AudidudeNZ

the Targa Classic car rally of New Zealand.

What a pain - hundreds of kms of beautifull country roads, my turbo spinning, exhaust barking, Valentine One on full alert

This is a fantastic rally with many cars from back to the 60s to present day - all in full race trim with roll cages etc and drivers who don't give a **** for anything except having a total blast on closed tarmac stages.

Check out the url.

Will report back.

Cheers<ul><li><a href="http://www.targa.co.nz">http://www.targa.co.nz</a</li></ul>

AudidudeNZ

Travelled about 500kms today following Targa rally. Wow my S3 would be perfect for this event (albeit with a firmer suspension setup). Maybe in 3-4 years when the financial risk has reduced somewhat.

Actually the best part of the day was the drive between stages .

Tried out esp on vs off on a very slippery gravel road about 20kms long. There is a huge difference - with ESP on the car feels very stable and docile (and a little boring). With ESP off it comes alive, much sharper responses, not damped by the ESP controls - altogether more fun. However as the road was very narrow, 2 way, and with a ditch running down each side, I decided to run with it on - just in case! (wimp I hear you say ).

ade

Thanks - very interesting report.

Is it similar to traction control ? I know on the Porsche Carrera 4 there is a button to switch traction control on/off. It was demonstrated on TV program with the Porsche driving 60MPH around a 'round-about' size circle. With it switched on the Porsche stuck to the road, as soon as he switched it off the car lost the back end immediatley spinning and hit the cones !

When would you use this button normally ? ?

MickS3

I've tested ESP around some winding roads, and as long it is dry, definitley have ESP off as this will ensure more control over the throttle etc.

It is a good safety feature when driving in the wet. My 5 bobs worth...:-)

Cheers,
Michael
Ming Blue S3 (Aug 2000)