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September 21!

Mt. St. Helens Tour

W STEGATECHIRPSSUMMER 2013

A quarterly newsletter celebrating the Northwest Chapter of Audi Club North America

GeschwindigkeitQuattroCross24 Heures du MansAudi Expo 2013

Photo by Kyle Cerretti

Strassenlage!at The Ridge

REGISTER NOW!

August 17-18, 2013

MAMDS at Bremerton!

Photo by John Williams

It’s comin’ up!

This could be you!

A C N W B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S

Seth VartyPresidentsethvarty@gmail.com

Jenni SerenbetzVice Presidentjenni.swift@gmail.com

Carrie StewartSecretarystewart.carrie@comcast.net

Cris BrickeyTreasurercris.brickey@gmail.com

Doug CerrettiMember at Largecerr5000@yahoo.com

C O M M I T T E E C H A I R S

Carrie StewartNewsletter Copy Editorstewart.carrie@comcast.net

John EwaldRegistrarjohn.ewald@mac.com

Carrie StewartWebmasterstewart.carrie@comcast.net

Matt RuhlNewsletter Design

Sue DieckerhoffNewsletter Editor

B O A R D M E E T I N G S

Board meetings are an opportunity for you to become involved in our club. Find out how you can help out with an event, or even how to plan one yourself. We are always looking for new ideas for events and for fresh energy. If you are interested in staying informed about the dates, times and locations of our board meetings, please sign up for email notification at our event registration website: www.audiclubnw.motorsportreg.com

I know it is more traditional to reflect on the year at the end of the year, but because there is so much Audi Club Northwest activity going on right now, I wanted to take this opportunity to comment on some of the things I’ve been seeing lately.

It really is incredible to see the excitement that everyone has for the Audi brand and experience. At our track events as well as our social tours and gatherings, I have an opportunity to engage with so many people of different backgrounds, ages, professions and experiences with Audi or just driving in general. We really are a unique mix of people and it is a lot of fun to see the connections start and grow around Audi Club Northwest events as well as extend beyond.

I have the weekly Audi Club Northwest gathering at Feierabend in Seattle to thank for a recent foray beyond Quattro into the two wheel human powered world. Over a liter of Germany’s finest last year, a group of members and I shook hands that we would complete the Seattle to Portland bike ride for the first time and do so in a single day. Many of us didn’t even own road bikes at the time, but like many things we see in motorsport, road trips or beer drinking, we decided to just go for it. We even carried over some track flagging protocols to keep track of our group and any issues we might be having (green & black flag comments confused a few folks as we passed or were passed). I’m also thankful that Geschwindigkeit was run before STP instead of after as that would have created some unique challenges for maintaining energy and focus at speed. I also know that many other members were out on the roads with us tackling the 200+ mile course in both one and two days and I congratulate all of you for taking on the STP challenge.

A group of members also recently took their motorsport passion well beyond the Northwest as they travelled to France to take in the 90th running of Le Mans. We’ve had the pleasure of watching Audi domination at Le Mans over the years and it is fantastic to see members come together to make the pilgrimage to one of Motorsports most famed races. I only wish they had brought back either the RS4 Avant pace car or the RS6 Avant medic car. Perhaps we could get Audi to support one of our next track days with one of these amazing cars?

I mention these recent experiences as I feel this is a big part of what we do as Audi Club Northwest. We are all about enjoying the Audi brand and experience, but we’re also very much about creating connections with others who share those passions. We have a number of events in the coming months where we’ll be at the track as well as touring the Northwest. I would like to encourage you to take advantage of some truly unique events, but also to build some connections with your fellow members.

If you want to just grab a good German beer, see some new roads or push your performance driving skills to the next level, check out the club website (www.AudiClubNW.org) for all your options. We’re going to be having a lot of fun, so I hope to have an opportunity to share it with you.

F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T

Passion for the brand

B Y S E T H V A R T Y

1WASTEGATE CHIRPSSUMMER 2013 W W W. AU D I C LU B N W.O R G

www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=33413372981

Audi Club Northwest is Supporting Children’s HospitalFor several years, Pete and Sue Dieckerhoff raised contributions to The SOVREN Guild of Seattle Children’s Hospital as part of the annual Audi Car Corral held at the Pacific Northwest Historic Races on the July 4th weekend. Their effort has been successful and wonderfully satisfying for everyone involved. In 2011 the ACNW Board raised our visibility with an annual commitment of $1,000 or more to help uncompensated care to the kids at Seattle Children’s Hospital. The amount from us for 2011 was $1,105, and 2012 more than doubled that amount at $2,440. Everyone has the opportunity to select a small donation as part of your event registrations. Each donation produces a tax-deductible receipt as part of your registration that you

WASTEGATE CHIRPSSUMMER 2013W W W. AU D I C LU B N W.O R G 2

With a forecast of good weather, this year’s 25th Annual SOVREN Pacific Northwest Historics promised to be something special and it definitely lived up to that promise. Each year SOVREN selects a marque to feature. This year celebrated the 50th year of the Porsche 911 and there were many beautiful examples in the car corral, the paddock, and on the track. Brian Redmond, this year’s guest celebrity, is probably best known for winning the Formula 5000 Championships in America in 1974, 75 and 76 although he also drove Formula 1, and won the World Sportscar Championship in 1968. Brian drove Bruce McCaw’s beautiful Porsche 917 for a few laps on the track, chased by a Porsche 908 and several 911s. It was a treat to see that car in the Gulf livery at speed. Brian was also available for questions and autographs twice each day. Audi Club Northwest had an up-front central spot in the car club corral and our cars attracted lots of attention and were the subject of many photographs taken throughout the day. There were Audis from the 1980s through the present models. Those who wished to drive the track were given three parade laps each day and all those rings in a row were a beautiful sight. We carried Audi flags and waved at the spectators as we drove around. We wish to extend a thank you to the participants who made donations to Children’s Hospital’s Uncompensated Care Fund beyond the ticket price. It is a thrill to open the program for the event and see “Audi Club Northwest” the first on the list of donors who have given $1,000 or more to the Children’s Checkered Flag Club. Since 1999, more than $600,000 have been raised through CCFC.

2013 SOVREN Historics and Audi Car Corral

can use with your tax return. These funds are consolidated and donated once per year to The SOVREN Guild. All of us will be recognized in the Children’s Checkered Flag Club as “Audi Club Northwest”, inside the front cover of the Pacific Northwest Historics program next July. The club is also part of a drawing to have one of our attendees start the “Checkered Flag Race” from the starter’s stand on the front straight and to also ride in the official Pacific Northwest Historics Pace Car for the following race. A mind blowing experience! There will be other developments associated with attending the Audi Car Corral and being involved with Children’s Checkered Flag Club, so stay tuned. Thank you all, for the Kids!

By Pete and Sue Dieckerhoff

Photos by Pete Dieckerhoff

3WASTEGATE CHIRPSSUMMER 2013 W W W. AU D I C LU B N W.O R G

“All experience is an arch to build upon.” Henry Brook Adams once stated. My name is Maddie Vogt and on May 18, 2013, I found that this was very true. On this particular Saturday I got the chance to participate in the Matt Ammon Memorial Driving School and Teen Clinic. This clinic focuses on teen and novice drivers who would like to learn how to handle their cars even better. There were five main stages in the clinic on Saturday, and I had the pleasure to take part in each. The first valuable part of the day was the group meeting called a Chalk Talk. The chalk talk is a brief but very important session for each of the students to attend. The instructor told us about each exercise that we would be going into, letting us know what we were up against. He also told us what to be careful of, the rights and wrongs of the road. He provided useful information such as when not to use your Emergency brake after certain exercises. The chalk talk is also a good time for any and all questions to be answered if any of the students had any. The most important thing that they stressed, after safety of course, was that this was not about racing. We were all there to learn about handling our cars. After the chalk talk, all of the students went to our cars and lined up with our groups. We had been split up into four groups: A, B, C, and, D. I was in the third group. The first exercise that we were headed to is called Accident Avoidance. The course is set up with cones, as are each of the courses. One short lane of cones leads up to three more lanes made of cones, being used to represent a highway situation. In the first short lane you are supposed to get up to a speed of at least 40mph before the end of the strip. At the end of each of the three “highway” lanes, there are traffic lights that will be used to tell the student which lane they need to go in. If a light is red, you do not want to be in that lane, if it is yellow, you can go in that lane, but the lane that has a green light is the one you need to be in. Once you get in that lane, you need to stop as hard as you can. Then you move on and get back into line to go again. The point of the Accident Avoidance exercise is to help people prepare for the one time they might be behind a

few cars to get in a wreck. Though it is not the most enjoyed course because it is very likely you will hit a cone, it is probably the one that I found the most useful for everyday life. In every run of every exercise there was an instructor sitting in with a student. This is for both safety, and help, because the instructors know what they are doing and give very helpful tips for your runs. The first instructor I had on the Accident Avoidance exercise told me a story about how he had actually used his experience from that specific exercise in real life. He told me that the course had probably saved his life in that situation. This story gave me the same amount reassurance as any other good instructor review. After we were done with our first exercise, group C moved onto the figure-eight area. In this course, the cones were set up as, of course, a figure-eight. The main difference between this course and any others was that they purposefully sprayed water onto it. It had been raining a bit that morning, but not quite enough that they were satisfied. This course was to teach us about handling our cars in turns while on a wet road. You would think for a bunch of people who live in Washington and a teenager from Oregon, me, we would go up to this and go through it like nothing. Well, so did we. When we drove up to this, I was feeling pretty confident. I had not hit a single cone on the first exercise, and this course was familiar to me in a few ways. I had driven in the rain before as well as driven on very twisty roads. I figured the two combined would not be too challenging. Well, I was quickly put in my place when I first went out. Though I still did not hit a cone, the course was much different from my expectation. I learned that the course was a lot about where, when, and how you combined your braking and your turning. Cones marked where you needed to aim or turn, whereas others were there to guide you along. I was thankful for each of my instructors every time I went through the exercise. When we were done, I had gained my bearings and been inwardly humbled. Still, my spirits stayed up.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Photo by John Williams

Matt Ammon Memorial Driving School May 18-19, 2013

and Teen Driver Clinic

Presented by

By Maddie Vogt

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After the figure-eight course we headed to another exercise similar to Accident Avoidance. This was focused solely on braking. A lane of cones was set up, about six or more car lengths long. The student was expected to gain as much speed as possible in that stretch before the end cones. As soon as they got to the end cones, they needed to hit the brakes as hard as they could. Feet to the floorboards, I was told. In this exercise we were constantly reminded not to put our emergency brakes on. This was because the more runs we went on, the hotter our brakes would get. If our emergency brakes were put on then the pads would be welded together, or at least damaged and making them less safe to use. I can honestly say I had a lot of fun on this exercise. At first I was a little worried about getting whiplash, but that was soon taken away after the first run. After everyone in the group had done a run or two we were told about how to brake smoother, without moving ourselves up a few inches, yet still come to a complete stop. The exact name of the style of braking escapes me, but the method itself does not. The initial tip was that when we felt the car fighting back on the brake pedal, to lift up our big toe. Just that loss of pressure will smooth out the stop. It was a technique I did not quite get the hang of before we moved on, but definitely something I keep in mind for the future. There was one more exercise we were to run before the final Auto Cross. It was after lunch and a second debriefing and chalk talk that we headed over to. The exercise was the slalom. During this exercise was when I suffered the most embarrassment and enjoyed the most amusement. I hit so many cones but I was laughing every time because it was a go-figure moment for me. The slalom is exactly what you would expect it to be. A line of cones that you have to drive up, going in and out of, then coming back down through them. It was a lot of fun because everyone seemed to have their own version of what we were told to do. By the end, each of us realized that there was nothing better than doing it the way our instructors were told.

The slalom exercise was a two part thing. Half of our group went on the runs, while the other half, stood by the side of the road to pick up and replace fallen cones. For the first half of the run I was on the cone team. This was where the lesson on safety we had gotten at every exercise came into play the most. We were reminded not to run out until the course was clear and the car was passed. At the beginning of the run instructors would help us align the cones. This was a big help because we did not have the perspective or view point to set the course up properly. After the slalom came the big run, where all four of the exercises combined into what was called the autocross. The instructors and those running the event set up the autocross, putting in twists and turns and a full slalom. At first glance it looked like a sea of cones. Even the people who set it up said it looked like a sea of cones. After everything was set up, each group’s head instructor took their group out to walk the course. As we did, I began to understand the course more and it looked less like a sea of cones and more like a disarrayed map. Out of everything, I believe that I had the most fun on the autocross. Each of the other exercises was fun but it was a great experience knowing how to put each of those together. There is really no true way to describe the autocross except for a miniature race track. That is the closest thing to what it was. All of the rules of the previous courses applied: braking, turns, and the slalom. Each group had a turn to pick up cones along the entire course while another group was out on a run. After all the events were over and people were mingling, talking about their favorite parts of the day, about their cars, or about if they were going to come back on Sunday, I made a happy conclusion. I was glad that I had come and very satisfied with my progress. The Matt Ammon Memorial Driving School and Teen Clinic is something that parents should absolutely enroll their teens in if they have the chance. They will not regret it one bit.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Photos by Brian Fackelmann

Presented by

Photo by John Williams Photo by John Williams Photo by John Williams Photo by Brian Fackelmann

5WASTEGATE CHIRPSSUMMER 2013 W W W. AU D I C LU B N W.O R G

2nd Quarter 2013 New Members and Anniversaries were derived from the ACNA Northwest Chapter membership list.

Michael Barta ANCHORAGE, AK

Debbie Belgarde AUBURN, WA

Christopher Berry and Benjamin Troop RENTON, WA

Brian Bertlin MERCER ISLAND, WA

Justen Britain LYNNWOOD, WA

Jon Brobst WASHOUGAL, WA

Andy Brown and Kimberly Bertz SEATTLE, WA

Bruce Buchanan WALLA WALLA, WA

Eric Gilmour and Heather Wheeler RENTON, WA

Scott and Jason Gorcester SNOHOMISH, WA

Sirius Hang Gu SEATTLE, WA

Andrew Johnston KETCHUM, ID

Ellen Kerr BELLEVUE, WA

Kraig Kerr HOOD RIVER, OR

Ammar and Eva Khan BEAVERTON, OR

Alex Kharbush SEATTLE, WA

Keith Kinnaird REDMOND, WA

K. Dwight Krossa KIRKLAND WA

Alfred Lee SEATTLE, WA

Steve and Michelle Lin MEDINA, WA

Greg Loudon ANCHORAGE, AK

Erik and Julie Lund SEATTLE, WA

Dave and Katrina Mackey SEATTLE, WA

Peter Manning SEATTLE, WA

Esko Mannisto FALL CITY, WA

Brian Manthos SAMMAMISH, WA

Sandro Menzel and Caryn Axelrad WOODINVILLE, WA

Ian Merrill SEATTLE, WA

Samson Mohan PUYALLUP, WA

Monte and Rebecca Montemayor BELLEVUE, WA

Verne Naito PORTLAND, OR

Kouya Nestor PORTLAND, OR

John Nicholson SEATTLE, WA

Jennifer Phang KIRKLAND, WA

Jake Platt and Paige Wager SEATTLE, WA

Chris Poulsen EUGENE, OR

Robert Rodenburg BURIEN, WA

Doris Rose SHERWOOD, OR

Troy and Becky Rucker PUYALLUP, WA

Roshmik Saha ISSAQUAH, WA

Anuj Sampath BELLEVUE, WA

David Schwartz LAKE FOREST PARK, WA

Rachel Short KIRKLAND, WA

Owen Smith BOTHELL, WA

Daniel Stultz PENDLETON, OR

Terence Tam and Rachel Flamm REDMOND, WA

Jeremy Tidball KENMORE, WA

Mary Weiler SEATTLE, WA

Nathan Williams SPOKANE, WA

Arjan Xeka SEATTLE, WA

5 YEARSAlex BoydScott BradleyRon & Noel DikeR. Shawn HorwatSteve KnudsonPaul RichardsonJohn TurnerBrad Van WetteringTodd VogtRichard Worthington

10 YEARSPatrick and Daniel AndersonMichelle Chamberlain

15 YEARSPeter and Dawn HuysingWilliam and Sherryl PrendergastJohn Tompkins

20 YEARSGary Helterline

N E W M E M B E R S A N N I V E R SA R I E S

Check out our new Lynnwood Store! Offering a great selection of certified pre-owned Audis and other makes! Located right off 99 and 173rd in Lynnwood!

University Seattle: 47th and Roosevelt in Seattle’s U-District 206.634.3322

University Lynnwood: 17315 Hwy 99 in Lynnwood, WA 425.743.7400

Your Audi Club Specialist:Ben Moses - 206.510.0178 ben@universityaudi.com

Your #1 Supporter of the NW Audi Club!Audi club members eligible for parts discount – Audi Owner Loyalty up to $3,000

WASTEGATE CHIRPSSUMMER 2013W W W. AU D I C LU B N W.O R G 6

Member Loyalty has its rewards, now better than ever!

REGISTER NOW!

Audi Club North America appreciates your loyalty to the club and Audi brand. In cooperation with Audi of America, members in good standing will be eligible for preferred pricing on their next NEW Audi vehicle purchase. This offer is signifi-cant incentive for ACNA members and the same offer Audi extends to its suppli-ers! We value your loyalty, and now you’ll receive another important benefit!

• At participating dealers, you will be able to purchase or lease select MY14 Audi models at 6% below MSRP (excluding RS5, TTRS, A8W12, Q5 hybrid and R8 models).

• This program is compatible with any Audi retail incentives including: Audi Owner Loyalty Program, Audi Conquest Programs, Audi Financial Services lease and retail offers.

• ACNA members can purchase one (1) Audi vehicle per year with this program.

• For eligibility in this program, ACNA membership must be current and in good standing for a minimum of six (6) months prior to purchase or lease.

• Canadian members may be eligible for a similar Member Loyalty Benefit, subject to Audi Canada incentive rules. Please call the national office for information.

• For Member Loyalty Program details, eligibility rules and incentive forms please visit www.audiclubna.org and click on Member Loyalty Program at the bottom left corner of the home page.

• Incentive forms may be requested by calling the national office at 262-567-5476 or emailing admin@audiclubna.org.

Tour de Sunrise

The Tour de Sunrise, scheduled for Saturday August 3, 2013, will consist of a fun driving day with lunch at Sunrise, inside Mt. Rainier National Park. This is a family social event and a great opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest, with the highlight being Mt. Rainier itself. The drive will begin and end in Enumclaw. The drive to the park follows state highway 410, and the road inside the park to Sunrise is fun and full of twists and turns with eyefuls of scenery. This time of year is actually spring bloom at the high altitude of this area. Exceptional views of Mt. Rainier will of course be provided for those attending this event. You do not need to own an Audi to participate in this event. First time tour drivers are encouraged, to meet with and enjoy fellow Audi enthusiasts, and to learn more about Audi Club Northwest and its activities. The group drive will meet Saturday August 3rd at 8:00am at the Safeway parking lot in Enumclaw. Safeway is located at 152 Roosevelt Ave East (Hwy 410) Enumclaw, 98022. The tour will return to and officially end at the same Safeway at approximately 5:00pm.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

ENTRY FEE INTO MT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK IS $15.00 PER VEHICLE, please bring $15.00 cash to be collected upon check in at the morning driver’s meeting, or your National Parks Pass if you have one. The tour leader will pay for the entire group to facilitate a quicker entry into Mt. Rainier National Park. Following highway 410 from Enumclaw, the drive continues into Mt. Rainier National Park along the twisty road to Sunrise. Upon arrival at our destination, at 6400 feet, the highest point you can drive in the park, there will be a BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) lunch. Please be sure to bring your lunch with you. There is a short walk from the parking to the picnic area, so pack your food and drinks accordingly. Sunrise has full facilities, including rest rooms. After lunch the tour will take a short 13 mile drive to Tipsoo Lake at Chinook Pass for more excellent views of the surrounding area. Upon returning to Enumclaw there will be an optional dinner near Enumclaw at Krains Corner about 6:00pm, for those who are interested. Register now at www.audiclubnw.motorsportreg.com. For further questions please email event leader Mark Yonker at stratocruiserb377@yahoo.com or call 253-670-8575.

Photo by Mark Stewart

W W W. AU D I C LU B N W.O R G7WASTEGATE CHIRPSSUMMER 2013

J A N U A R Y 7 Board Meeting

F E B R U A R Y 2 University of Quattro Monroe Fairgrounds/Evergreen Speedway, Monroe, WA

25 Board Meeting

M A R C H 9 Instructor Clinic The Ridge Motorsports Park, Shelton, WA

10 Son of Quattrofest The Ridge Motorsports Park, Shelton, WA

21 Board Meeting

A P R I L 13-14 Verloren Gehen Oregon Raceway Park, Grass Valley, OR

23 Board Meeting

M AY 14 Board Meeting 18-19 Matt Ammon Memorial Driving School Bremerton Motorsports Park, Port Orchard, WA

J U N E 8 LeMay America’s Car Museum Tour Tacoma, WA

11 Board Meeting 23 QuattroCross at Monroe Fairgrounds Evergreen Speedway, Monroe, WA

29 Chehalis Steam Train Brunch Tour Chehalis, WA

J U LY 5-7 Audi Car Corral at SOVREN Historics Pacific Raceways, Kent, WA

12 Geschwindigkeit Pacific Raceways, Kent, WA

23 Board Meeting

A U G U S T 3 Tour de Sunrise Mt. Rainier National Park, WA

13 Board Meeting 17-18 Strassenlage The Ridge Motorsports Park, Shelton, WA

S E P T E M B E R 10 Board Meeting 14 Maryhill Loops Road Tour and Wine Tasting Goldendale, WA

21 Mt. St. Helens Tour

O C T O B E R 8 Board Meeting

N O V E M B E R 2-3 Quattrofest Portland International Raceway, Portland, OR

12 Board Meeting

D E C E M B E R 6 Holiday Party Mercer Island Community Center, Mercer Island, WA

10 Board Meeting

2013 Calendar of Events

We may add other events to our calendar over the next few months. Please visit our website at www.audiclubnw.org for more information about any of these activities, as well as information about events offered by other organizations that may be of interest to our members.

SAVE THE DATE

Mt. St. Helens Tour

Audi Club Northwest brings back a popular tour from last year. The Mt St Helens Tour will highlight the eastern side of Mt St Helens and the surrounding area. The tour route will include driving around Mt Rainier National Park as well as the forest roads on the eastern side of Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument. This family event consists of superb scenery along the route, as well as some fun highway and forest road drives in a relaxed, social environment. First time participants do not need to be Audi Club Northwest members, nor do you have to own an Audi to drive in this event. The tour will begin in Enumclaw at 8:00am, go around Mt Rainier National Park to Packwood and Randle, and from there follow forest roads 25/26 to the Spirit Lake viewpoint. After lunch overlooking Spirit Lake, the tour continues on twisty forest roads, back through Randle and Packwood, returning to Enumclaw at approximately 6:00pm. Registration and more detailed event information will be available at www.audiclubnw.motorsportreg.com, watch your email for an announcement when registration is open. For further information please contact event leader Mark Yonker at 253-670-8575 or stratocruiserb377@yahoo.com.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Photo by Mark Yonker

WASTEGATE CHIRPSSUMMER 2013 8

Wikipedia offers the following description of autocross, as

practiced in the U.S.:

“In the United States of America, autocross events

are usually held in large paved areas like parking lots or

airfields. Typically, new courses are created for each event

so drivers must learn a new course each time they compete.

Prior to driving, each competitor walks the course, takes

mental notes and develops a strategy to be refined upon

subsequent runs.”

I’ve done a few autocrosses before including the Matt

Ammon Memorial Driving School and Quattrofest versions,

and they all fit this description.

Audi Club Northwest’s QuattroCross, held June 23rd

this year, puts some very interesting twists on this idea.

By staging the event at Evergreen Speedway at the state

fairgrounds in Monroe, organizers Pat, Kip, Bernie and the

others utilized some of the unique features available. These

include banked turns, large excavator tires as obstacles,

concrete walls and raised curbs on the inside of several turns

that make up a go-kart track.

The two keys to autocross are not getting lost and having

clean runs. Before the cars are allowed on the course,

everyone gets to walk it to see where they need to go. This

was a large and somewhat complex layout, so there was

a bit of a learning curve. Getting a clean run means not

displacing any cones from their designated positions and

going through all the gates in the right sequence. When

you’re looking for tenths and hundredths of a second

improvement, losing a full second for a cone or 3 seconds

for a missed gate can ruin your whole effort.

Straight out of the starting box, you turned 180° and up

onto the banking for an optional entry slalom. Picking the

best side to enter was the key to a good lap. Then there were

a couple gates and a stop box, which Pat pointed out was

there to be sure you didn’t try to take the turn too fast and

kiss the giant tire waiting beyond. Several more gates and

stop boxes guided you safely through the infield area where

they run the figure eight races and demolition derbies. No

demolition this day!

Interesting Twists on a Typical Autocross

QuattroCross

QuattroCrossby Steve Merrill

Photos by Todd Peach

There was another banked slalom and a box that put you

out to the next outer loop. This could have been a very high

speed arcing sweeper but for the chicanes created by raised

curbing that kept speeds under control. Then there was a

last spurt through the timing lights and a glance over to the

display to see if you had improved over your previous run.

Autocross is the only type of event sponsored by ACNW

that involves timing. While not meant to encourage

competition, it is very instructive to see how much impact

little nuances can have on times. Do I shift up into second

gear here or try to stay in first? If I can get slowed up a little

more and get the front to bite into this or that gate, does it

pay off at the end?

Everyone had quite a few runs, and times kept coming

down. Big smiles were everywhere! For many who were

having their first performance driving experience, it was eye

opening to learn what these cars are capable of. If you’ve

never tried an autocross, you may not believe how fast

things can happen

at 25 or 35 miles per

hour! QuattroCross

is going to be a

regular date on my

calendar!

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