Meeting of the Audi Gods in Rumford ME

[QSHIPQ@aol.com]

As I compile round deux of motorsports week, I thought I'd share a couple of 
brushes with greatness first.  For those of you that didn't know, Audi hero 
Stig Blomqvist drove  the late Carl Merrills Ford Escort Cosworth to win the 
Maine Forest Rally this past weekend.  Ex-Audi Champion (trivia: and once 
ex-Blomqvist codriver) John Buffum was the RallyMaster, with Audi Champions 
Frank and Dan Sprongl chasing the Swede thruout the rally, finally falling to 
the 2+ minute lead Stig managed to amass.  What an opportunity for brushes 
with greatness.  I managed to get all of them in one weekend.  Stig a couple 
of times actually.  The first, the best.

My first opportunity came when sitting not 10feet from our dinner table on 
Thurs, Stig awaiting his meal.  Having never begged for an autograph or even 
thought how to approach someone I saw as something of a rally (and audi) god, 
it took the better part of 10minutes for me to gather the confidence and 
verbiage to approach this legend.  Somehow I did get the courage, and got to 
sit and chat with Herr Stig, even  over one of my favorite topics, that ever 
elusive T*rsen center diff...  Most accomodating (and me with the actual CCC 
article), here's some of the interesting conversation:

Armed with the following quote from Stig himself in the Nov '86 issue of Cars 
& Car Conversions - Can be found on page 127 of Audi Quattro Gold Portfolio, 
I was looking for some insight to the now, qlist, controversial quote: 
"...On the handling of the Sport, which was patently very difficult, whether 
judged from the 1984 passenger seat, or simply spectating, Blomqvist offered 
these illuminating insights: "It is much, much, better on the S1 than it was 
before.  The car goes where you steer!  No more understeer, oversteer, 
understeer as you do just one corner."   

Here are my notes, as witnessed by Brendan Rudack and my driver, John Rek.

QSHIPQ - "Stig, Scott Justusson, a big fan of yours, and somewhat of a 
quattro nut... " (insert a bunch of opening praises, and niceties, thank 
goodness a very approachable fellow - man was I nervous)
QSHIPQ - "Stig, one of the things I would like to talk to you about is a 
quote I found in an old magazine article almost 15 years ago regarding the 
Sport and the S1.  There seems to be some interesting debate on the use, more 
specifically the non use of the torsen center differential in racing, and 
specifically in the development of the Sports and the S1.  One of my projects 
is to try to talk to those involved in audis development of the torsen for 
race and street.  The most prominent quote I could find is from you (Stig's 
eyebrows raise - see above).  I know it's been many years, but could you 
please tell me if this quote was directed at the handling of the S1 because 
of the centre torsen?
STIG - (takes a minute or so to read the article, and the quote) - "Well, 
yes, the early S1 did have the torsen, but the drivers went to locked centre. 
 You see, the torsen was too twitchy in the loose, you couldn't control the 
turn..." (hand motions)  "The torsen, it pushes then it pulls, it upsets the 
car."  
QSHIPQ - "This created the understeer and oversteer you speak of?"  
STIG - "Yes."  
QSHIPQ - "The reason I ask, is my experience has been both at the track and 
off road the torsen could develop this character. It is exactly how you 
describe it in this quote."  
STIG - "Are these race cars?"
QSHIPQ - "Both actually.  There is more debate on how to avoid it (U-O-U), 
I'm not at all convinced you can."
STIG - "Well the car was too quick to use torsen in loose"
QSHIPQ - "I find it fascinating that very little documentation exists for the 
use of the torsen center diff.  I own most of the articles relating to the 
audi race cars, and find this to be one of the few references to the torsen 
at all"
STIG - "hummmm"
QSHIPQ - "Maybe for good reason"  (insert Stig disarming smile).  
"..."
QSHIPQ - "Well, I'll let you go back to your dinner, thank you for your time 
and for clearing this up for me.  (cracking voice).  Would you please do me 
the honor of signing my book?" 
STIG - "Sure".  (signs right next to the quote:)

Well guys, there you have it, from the what it's worth department.

ROUND 2
I also brought my RC audi quattro (Radio Shack), figuring I could steal a 
quick moment to have 2 of my audi mentors sign the thing, like anywhere.  I 
managed to catch Stig walking right by me Sat nite, and I grabbed him for a 
second, congratulated him on his fine win, and asked if he would take a 
gander in the box on the table.  He smiled as he saw what it was, I pulled it 
from the box, and had him sign the roof with a perm marker.  He perfectly 
"Stig-ged" the roof and I was totally psyched.  (BTW, I also managed to get 
him by our rally car for some photos of our team as well, and what I hope to 
be a real classic of him Saturday night, balancing on a Cosworth tyre 
pensively watching his crew rework the front suspension with an americun' Bud 
in his hand.  I promise to share if it comes out:).  Next I needed Herr 
Rallymaster...

Man this ain't easy, it took me a good 20 minutes to find one John Buffum 
with less than several people at his table.  I worked my way over with my box 
containing his "lion" book, and the Stig signed Urq.  I introduced myself as 
John Rek's Crew Chief, and he graciously said, "Ah the FIA S2".  Me - "Yes, 
and John, I have something here that I would be honored if you signed", and 
opened the flaps of the box JB -"Hey cool toy!"  Me - "Well, since you really 
got me into this sport, and I now run a shop in Chicago, I was hoping you 
would put your JB on this car"  JB - "Sure, where were you thinking, I see 
Stig took the roof...  How bout on the door, hmmm, or better yet, how bout 
right here following this sticker on the hood?" Me - "Great!  And if you 
could sign this book, I'll go back to Chicago a happy man"  A personal note 
in the cover, and I thanked him for a fine rally, and said "I don't know what 
you did to get Stig to come over, but thanks a bunch that was a real treat as 
well".  He waved me off to the woman behind me, and said "Thank her".  Turn 
around, none other than "Ma Sprongl", who promptly grabbed my arm and planted 
me in a seat to chat (a good 15 minutes too, mind you).  "Where can I get 
that car for my "boys"?"  "How do you like the car John has?"  "Here, you 
should meet Frank, (interrupts some "insignificant" crew discussion), hey 
Frank!....."  Seventh heaven my fellow q heads.  The only thing I'm bummed I 
missed was Stig's Rally stories at the bar Wednesday night.  I hear from 
those there, they were classics (as he celebrated his birthday in fine rally 
tradition).

36 hours with no sleep, I'm just coming down to earth.  Full Maine report 
will follow.  What a blast!  Both Brendan and John gave me so much chiding 
for my nervous behavior.  But they almost drooled on the ink too...  :)

Totally humbled in the face of real audi gods, and yet managed to have the 
time of my life having done so.

Scott Justusson
QSHIPQ Performance Tuning
QSHIPQ@aol.com