When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
AWE Tuning presents: #CommuteMonday, the sequel. The Road to the Runoffs
Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the next chapter of #CommuteMonday.
For those unfamiliar, The "Race Sunday, Commute Monday" campaign (#CommuteMonday) was intended to show what an Audi street car with off the shelf performance upgrades can do in hostile territory. The intent was to never step out of “typical upgrades” or off the shelf AWE Tuning performance parts. Then, let’s take that car and put it in some uncomfortable places, and see what happens.
Chapter 1: Climb to the Clouds
The AWE Tuning/German Performance Service Audi B8.5 S4 piloted by Ramana Lagemann placed second in class and fourth overall, in what has been called one of the most grueling races in the country (Mt. Washington). Of the largest field ever seen in the race, we were beat by only a purpose built hill climb car, Travis Pastrana and David Higgins. Taken from the press release, “The fact that we were able to fare so incredibly well with products that anyone can grab off the shelf, vouches for the products’ engineering strength. The car ran incredibly well and the preparation was flawless. I’d call this a resounding success and I’m thrilled to have been a part of this,” stated Ramana Lagemann, the car’s driver.
Marc Feinstein of German Performance Services campaigned the #CommuteMonday car in the SCCA Majors Tour, and clinched 3rd place in the eastern conference. This earned #CommuteMonday an invitation to the 2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, which is being held at the iconic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, on October 6th, thru October 12th.
And so the stage is set. #CommuteMonday will be prepared to run in SCCA’s Touring 3 class, and make the long journey from AWE Tuning in Willow Grove, PA to Monterey, California.
So we have once again gained the support of G.I.A.C., H&R, SPC, Pagid, and Audi Genuine Parts. Together we will take #CommuteMonday from triumphant hill climb racer to being race ready for SCCA’s Touring 3 class. The car runs a number of off the shelf performance parts, parts that you or I could buy and install on our very own car. Here’s the build list:
• AWE Tuning Track Edition Exhaust
• AWE Tuning Non-Resonated Downpipes (GPS removed the cats for the hill climb)
• AWE Tuning ColdFront™ Auxillary Radiator System
• AWE Tuning S-FLO Intake
• G.I.A.C. Stage 1 Software
• G.I.A.C. S-Tronic Transmission Software
• SPC Control Arms
• H&R Race Springs
• H&R Sway Bars
• Ohlins Dampers
• Pagid Brake Pads
• Pagid RBF Brake Fluid
• Enkei PF01 18" x 9" Wheels
• Hoosier R6 Racing Tires
• AiM Solo DL and SmartyCam
• SCCA Regulation Roll Cage
• Fire Suppression System
Compliance.
Step one in getting our Audi S4 Runoff ready was making sure it complied with the rules in SCCA Touring 3. Believe it or not, since the premise of “Race Sunday, Commute Monday” was to keep the car in off-the-shelf status, there wasn’t a ton to do to prep it. In fact, in order to comply to Touring 3 rules, we had to remove some performance upgrades that had been done for Climb to the Clouds.
The biggest task was to return the braking system back to OEM.
The brakes might not look bad, but you never start a race on old brakes. New Audi Genuine Parts coming right up.
Boom. Fresh stock S4 brakes, thanks to Audi Genuine Parts.
After a thorough check of the driveline, suspension, and nuts and bolts, the car was ready for transit from GPS in Massachusetts down to Pennsylvania where it would then make its voyage west.
Stay tuned. 2014 Runoffs start in less than a week.
What’s the big deal?
You may be asking yourself why we decided to travel 3,000 miles for an amatuer race.
The SCCA created the Runoffs to give road racers from the 112 different regions across the United States a place to compete against each other, with an ultimate goal of being crowned national champion.
Many professional racers in the US get their start in SCCA. Guys like Randy Pobst, Boris Said, Rob Dyson, Carrol Shelby, Phil Hill, and Mark Donohue, have all claimed a Runoffs title in their careers.
So the answer is simple, the Runoffs are one of the largest, most prestigious, and rigorously competitive motorsports events in the United States. Photo Courtesy of scca-racing.com
Better with age.
Last year was the Runoffs’ 50th birthday. To celebrate, 690 competitors made the haul to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The annual event has attracted more than 7,500 racers since it started in 1964.
As the event grows, so does the competition. In E-Production class you can watch a 1960 Austin-Healey 3000 go head to head with a 2001 Honda S2000. With 28 different classes you can see everything from Ex-Trans Am cars in GT1 to a Honda Fit in B-Spec.
Photo of an SCCA Nationals qualifying race at Summit Point Raceway in 1999
Stay with us to see for yourself what this spectacular event is all about.
What’s so special about Laguna Seca?
A lot actually. The 2.23 mile circuit is one of the most challenging in the north american theatre. With eleven turns, including the world famous “Corkscrew”(turns 8 and 8a), a one of a kind turn with a 5 ½ story drop between turn 8 and 8A, and an additional 5 story drop by the time you enter turn 9. With a 109ft drop in a short distance it's no wonder why this blind entry roller coaster of a corner has been dubbed one of the most challenging corners in motorsport.
The entrance to the “Corkscrew”
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is also home to many of the United States more prestigous motorsport events. Once a year race series’ such as TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, and Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion call it home. Over the year it has hosted an impressive variety of events from IMSA GT, American Le Mans Series, United SportsCar Championship, CART, and MotoGP.
This tracks difficult corners and elevation changes should make the SCCA Runoffs very interesting.
Stay tuned to watch #Commutemonday barrel down the “Corkscrew”
Dont miss a beat.
The 2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca begins with qualifying sessions Tuesday, October 7 through Thursday, October 9. Friday, Saturday and Sunday feature the National Championship Runoffs races, with each one broadcast live. Here. ( SpeedcastTV).
#CommuteMonday is running in Touring 3, or T3 for short.
The qualifying sessions run 20 minutes and each racer gets three chances, one per day. At the end of which, they will take the fastest times over the course of the three days, in order to determine our grid positions for the race.
Here is the schedule:
10/7: 9:10am Qualifying (20mins)
10/8: 1:30pm Qualifying (20mins)
10/9: 9:10am Qualifying (20mins)
10/10 (RACE DAY): 4:30pm Race (20 laps or 40mins)
Follow us on facebook or twitter for up-to-the-minute updates about our sessions.
#CommuteMonday made the 44hr trip across the United States to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Well… It rode in a car hauler, but it made the trip none-the-less.
Today was the track walk and practice. Which #CommuteMonday mustered a 3rd fastest in the afternoon session.
Tomorrow #CommuteMonday will be barrelling down the infamous “Corkscrew” in qualifying, which begins at roughly 9am.
The first qualifying session for Touring 3 rolled off this morning at 9:10am PST. Marc Feinstein laid down a 1:40.567 second lap, good for 3rd in class. #CommuteMonday has another qualifying session tomorrow afternoon, so Marc has two more opportunities to better his time. Which he will need to do, as people get more time on track they too, will get faster.
The results
Official Results will be available on mylaps.com
The qualifying sessions are not live streamed, so if you want to follow along visit Race-Monitor (https://www.race-monitor.com/Results/Race/22381)
This will take you to live timing and scoring of the sessions as well as past results.
Runoffs qualifying is over and we are sitting in 6th place in T3, less than a second off the pole sitter! Should make for some great racing tomorrow. Our race will go off at 4:30pm PST (7:30 EST) and will be on Runoffs - GT1/GT2/GT3 Qualifying 3 - SCCA.
#CommuteMonday raced from 6th place from qualifying, to a podium finish at the 51st annual SCCA Runoffs in Monterey, California, proving yet again that the underdog can prevail!
Obligatory champagne aside, this was no easy podium. With an opening lap incident inflicting heavy damage to #CommuteMonday’s front end, Marc Feinstein, the car’s driver, had to evaluate the damage without radio communication to his pit crew.
“I had a conservative start and everything was good going through Turn Two. Going through Three, everything was flying everywhere and I didn’t have anyplace to go, so I ended up catching the back of Kevin Boehm’s Honda S2000. Luckily it wasn’t too much damage, but I wasn’t really sure because I don’t have radio communication with my crew so I was guessing.” Said Feinstein, commenting on the events of the 1st lap.
Post front end attack, Marc used the full course yellow following the incident to feel out the car below race speeds to ensure we were good to go. Needless to say, he soldiered on.
Taking another go at the green flag post crash, Marc gave it everything he had to hold his position, but the Ford Mustang of Tom Wickersham was too much for the injured #CommuteMonday.
Marc brought #CommuteMonday home to a 3rd place finish in Touring 3, an un-expected result. “I didn’t think a podium was realistic. I was just hoping to learn the track and be mid-pack. I was surprised by the pace of the car and I was happy -- it was a great car.” Said Marc Feinstein when commenting on his impressive result.
“For 2014 there was only one Audi on the Runoffs entry list, the #93 AWE Tuning Audi S4 of Marc Feinstein.” said Johan Laubscher of Audi Motorsport Blog. He went on to say “Marc Feinstein maintained his third position to the finish... It was a well-deserved podium result for the “Race Sunday, Commute Monday” Audi S4 project.”
#CommuteMonday is all about showing what off-the-shelf products can do in “uncomfortable” situations. Stay tuned for the continuing episodes of… #CommuteMonday!
(PS - have an idea for where you’d like to see the S4 race next? Let me know… you never know!)
09-29-2014, 07:47 AM
AWE Tuning presents: #CommuteMonday, the sequel. The Road to the Runoffs
