Steamboat Play Time Jan 1999

["Lawson, Dave" <dlawson@ball.com>]

Here you go Stott,
>
Finally!  Something resembling a Steamboat report.  I'm in withdrawals over
here!  With two different groups hitting Steamboat this year, I figured
there'd have to be a few good stories.  Dave L, Scott J, Steve E, Chad, Ben,
Chris T???  Doesn't anyone have a yarn to spin?
>
I was waiting from someone else to post up, but here goes. I didn't make it
to the NW event last weekend, but did go to the other event at the end of
January, Jan 30 and 31 to be exact.

The week before I got rolling and got the urquattro ready. I spent time on
the comfort features and installed the Sony XKR100 deck, an amp and 
some infinitys in the back deck. With tunes available, I installed a heated 
seat harness from a 5k series car and hooked it up to the grey leather 
coupe GT heated seats installed in my car. As for shoes, I had Nokian 
NRW 195/65-15 directional snows installed on OEM 1991 200 TQ 7.5in 
BBS wheels.

I left Boulder about 8 AM and had a leisurely 3.5 hour drive to da 'boat.
The first timer school was sat morning and the exercises started about 
noon. The track configuration was a bit different this year with the
carousel
moved to the top middle part of the course. The map posted on Orin's page
shows the new configuration. The front straight is a bit shorter too.  We
ran 
some exercises and the skid pad for a while, then got on with the lapping.
I wasn't all that fast, but did have a great time. The Blizzaks had an 
advantage over the NRWs on the ice. Chad was running some guardex,
maybe graspics, which he was pretty happy with. Scott J was running some
pirelli's on his ur-q. As usual the tight corners were pure ice and you had 
to creep through, no traction there. I worked on and have got the 
countersteer(Scandinavian flick) turn down.

On saturday night, a bunch of us entered the SCCA ice rally cross. It was
timed runs consisting of 2 laps. We all got 2 chances at it. Driving the
track
at night was fun. My best was a 252 second run. Chad turned up the wick
and did a 232 run. FTD was a $500 mazda gtx which was very fast. The 
guy recently bought it, threw on some rally lights and had a blast. I
believe
his FTD was 228 or thereabouts with 4 people in the car. It was real cold,
about -15F, and my plastic lower radiator shroud exploded when I caught 
some chunky snow along the edge of a bank on the mid straight. After the
event we went and got some grub and pitchers of fat tire ale.

Sunday morning was cold, -20F and I had to get the ur-q jumped to start it.
We started about 9am, did some more exercises for a few hours and then
started the lapping. In the mid afternoon there was some timed runs and then
more lapping until about 5pm. I had a lot of fun. I was hitting 50-60mph on 
the straights, but the turns are a blast. There is nothing like setting your
car 
up sliding through a corner totally sideways.

After the event I was planning on heading home, but QSHIPQ and Bob 
Dupree twisted my arm and I stayed the night. We made some special
arrangements and rented the track for 2 hours monday morning. 3 drivers,
2 ur-quattros, 1 empty ice track, 2 inches of fresh pow, and it was 
dumping snow. That morning was amazing, I have never taken corners
faster at the track than that morning. Bob got out the digital camera and
got
some good press stage shots of Scott J in his ur-q going full bore sideways
with snow flowing up the side and over the roof. The cars ended up covered
in snow and the only view out was where the front wipers cleared the 
windscreen. I finally figured out how to get my ur-q to setup for some 
corners I was having trouble with. With my stiff suspension, I had to left 
foot brake to get the suspension to set on the countersteer, and then the
car would rotate when I turned into the corner. I took quite a few corners
with
alot of speed, sliding sideways, the car clawing for traction and Scott J
yelling
"keep your foot in it, keep your foot in it...". It takes some getting used
to what
these cars can do, sideways at 40mph, sliding down a hill, on ice and
keeping 
your right foot planted to get the car to straighten out. More than once I
took
the spin and then kept going, but once you find out that by keeping the
power
down you can straighten the car out, it's pretty amazing. Ur-q's can fly
too.
I will let Bob or Scott explain, but a member of airborn racing lived up to
the 
name. No harm done either.

When our time was up we packed up and headed back to Boulder. Then my
"fun" began. Filling up with gas my defroster/fan motor burned out. Then my 
wipers decided to stop. I was pretty exciting going over rabbit ears pass in
a good blizzard with no wipers and no fan motor. But we made it down
the other side where it was sunny. Then we headed over to hot sulphur
springs
where we sat in the hot springs and "released toxins from our bodies". This
was
one of the many health benefits the desk clerk told us about.  Sitting
outside in 
that 120degF water was very relaxing. After a few hours we were sufficiently

cooked and headed home over Berthod Pass.

>From what I hear this is the last year for the ice track being located where
it is
on ski area property. They aren't sure where it is moving to,but I am sure
that
we quattro owners will seek it out.
-
Dave Lawson
1983 ur-quattro, winter driving school weapon of choice
1990 200 TQ Avant