Save the 8v™ (Mk4 Arno Addition)

I haven't done any Save the 8v™ posts in a while, so I had to snap a few pics this evening to keep up the crusade. Arno from the shop is definitely doing his part. Not just an 8v, but the least loved of all, the lowly Mk4. This is admittedly his beater, since his monster horsepower TDI is out of commission, but although he's doing it on the cheap, he's not cheaping out. Best of all he beats the crap out of this car and it just comes back for more. Somehow he's already on transmission #2 (or is it #3?) with only around 140hp or so, but it's not what you've got, it's how you use it. Or so 'they' say.



Although you can't really see it here, he and Chad slotted the attachment point on the rear axle so that it sits in the middle of the wheel well. Not only does it look better, it rubs less AND apparently ended up with perfect alignment specs. I would never have guessed it, but the man is not one to do things by halves.



Arno was doing his mad-custom, on the cheap cold air intake tonight.

Pic post: (Vintage) Mk4 Golf Kit Car in action

Pic post: Brad's A4

As usual when things get slow around here, it's because I'm (as Brad would say) MEGA-BUSY elsewhere. I'm back at the shop this week helping fill in the gaps while the boss is on vacation, and as usual making good use of access to the lifts, and perhaps more importantly, the knowledge of the guys in the shop. Nothing too serious going on, just some loose ends before the next inspection. Carmen (you remember our Corrado project right?) is a little worse for wear, but that's almost to be expected. I'm trying to figure out a better place to store the car but coming up blank. The guys at the shop are naturally helpful, usually in the manner of low ball offers to take her off my hands, haha...

Anyways, here is a pic of Brad's A4. As is pretty much the case with every car there, if the wheels need refinishing, they end up powder coated black...

_WRS

Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge: First podium of the year for APR

Josh Hurley and Kevin Stadtlander landed APR's first podium finish of 2010. The duo, in the number 181 VW GTi Mk5, battled their way up the grid, the strong finish no doubt doing wonders for Stadtlander's standings for rookie of the year. Another strong start but disappointing finish was seen for the S4 in GS, while the two remaining GTIs failed to crack the top 10. A slow start to 2010, but picking up momentum in ST, win should hopefully be just around the corner.

www.goapr.com or APR's Flickr for more pics.

_WRS

Pic post: Brooding Bimmer

The Rahal Letterman GT2 M3 awaiting it's time on the track...

Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge: Bosch Engineering VIR 200

APR Motorsport will take on the rest of the GS / ST field today at 3:30 PM, at Virginia International Raceway, better known as VIR. The number 01 S4 grids at P11, with Ian Baas putting in a solid qualifying run, as seen above. The ST GTIs start off 10th (171), 14th (91) and 24th. (181) Not the best spread overall, with the highest placed VW Jetta of Irish Mike's starting 7th, but with the long race almost anything can happen. Although showers were expected, the weather maps are looking pretty clear, so it should be a very exciting day indeed. The crew from NGP Racing is in attendance today, and with a little luck we might have some great pics from Benji from the VA shop...

_WRS

Be sure to check out live timing and scoring at Grand-Am.com.

In the paddock: Part One

There's something particularly magical about the paddock at a race event. They are virtual beehives of intense activity for hours at a time. Then empty. Like a ghost town after the gold rush ended.



Areas are secured, custom tractor trailers are position and unloaded, and home base is established. Mechanics, drivers, managers, owners and media of all sorts are coming and going at all times. You never know who is going to be standing 5 feet away...



There are hundreds if not thousands of near misses between go carts, race cars and pedestrians. It's like Times Square at New Years, but with millions of dollars of equipment strewn about. Body work that is probably work more money than I make in a year is placed, if not carelessly, somewhat haphazardly on the ground.





Cars in various states of disassembly dot the garages and look nowhere near close to race ready.



Eventually though it clears out, and that is when it becomes magical. The light is just right, the day is perhaps drawing to a close for some (but definitely not for all) and the cars maneuver like sharks in the ocean. Slowly at first, then on the attack as they near the track entrance.















Then all that hard work...



Finally pays off when the car hits the track.



Part two coming soon. Check out the full size pictures, and MANY more, over at Der Wolfsburg Rennsport Flickr Page.

_WRS