Shake Down
Posted on Aug 24, 2023
Because this car is not streetable (more on that later) we were itching to drive it aggressively so we grabbed the first opportunity we could find, a local Autocross.
Our first problem was getting it in the trailer. Everything else we have loaded up into it has been a rally car or stock Audi so this was going to be interesting at best. We knew we'd have to remove the front splitter but even then, the car is so low we expected it would be a challenge. We parked the trailer and van on the flattest piece of ground we had available and gathered "supplies". Every bit of wood we could lay our hands on. Time to ramp up.
This did the trick but only just. We were a little concerned that the venue might not afford us level ground and undulations could make it better or worse. Good job we got it centered too as the spoiler is quite wide.
Fortunately, when we arrived at the venue, we found a nice shady spot with level ground so we were able to roll it our easily. But then it wouldn't start! We went down the usual check list to no avail but then someone suggested turning the battery isolator off then on again. Wouldn't you know it? It wasn't fully closed and was isolating the ignition circuit even though the starter circuit was live. lesson learned: turn it all the way.
We found the car very easy to drive and quite forgiving. The Hoosier A7 tires didn't really get any heat in them on the short runs but we didn't go fast enough to exceed their grip really so wasn't a big issue. We didn’t set any records but were pleased with our times. We feel the car would be a lot quicker with some more autocross focused rubber though. We didn't get any video so you'll have to make do with this one shot waiting to stage, sorry.
Now we've seen what it can do it's time to decide what to do with the car and if it will stay with us. Stay tuned.
Our first problem was getting it in the trailer. Everything else we have loaded up into it has been a rally car or stock Audi so this was going to be interesting at best. We knew we'd have to remove the front splitter but even then, the car is so low we expected it would be a challenge. We parked the trailer and van on the flattest piece of ground we had available and gathered "supplies". Every bit of wood we could lay our hands on. Time to ramp up.
This did the trick but only just. We were a little concerned that the venue might not afford us level ground and undulations could make it better or worse. Good job we got it centered too as the spoiler is quite wide.
Fortunately, when we arrived at the venue, we found a nice shady spot with level ground so we were able to roll it our easily. But then it wouldn't start! We went down the usual check list to no avail but then someone suggested turning the battery isolator off then on again. Wouldn't you know it? It wasn't fully closed and was isolating the ignition circuit even though the starter circuit was live. lesson learned: turn it all the way.
We found the car very easy to drive and quite forgiving. The Hoosier A7 tires didn't really get any heat in them on the short runs but we didn't go fast enough to exceed their grip really so wasn't a big issue. We didn’t set any records but were pleased with our times. We feel the car would be a lot quicker with some more autocross focused rubber though. We didn't get any video so you'll have to make do with this one shot waiting to stage, sorry.
Now we've seen what it can do it's time to decide what to do with the car and if it will stay with us. Stay tuned.