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Photography Credit: kevin_gray_images
One of the things I love about this magazine is that I relate to the cars. I’m a Grassroots Motorsports kinda guy. But every so often, I’m lucky enough to stumble into some really high-class events and even cars.
And this year, I got a call from a young man named Brandon Maack, who owns the Audi S4 I drove for Champion Racing in 2004 at Road Atlanta. He asked if I’d like to run that car at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Oh, I was so in for that!
We started the week’s adventure at the well-stocked garage of a generous friend of mine who has offered me the pick of the litter anytime I’m in the Bay Area. This time, it was an AMG GT Black Series, a 720-horsepower beee-aahst with a newly wrapped Gulf Racing livery, which just happened to match my shirt and McQueen-esque Le Mans jacket. Even at Monterey Car Week, this machine stuck out and turned heads.
First place we parked–all part of the adventure–was the Classic Motorsports Monterey Kickoff. And who is the first person we see? My video co-host Jason Cammisa and his newly acquired BMW 850 V12 manual, the only M-car without an M in its name.
And what parks right next to us minutes later at the show? A daily driven, original-shabby-chic, patinaed 1954 Pre-A Porsche 356 1500 Speedster–with a laid-back, Jimmy Buffet-style owner who was also a joy as he shared its story. Other favorites there included a shapely Alfa Montreal and a pair of Datsun 2000 Roadsters, which I drove in my college years–quite a sleeper!
Next, to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to check in–but registration has closed and we have no passes. Well, practice day one is so pleasantly laid back that we can walk right to the office and get the precious armbands. But no car pass. Then I run into an SCCA worker from Timing and Scoring who gifts us a parking pass there. Score!
We say hello to the sweet S4, sporting its same Audi rings paint job with “Speedvision” across the hood, and go out for a few laps down memory lane. Seems the power is great, but the brakes are all rear bias and the limited-slips no longer limit. Still great tire-smoky fun.
Photography Credit: Brandon Maack
Back at the track the next day, we try disconnecting the rear sway bar–which helps a lot with wheelspin but causes understeer–and turning the brake-bias knob–which breaks and doesn’t help at all. Hey, it’s a vintage car.
Brandon and Alex are very attentive and doing all they can. After all, the young man has Audi Parts Unlimited. I’m happy to be helping sort the car. Funny how even with Audi quattro, with worn diffs, we still get the one-wheel peel.
That night it’s the Pistons and Pizza private party on Ocean Drive, and we park down the street and walk in, noticing a Porsche 959 in the driveway and wishing we had just pulled in and parked right next to it like a boss. (Chalk up a missed primo parking op.)
Off to party number two, where we find another Carmel hideaway (How did we ever get by without GPS?) with a perfect Integra Type R, an Alfa Giulia, GTV and a classic Mini. More our GRM style.
We’re staying way out in Hollister to save on kooky hotel prices, but we find that with Cali fuel prices and Black Series mileage, we’re spending all that on gas anyway. But it is more time in the fantastic and rare supercar, which surprisingly holds all our luggage, BTW, practical shoppers.
So back at Laguna for race day, the wonderful World Challenge S4 is struggling against the rack of GT cars gridded near the back, but we are all just thrilled to be here in the show. The World Challenge generations are now appropriate, as 20-plus years have passed and enthusiasts in their 30s and 40s grew up watching us.
We try going up a couple rounds in the left rear to get power down and reconnect the bar on its softest setting. Didn’t work. Inside-rear wheelspin returns, but it’s still a joy to run the twin-turbo V6 for the huge crowd. At team dinner that evening on Monterey Bay, we toast a successful run and scheme for next year.
I hope Randy knows that he also has the pick of the litter from my collection any time he is in the Pittsburgh area, though he may be less impressed with its size and pedigree.
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