Re: Beatting a dead horse??? - Thunderhill track day

["Daniel Hussey" <dan_hussey@email.msn.com>]

>> Is anyone working on the possibility of organizing a track day at
>> Thunderhill Park the week after the Monterey Historics.  I don't know my
>> exact plans yet, and I may have to rush back to a job like many of you,
>> but
>> if I can take a few days off....  A track day there would be great!  The
>> track looks beautiful and I don't know when I'll be in California with my
>> car again, so I am thinking this would be a great time for some of use
>> club
>> members to hit a track in CA!!!!


Steve wrote:

>... this is an item that is currently being discussed.  I don't know how
>many are aware of the distance between Laguna Seca and Thunderhill, but
>suffice it to say that you'd have to get up VERY early one day to drive
from
>Monterey to Willows in time to have an event ... and given a sufficient
>amount of track time for all would mean that you'd be hitting the sack back
>in Monterey VERY late that evening ... or VERY early the next morning.  For
>those reasons I don't think I'd recommend even attempting that.  I would
>feel awful if some audi fan wrecked their car or hurt temselves while
>driving to or from such an event just due to exhaustion.


Considering that I am driving some 1500 miles and three days of seat time to
take in the Historics, a few extra hours won't kill me.  It doesn't have to
be real close, but I know Thunderhill is in Northern California somwhere.
And, if we do a track day directly following the Historics, why would we
need to drive back to Monterey???  We could all get some group rate at a
local motel near the track or something (about 7 to a room...sleeping bags
on the floor works for me!).

>Unfortunately there aren't many options available in terms of real tracks
>that can be used for an event.  Since the historics are a week later than
>they usually are, Laguna Seca will not be available after the event as
>SCRAMP needs to begin preparations for the upcoming race (I believe it is a
>CART event).  There is another venue that might be a bit more reasonable,
>that being Sears Point, which is perhaps 3 hours drive each way from
>Monterey.  I believe that this possibility was investigated as well, with
>the conclusion that the track was not available.  If memory serves though,
I
>heard a rumor that it was reserved by Audi for the days after the
historics.

I know Laguna Seca is WAY out of the question.  Sears Point is close and
would be nice, but it would be expensive.  I still think Thunderhill would
be our best bet for a real track day!

>One of the other concerns I'd have about a track event is that it costs
>money to rent a track like T'hill or Sears Point, and people are going to
be
>putting down enough cash just to be able to attend the historics.

Myself included, but I'm going all out on this one....  Next time Audi will
be featured marque will be it's 200th anniversary.  Doubt I'll make it that
long.

>Right now, it seems as thought the leading proposition is to hold an
>autocross event at a nearby closed down airfield in a city named Marina,
>just north of Monterey, on Friday.  There is currently activity in the
>A4.org group in trying to put such an event together, and it is looking
>promising.  The track is within minutes of Laguna Seca; there is going to
be
>an event sponsored by another club on Thursday there, and it looks like
>we'll be able to use the equipment from that event.  It also appears to me
>anyway that the folks who are in charge of the NASA autocross series
(Dennis
>and Peggy Hale) are closet Audi fans.  The costs for such an event are more

No offense, but an auto-x is just plain boring compared to a day at a track
like Thunderhill!!!!  C'mon.  We can set up cones and have an auto-x in any
K-Mart parking lot, but the whole point was to enjoy a beautiful track in a
totally different part of the country than most of us are used to, and I
think (HOPE!) there will be enough interest that people will stay an extra
day to do it while they are out there.  That is my plan.

If an auto-x is our only option....ok, of course I'll still do it, but let's
face it, my beast (stock 89 200tq) SUCKS at auto-x.  Not built for that
sorta thing and never will.  Give me a lowered GTi or a 2002 and it would be
a blast.  I really want to have a TRACK DAY!!!!!  Let's get pumped up
people!!!!!!

>reasonable too ... we might even be able to find a sponsor to reduce the
>fees even more.  The biggest issue about such an event is that it will
>require a LOT of assistance from the participants, to ensure that the folks
>who are organizing the event aren't forced to get up early to set up the
>track, stay at Marina all day to run the event (and thereby miss out on any
>other historics-related activities that are going on simultaneously) and
>stay late to clean up and put everything away.  From my take on things
right
>now, this is the biggest issue that might kill such an event.


Well, I'd be more than happy to help any way I can.  I'll be up at the crack
of dawn setting up and cleaning up.  No problems.

>So ... that is what's up as I understand it as of today.  Thanks for
>bringing the issue up Dan, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the response my
>earlier message about audifans related events evoked.  I'd like to hear how
>many folks might be interested in attending such an event on Friday and any
>other ideas that others might have.  I think it would be a nice plus to be
>able to have some of the same sort of fun all the other non-Audi cars that
>are allowed to race at the historics are being allowed to have!


Well, I can call Ken Bennett on more specifics about renting the track.  I
know he's done a few events there with the California Regional group.  And,
maybee I can talk to Paul Timmerman or whoever in charge of that sorta thing
out there.  I'd be more than happy to put some feelers out there and get an
idea on whether the track is available and it's cost.

BTW, I also wanted to gauge some of the response and see how many people
would be interested in a track day at Thunderhill.....  Well, I got exactly
ONE response from someone who was interested.  This list has been letting me
down lately!!!!!  Well, Javad, looks like it will be the two of us at
Thunderhill....which would be mighty expensive if some people don't join
us!!!

Lets get pumped up and get this ball rolling.  It's in your court now.

Later,
Dan
89 200tq
Madison, Wisconsin