4kq with the Palumbo contingent

For me, the event started 2 weeks ago, with a total of 6 quattros outside my
place and the Urq in the garage for pre spring tweeks.  "No officer, these
aren't all mine".  Hey, it's HOW you ask the question (tho puzzlement on the
PDQSHIP license plate of my wagon and the "old" sedan, IL/OH).  PDQ new owner
decided to run a auto-x a week ago, with only the ceramic barriers left on
the CC's.  New slotted rotors front, new calipers and drilled rears, and some
trick (nice replacement points to Paul Weston for finding and blitz shipping
the) kevlar carbon pads.  Found out Thurs nite that the ceramic had melted
and fused the G60 piston.  Yikes sakes batman.  A suspension on a 5ktq, new
trick adj racing shox on PDQ, a bomb on a 90 20v and a 5ktq, a couple of
brake masters, a busy week for this tweeker.  And NO Urq or wagon at this
event.  Sigh.

Anyhow...  Managed to bribe my brake guy into a blitz rebuild of the G60's on
the beast, threw them in at 15:30 friday, picked up 2 brake masters on the
way to the house.  A quick shower and off to the MI, me driving PDQ and a
never tracked 5ktq driver following.  210 miles in a click over 3 hours, had
to bed the brakes afterall :).  Made the end of the drivers meeting,
excitement of the weekend was at peak levels.  Sat morning, early rise for 2
MC installs at the Harley Hotel.  Brought 2 Gals of Brake fluid, thankfully,
since all but a quart of it remains, lots of folks needing the "Leaches" (my
pressure bleeder).  

SAT was the prerequisit braking and turning and slalom exercises, very well
orchestrated event, went like clockwork.  Lots of new folks this year, most
grinning as they learned the new limits of their toys.  SAT was sunny and 65
degrees, a great turbo day.  This event is maturing into a very well run and
fun event.  The extra instructors freed up some time for me to help some of
the sickly-q's with fixes.  Sat afternoon the run groups started, 5 X 12, all
with instructors.  The speed was higher than most first event/first day I've
attended in the past, cabin fever obviously hitting the midwest participants
hard.  Groups 5 & 4 were instructors, 3,2 and 1 students based on experience.
 Surprisingly, the passing wasn't as much a problem as the crowding was.  Ah,
the ego sometimes out performs reality on the track.  I had PDQ's new owner,
and harnessing the enthusiasm to run hard was a challenge to say the least.  

I also had a novice group 1, then traded my freetime in 2 with different
students.  I'm finding, as I instruct more and more of these type events,
that the best instructor rewards come from the real greenies, and the best of
the seasoned drivers, in between the hardest challenge.  The ego and hormonal
desire for speed eclipses proper technique in the intermediate group, a
frustration really, for both driver and instructor.  The contrast between the
agressive technique of the guy in Group 3 vs the woman (2 events total) in
group 1 a true reflection of time spent reigning the aggression vs concerted
line by line instruction.  Give me the latter any time. 

Sunday proved to get exciting.  An "instructor," taught a "what not to do" in
the chicane, by firmly planting a '91 200tq ON the, as in 4feet off the
ground, guardrail.  Some fire, a couple of bummed folks, and some clouds on
an already cloudy day.  A couple of spinouts, including me instructing Keith
Anderson at the wheel.  He did a chicane (back straight) the fastest I've
ever felt, THEN tried to go faster, darn those physics. 1 crash and 3 spins a
real tribute to the instructors success reigning the mighty testosterone.  

Smiles abounded at this event, a success for the veterans and the "newbies."
 Even Ingo smiling, hands-a-greasy as he pulled and changed the toasted v8
G60 rotors and pads.  Looking forward to Stapleton and Road America and
Waterford again this year, maybe a slide to Watkins as well.  A great season
opener.  

Summation:
*  Little Qclub politics 
*  Too many improper cones- some got "fixed":)
*  Good Weather
*  Good mix of old and "new" faces
*  A 20vt motor might become available by attrition :( or :) depending on
perspective
*  Interesting mix of mods
*  Lots of laughs
*  30minute runs were too long, lots of roasted brakes, and burnt out
student/instructors
*  Graydon needs a turbo to match his new found fuel
*  PDQ needs fuel to match it's turbo
*  Charlie Day needed Goliwas (air leak intake system sat not fixed -
trailered home)
*  I need my Urq running soon
*  2 thumbs up.
  
END OF REPORT

Scott Justusson
QSHIPQ@aol.com