Jet Jockey/A4 Pilot

Saturday was beautiful. Started out in fog with the temperature near 0 degree. Yes folks, there was frost on the cars! The sun rose and the fog went away. The temperature climbed to settle around the 12 to 14 degree Celsius range (54 to 57 F). The first runs of the morning required patience because the track was still cold and it took 5 to 6 laps for the RA1s to get up to temperature but once there it was great. We got 4 runs of 25 minutes per day.

Because I was a "candidate instructor" they assigned me a "mentor instructor" for the weekend. Comes Carter Johnson, young, smart and very, very fast, believe me folks. I don't know if Carter as a nickname but "Hair on fire" comes to mind (even in the wet, lol). I had a great time with Carter and learned a lot (I hope) and as I sit here and think back at some of his comments on my driving this weekend, I laugh. It seems that Jet Jockey as a tendency to revert to his old ways when he sees another car ahead of him on the track. Yes folks I admit it, thanks to Carter I know this to be true.

Yes that car in front of me becomes a target that I must pass and I will do anything (well almost) to reel him in and pass it. This means get on the gas sooner (not always good), brake later (overshoot the entry point to the turn) and of course, revert to my autocross ways... Toss or pitch the car into the turn as if it was a pylon! Great in autocross but not so great on a road course where smooth will get you around the track faster. Thanks Carter for a great weekend you were outstanding.

Sunday; we wake up to pouring rain! The immediate thought... ****! Why today? Why this weekend? Surely driving at Tremblant on a dry surface is more fun then in the rain.
The track conditions were reported as very slick with standing water in crucial areas on the track. There was no question, the RA1s had to come off and my well worn not to say finished PS2s (at or below minimum tread) were slapped onto the car.

Wrong! I was about to drive in conditions on a track that I will never forget. I beg now for more such days. All I can say, it was one of the more intense driving days of my life. Five driving sessions of 25 minutes in my car plus two driving session in Carter's car where he was playing mister n00bie student and I was playing the role of the instructor.
If you think driving at the limits at very high speeds in the dry is a thrill, then driving with the same intensity in the wet brings you up to a totally new level. Everything is multiplied by several folds, braking and steering wheel inputs have to be super smooth. It is actually a better learning experience. It is an unbelievable feeling to push the car to its limits in the rain and having it on the edge of its envelop and keeping it there lap after lap. Some people would say it is insane and maybe they are right but for me and others it is a genuine thrill.

Audi people don't be ashamed of your Quattro cars. While it might be true that a BMW M3 E46 is faster than an B6 S4 on a tight windy course because it handles better (less understeer), the S4 will eat it alive on a wet track without even breaking a sweat.

Yes on Saturday (in the dry) the mighty M3 could pull on me on the straits (but not by that much). All I had was my 4 cylinder turbo charged 1.8T powered A4 (slightly modified) running my stock 94 Octane program. They have 6 cylinders with more horse power and I suspect we are about the same weight. Heck even a FWD Golf with over 300 WHP pulled on me in the straits.

Come Sunday and the rain... It was game over for every one of those cars. It did not matter, FWD, RWD, it just did not cut it. Quattro ruled and I mean ruled! I cannot explain properly in words the difference the Quattro made. I was passing, no let me rephrase that, blowing by cars at insane speeds. The M3 just appeared to be parked on the track. IIRC in one session I had time to lap the M3, unreal! BTW, the M3s had all experienced drivers onboard, some of them instructors. Enough bragging but suffice to say that despite its short comings (weight and understeering characteristics), Audi as designed and built IMHO a better over all package then BMW for everyday use. If Audi can work at fixing these two major gripes in the next generation A4/S4, hopefully in the B8, then they will have a clear winner on their hands.

Again this year, Sideline Sports Photography LLC was there to shoot pictures of the cars in action. Mike and Leslie took once again this year some really amazing pictures of the car on the track especially on Sunday in the rain. I ordered a CD which should arrive in the following weeks. You can see the pictures of your own individual car on one of several lap tops in their mobile studio and in my case some of the shoots in the rain are simply outstanding. FYI, Leslie told me that by Sunday afternoon they had taken close to 12,000 pictures! That's a lot of shooting for two people. Thank you Mike and Leslie.

Also I took some onboard video, both with my analog video camera and my DigiCam. I have not reviewed them yet and may get to it today sometime. Hopefully some great video of Saturday's runs will come out but I'm really hoping Sunday's runs come out because it was insane out there on the track.

Videos and pictures to come in the following days and weeks.

Finally I encourage anyone that wants to learn to drive properly and explore the limits of their cars to join the ACNA and attend one of their schools. You will get the basics of high performance driving and in return you will be a better/safer driver.

Suffolk

<center><img src="http://www.quattro123.com/NHIS/Flyer2006sigSIZE.jpg"></center><p>
QUOTE: "Finally I encourage anyone that wants to learn to drive properly and explore the limits of their cars to join the ACNA and attend one of their schools. You will get the basics of high performance driving and in return you will be a better/safer driver." -Jet Jockey/A4 Pilot

Great story.

There is ONE ACNA / NAAC event left this season within easy travel of the New England region.

NHIS. Wed-Thursday Oct 25 - 26
http://www.naaclub.org/events/4/drivers-safety-school-at-nhis

Maybe you can meet Carter there too!
Carter, you going?

-Scott by BOSTON<ul><li><a href="http://www.naaclub.org/events/4/drivers-safety-school-at-nhis">N E X T T R A C K event Wed - Thursday Oct 25 -26</a></li></ul>

Jretal

He was doing that in the rain at WG this past august with me in the car. He looks over, explains what he's doing and goes... youwon't be able to do this in your car... haha.

Glad to hear of the good times! Maybe one day I'll be able to make it up there to play on that track...

thanks for the story though, great read!

Jet Jockey/A4 Pilot

No, no he tried to drive my car the way he drives his car and got a BIG surprise and it's on video.

Jretal

not used to the heffers the A4s are huh

I have some rather comical video of him instructing me as we went around the track... very animated. One of these days I'll get around to pulling it off the camera and making a clipping of it.

86 Coupe GT

I won't make it. However, should anyone care to meet at Limerock, I may make a rare Porsche appearence :-)

86 Coupe GT

The car rotated, but hell, my GT does that off power. I've just never seen an A4 do it, unless driven like an idiot, and I'd like to think I wasn't driving *too* much like an idiot. Until, that is, I drove the RS4.

Carter

86 Coupe GT

is to see the one wheel drive wonder passing quattros in the rain. That, truly, is amusing. I can't tell you how many people have come up after a session in the rain and said "Well, it's a quattro, so of course it's better...."

Going through 1-2-3 at 70 mph in a driving rain was certainly thrilling. As was the 70 mph slide for life through turn 6 after an off-line pass.

For the record, I count that I was on track 22 sessions over 2 days.
:-)

Jretal

not sure, but something was done to that car before we got it because it was very tail happy, which i've never seen another quattro do before.

4Driver4

Limerock? Do tell, please.