Just want to express a big heartfelt THANK YOU to Louis Milone from Champion Racing . . .
03-15-2006, 07:30 PM
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Just want to express a big heartfelt THANK YOU to Louis Milone from Champion Racing . . .
<center><img src="http://www.championracing.net/Audi_RS6/the%20team/pics/LMilone.jpg"></center><p>
While I worked at STaSIS Louis was always accommodating and helpfull. He always made time to help the little guy.
He is an incredibly gracious gentleman and a scholar.
He is the reason Audi is where they are in North American Motorsport.
I can't express how much the very little time I spent interacting with him and the team has impacted me.
We all have benefitted from the relationships maintained between STaSIS Engineering (Paul Lambert), Audi Motorsport NA (Rod Bymaster), Champion Racing (Dave Maraj) and Crew Chief Louis Milone.
I wish Louis and the entire team all the best.<ul><li><a href="http://www.championracing.net/Audi_RS6/the%20team/team_louis_milone.htm">http://www.championracing.net/Audi_RS6/the%20team/team_louis_milone.htm</a</li></ul>
While I worked at STaSIS Louis was always accommodating and helpfull. He always made time to help the little guy.
He is an incredibly gracious gentleman and a scholar.
He is the reason Audi is where they are in North American Motorsport.
I can't express how much the very little time I spent interacting with him and the team has impacted me.
We all have benefitted from the relationships maintained between STaSIS Engineering (Paul Lambert), Audi Motorsport NA (Rod Bymaster), Champion Racing (Dave Maraj) and Crew Chief Louis Milone.
I wish Louis and the entire team all the best.<ul><li><a href="http://www.championracing.net/Audi_RS6/the%20team/team_louis_milone.htm">http://www.championracing.net/Audi_RS6/the%20team/team_louis_milone.htm</a</li></ul>
03-15-2006, 08:19 PM
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In my experience, I haven't benefited from knowing those names. (one exception)
Paul @ Stasis was the exception.
And compared to Porsche and BMW, Audi is absolutely nowhere in North American Motorsports. Quite honestly, I don't think that bothers anyone over at Audi. Stasis, a World Challenge Touring Car team isn't "the little guy". They are a professional race team that campaigns race cars for a living. The guy who wants to put his home-built car on the track and be competitive against the likes of BMW Motorsport chassis, Dodge Comp Coupes, Ex World Challenge Vettes and the cookie cutter Porsche GT3 cup cars - THAT is the little guy. Speaking from experience, the only places the little guy has to go for help with parts is to places like Stasis or Istook (when he was still running his race cars) or heaven forbid be enginuitive enough to develope his/her own car. Not until Champion needed money for some other project did you see Louis return phone calls... remember the classified ads they placed when they were recently selling their racing inventory?
I'd love to be able to pick up the phone, call Audi Sport North America and place an order for a front splitter (PN #yeahf-ingright). Till that can happen, I won't be in a hurry to build a new Audi race car. And why should I when for the same money I can go find or build any of the following with factory help:
Porsche GT3 cup car turn-key w/ parts
Mustang turn-key from Ford with support and parts
Viper Comp Coupe turn-key from Dodge w/ parts
Cobalt, build myself with parts from Chevy Racing
C6 Corvette, build myself w/ Chevy Racing parts
BMW 3 series, build myself w/ BMW Motorsport parts.
*Sigh*
If I didn't have so much coin in my S4, I'd love to race that full time. Truth is I can't afford to bend it.
<img src="http://images15.fotki.com/v230/photos/6/681510/2742504/patlindsey01HIGHRES-vi.jpg">
And compared to Porsche and BMW, Audi is absolutely nowhere in North American Motorsports. Quite honestly, I don't think that bothers anyone over at Audi. Stasis, a World Challenge Touring Car team isn't "the little guy". They are a professional race team that campaigns race cars for a living. The guy who wants to put his home-built car on the track and be competitive against the likes of BMW Motorsport chassis, Dodge Comp Coupes, Ex World Challenge Vettes and the cookie cutter Porsche GT3 cup cars - THAT is the little guy. Speaking from experience, the only places the little guy has to go for help with parts is to places like Stasis or Istook (when he was still running his race cars) or heaven forbid be enginuitive enough to develope his/her own car. Not until Champion needed money for some other project did you see Louis return phone calls... remember the classified ads they placed when they were recently selling their racing inventory?
I'd love to be able to pick up the phone, call Audi Sport North America and place an order for a front splitter (PN #yeahf-ingright). Till that can happen, I won't be in a hurry to build a new Audi race car. And why should I when for the same money I can go find or build any of the following with factory help:
Porsche GT3 cup car turn-key w/ parts
Mustang turn-key from Ford with support and parts
Viper Comp Coupe turn-key from Dodge w/ parts
Cobalt, build myself with parts from Chevy Racing
C6 Corvette, build myself w/ Chevy Racing parts
BMW 3 series, build myself w/ BMW Motorsport parts.
*Sigh*
If I didn't have so much coin in my S4, I'd love to race that full time. Truth is I can't afford to bend it.
<img src="http://images15.fotki.com/v230/photos/6/681510/2742504/patlindsey01HIGHRES-vi.jpg">
03-15-2006, 08:47 PM
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Well more proof that STaSIS IS the little guy . . . I just got off the phone with . . .
The VP of Motorsport Marketing at DuPont.
Without these guys there would be no Audi's in the door slammer classes.
DuPont told me (as far as Motorsport marketing is concerned) they're not trying to reach the brie and champagne crowd. They are dedicated to the beer and peanuts crowd. The Mom and Pop body shops that buy paint.
They wake in the middle of the night with new ways to combat PPG.
It's all about numbers.
They just signed a five year deal with Hendrick Motorsports. He would not disclose the amount but called it significant. I can only guess it is about $100 Million. Probably three times that.
That makes STaSIS Engineering and SPEED TC a little guy.
I have benefitted from knowing the people that have these names, treating them with respect and buying them a case of beer from time to time.
It's not the fact that I bought them some beer, it's the fact that I delivered it personally to them when they desired it or deserved it the most, ice cold.
Without these guys there would be no Audi's in the door slammer classes.
DuPont told me (as far as Motorsport marketing is concerned) they're not trying to reach the brie and champagne crowd. They are dedicated to the beer and peanuts crowd. The Mom and Pop body shops that buy paint.
They wake in the middle of the night with new ways to combat PPG.
It's all about numbers.
They just signed a five year deal with Hendrick Motorsports. He would not disclose the amount but called it significant. I can only guess it is about $100 Million. Probably three times that.
That makes STaSIS Engineering and SPEED TC a little guy.
I have benefitted from knowing the people that have these names, treating them with respect and buying them a case of beer from time to time.
It's not the fact that I bought them some beer, it's the fact that I delivered it personally to them when they desired it or deserved it the most, ice cold.
03-15-2006, 09:01 PM
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Not sure what DuPont had to do with getting Audi in NA Motorsports...
Did they package some of that Deleware poluted air and threaten to send it to Germany if the krouts didn't send over some race cars? *inside DuPont joke*
Compared to Hendrick, Champion is a pee-on. ****, many a third world country is small in comparison.
If it'd help me get some decent parts or info, I'd hand deliver the beer to Audi's office in Michigan. Sad truth is you can't get what doesn't exist.
Compared to Hendrick, Champion is a pee-on. ****, many a third world country is small in comparison.
If it'd help me get some decent parts or info, I'd hand deliver the beer to Audi's office in Michigan. Sad truth is you can't get what doesn't exist.
03-16-2006, 09:05 AM
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yep - Audi corporate does nothing for grassroots motorsports in NA
a shame really - these cars have great potential. Not only is there a potential market, the marketing advantages of a program could reap many benefits.
03-16-2006, 09:28 AM
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This is probably the reason I have switched to BMWCCA driver's ed. events...
without a grassroots motorsports program my experience has been that there is not a lot of instructors w/ wheel to wheel racing experience in the Audi club. Again, in my experience Audi instructors aren't comfortable if you are not on the predetermined "line". BMW instructors, again mostly amateur racers, want you to experiment, get out on the paint, stay off line after passing for the next turn. Now this could be just my chapter... but I think with a club racing scene like BMWCCA that Audi as a brand would see more national motorsports exposure. Lately I've been thinking that I'll have to jump ship from Audi if I want to get into club racing but a lot of that is money factors.
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03-16-2006, 09:59 AM
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Argh, all too true.
Just hang in there though. Try to get some seat time with groups like NASA that have some good talent and nicely setup cars. I think if enough of us start actively participating in the upper ranks of the Audi Club we may be able to make a difference for the better. And it'd be nice some movement of Audi owners into club racing... I think there is a better chance of that now than in the past few years. However, all that progress would be for not if Audi Sport NA continues to be an entity in name only.
03-17-2006, 07:37 PM
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2nd on Paul and Stasis. Glad to have been a customer back when they worked out of a barn in Saratoga
When I went to pick the car up the first time, he and Ryan F. were working on the car late into a Friday afternoon. Even after all that he still took it out with me for shakedown cruise on Hwy 17, with new suspension and brakes to boot.
There were some minor problems that pop up after the fact (not Stasis fault) but they were happy to help and make sure I was a satisfied customer- which I have since day one.
It's great to see that Stasis is realizing on the goals they set out to achieve several years back at the 'new new' locale at Searspoint.
There were some minor problems that pop up after the fact (not Stasis fault) but they were happy to help and make sure I was a satisfied customer- which I have since day one.
It's great to see that Stasis is realizing on the goals they set out to achieve several years back at the 'new new' locale at Searspoint.
