Thunderhill report, longish, US content

["Brandon Hull" <brandon@cardinalventures.com>]

Thanks to a west coast business trip, I had the privilege of participating
in the Thunderhill Qclub driving school this weekend, and thought I'd offer
up a quick trip report.

- Organization:  Andrew Bennet and his brother, Ken did a great job,
supported by a whole cadre of family and wellwishers.  Things generally ran
well and on time.  The instructors I had varied in quality, but even though
I got signed off to solo second session Saturday, I tried to rope in a
consulting passenger when possible.  Saturday night's banquet and raffle was
fun.  Hat's off also for the valiant effort in providing hot food at the
track for breakfast and lunch.

-The course:  What a theme park of a racetrack!  Fast corners, very fast
corners, a nasty off camber corner, (saw three spins here, including one
720, but no one off) two tight blind corners cresting at hilltops, and lot's
of run off room for errors.  Riding in Treadway's 20vt urq, with it's new
K26/27, 13" brembos, and coilovers, Dean locked the unfamiliar brakes,went
straight up the hill at turn 4(? aka the cyclone/eagle's nest) launching
neatly onto the grass and motored sedately down the hill to rejoin at turn
5.

-Listers:  I met a number of q-listers, enjoyed discussing 20vt engine swabs
with Ned Ritchie over the engine bay of his pioneering car, Treadway's Lago
'90 CQ.  Matt Rooke's CQ was the sweetest sounding car there:  the scorpion
exhaust really makes the NA 20V sound lovely.  OK, the Andial C4 Pike's Peak
car sounded pretty good too, and Treadway's ur-on-steroids sounded like a
jet fighter going by.  Alex Neckas, Al Swackhammer were instructing.  I also
have to mention Chuck Reed at Oasis Porsche/Audi in Redding, who, besides
being a terrific instructor, helped me return some mis-ordered parts in
exchange for the euro S2 pieces I needed.  See him at Monterey by which time
he hopes to have his RS2-engined urq ready.

-Cars:  I didn't count, but I'd guess 2/3rds of the cars were A4s. A good
number of urqs were there, and a few CQs.  No 20v 90's, two 20vt 200s.  A
black 200 (10v) sadly was the event's sole casualty, engine seized up solid.
Oh and one surrealistically fast white S4.   My ride was Treadway's ersatz
S2, which nearly identical to my own car parked in an ice storm across the
country.  It was a very gratifying demonstration of the ersatz S2 concept;
startling A4 drivers who think of the CQ as "slow," and prompting many to
casually saunter over to the paddock for a closer look.  (not to disparage
A4s, for which I gained new respect.  If two A4s ahead of me handled the
last turn well, I could pass one but not two one the straight)  The car felt
balanced, forgiving (a trait I appreciated at least once a lap) and
blisteringly fast when I happened to blunder onto the right line.
I also took several laps in Treadway's urq, which is truly fabulous.  I
believe the 320HP estimates.  Treadway missed all of Sat bolting it
together, and someone must've rushed the gearbox linkage which fell off,
luckily leaving the car in 3rd, the gear to have if you're having only one I
suppose.  Our drive back down to Berkely was a sedate 55mph.

Thanks again, Bennetts, and all the others who helped out.  To other west
coast US listers, my highest recommendation for next year.

Brandon Hull
'91 ersatz S2