Track Event and US A3 sighting.

[Todd Phenneger <phen9461@uidaho.edu>]

Yep, you read it right.
	Saturday night I get back from Mexico.  Sunday is my Birthday.
Guess what, my friends decided to take me to an Auto Cross school on
Sunday.  The School was fun but I was dissapointed.  
	We show up at 9:30 and do tech.  Then we discover that, well, our
passengers are unhappy to be there because its raining.  They want to
drive their car or dont want to be there.  (Jeesh, girlfriends)  Why cant
they think of these things BEFORE we get there.  HEr car was 2 hours away
at the house.
	Anyhow, she reads her book, other passenger looks at cool cars and
sleeps and pretends to be content.
	We drive.  I drove my friend Adam's 5ktq.  It has a 1.8bar Scott
Mockery chip, Coil Overs with 400lb springs.  Good stock brakes.  Koni
Reds front and back.  And Fuchs with stock size D60's.  (Dont laugh,
better rubber is coming but the old suspension was SHOT and it had to be
done so he just did it all at once.)
	For starters, anyone thinking about 400lb springs on a Daily
Driver 5ktq....DONT....   Its to stiff, even on the Beautiful smooth roads
of Bellvue.  :-)  It handles great but is just to stiff.  He's thinking of
moving to around 300lb which works great on a local 200 up here.   Also,
we (look out, Personal Opinion Incoming) dont like the Koni's.  HE now
wants Bilstiens.  They adjustability would be great but they only adjust
rebound so compression is to soft at times and too stiff at other times.
	Anyhow, enough on the car.  School was fun but NOT worth $40.  I
learned just as much as my first Auto Cross that cost me $15.  IT was nice
getting some seat time in in some tight cones, and was fun getting to know
the 5ktq (I normally drive a 4kq so its a big change, ESP when your first
time driving the beast in a month is Idling up to the start line to run
some cones :-)
	But, I had fun.  The car was great but I was REALLY wanting some
better tires.  The only place the big car really wasn't at a Handicapp to
the smaller ones was the long slalom they had.  Roughly a 10 cone slalom
and then a tight u-turn at the end and back again.  wit the 400lb springs
I would drift before I the car would lean :-)   When I shifted into second
	Oh yea, it was raining for much of the day BTW which made for fun
	driving
But when I shifted into second once accelerating back up to speed in the
slalom all 4 tires broke loose and It stepped sideways.  Wierd feeling.
Later in the day we set up a real course and there was one section where I
was ALWAYS coming in to Hot and getting a little sideways.  Never hit a
cone though. :-)  I was always about a second or two behind Pat Martin in
his 4ktq but he has 16" wheels with A520's and a smaller car to boot.  And
better gearing so I guess I was doing OK.  At least I wans't getting lost
like 1/2 of the drivers :-)
	OK, OK, on to the special sightings.  YES, I saw an A3 1.8t.
Apperently it was brought in by H&R and either bought or was on loan from
them by a tall blonde who was there driving it.  I never got a chance to
talk to her about it though so I dont know for sure.  It was an H&R
import car though I do know that.  And it was the only other car out there
that wasn't rolling at all in the corners.  It appered to have an H&R
Coilover kit or something on it with rather large wheels and tires.  I
hopefully will have some pics of it soon if my friend got them. :-)   This
is a Beautiful car.  I overheard someone saying they hated it and thought
it looked like a rounded Subaru Imprezza Wagon but I disregarded it as
Blasphemy. :-)
	I also saw a rather interesting corvette at the Adjoining Auto
Cross Event that was going on.  It was a ....errr...someone slap me
quick...I just turned 24 and I think I'm losing my mind....I cant
remember.  They advertise in European Car I am told??? and show a Vette
called the 434
(which is the hp BTW) with dual Carbon FIber Exhausts coming out the back.
Anyhow, there was one there.  Never saw it run but my friend said it
sounded pretty bad ass.  Company started with a B I think. 
	Anyhow, just thought you guys may want to hear about the A3
sighting and I thought I'd make you read through all my BS to get to it.
:-)
	L8R

	Todd Phenneger
	1984 4000s quattro / modified/ awaiting Turbo Transplant.
	1985 4000 quattro / Silver / Fixing it Up.
	1987 4000cs quattro / Saphire Metallic Blue/ Girlfriend's
	1996 A6q / Volcano / Dads Car
   *****1985 5kt / PARTING OUT!