LA Pro solo2

["Joe Goeke" <joe_goeke@hotmail.com>]

Hi all, more news from the SCCA solo II A4 race team!

As you all know, Team Butt Heat did well in the San Diego National tour, and
they have a great photo of me in the SCCA magazine "Sportcar" showing me win
G Stock there.  But now I have more good news from the Los Angeles SCCA Pro
Solo2!

I can say, G Stock was a tight battle, and with 10 entrants!  Just 0.085
separating 1st through 4th.  I was second and Ron was third.  It felt just
like my old BS class with all the identical Miata's ;-), except this time in
GS there is the Mazda MX-6 and the 98 A4!  I lead all day Saturday, only
because I had clean runs in the dry, and it rained Sat afternoon.  On a dry
Sunday morning, my co driver Ron Bauer snagged fastest left, but ended in
3rd place, in front of two of the hot MX-6 drivers.  I snagged fastest right
and barely stayed in front of Ron for 2nd, but the win went to Mark Allen in
an MX-6 from Florida, by only 0.008 over my effort.  Not bad for my first
pro in the A4.  I had a hard time getting the drag race type launch down
with the AWD without smoking the clutch, which I think cost me the win this
time.

Anna was in a 36 person ladies class and took 6th in the class, and then
marched up through a 16 car club challenge to take 3rd overall!

Ron and I figured the launch thing out in the challenge rounds, and kicked
b*tt ;-).  Ron and I marched up though the 32 car single elimination open
challenge round and ended up running against each other in the final 8.
With the hot runs we were making, our handicap indexes changed, and Ron
ended up with a 0.5 second better index when we met up.  I took my runs
first, and put down the fastest times yet for GS, but Ron answered, and with
the better dial in, he moved on, and he continued up, to take the Pro
Challenge win!  He won the whole thing!  This was Ron's first pro challenge,
and he won it!  He's taking to the A4 really well.  I remember my only Pro
Challenge win in 96 at Wendover in my Miata, and Ron was soaking up the
victory champagne!

There are two other challenge rounds, and our NWR made history by swept all
three challenge competitions, A first by any region.  Check out the pictures
on the NWR web site at:
http://www.nwr-scca.org/solo/sweep.html

Later, and if ya like I'll keep letting you know how we are doing!
Go Team Butt Heat!
---JCG