In Photos: Quattrofest 2014

"Audi For Life" (audiforlife) 11/07/2014 at 11:51 • Filed to: Quattrofest, Photography, Audi

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Every year, the Northwest chapter of the Audi Club of North America holds their signature event called Quattrofest, in which Audi Club members can participate in driver's education and autocross events, and get some track time in their Audi (or non-Audi) cars. This year, Quattrofest was held at Portland International Raceway on November 1st and 2nd, with a banquet and auction on the night of the 1st.

I was out at the track both days as one of three event photographers capturing moments on and off the track. Having shot with a Nikon D300 crop-sensor body !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and migrating to a full-frame D800E this year, I had to re-adjust a lot to the shallower depth-of-field at the same aperture and the loss of immediate 1.5x crop. I was able to get around the latter by using the 1.2x and 1.5x crop options provided in the D800E settings; but, I couldn't quite find a quick way to switch between image area settings.

The lens that I had mounted to the D800E for about two-thirds of the time that I was shooting was the venerable 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II. It was the perfect lens for doing panning shots of the cars negotiating the turns and for isolating people and/or cars from other objects in the frame. For close-up work, I went with the 16-35mm f/4 VR; which, I found to be the near-perfect replacement for the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 that I would use on the D300.

Due to a previous commitment, I was not able to attend the Quattrofest banquet this year. Those that did attend the banquet was greeted with one of the four Audi A3 Sportback e-trons that Audi of America had brought out to Quattrofest (photos of the A3 e-trons can be found in the " !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! " blog post).

You can find all of the photos that I've taken at this year's Quattrofest on Flickr in the " !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! " album. For photos taken by myself and two of the other event photographers, check out the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on Flickr.

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(This post was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! blog.)

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Audi For Life 11/07/2014 at 11:53

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:)

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Audi For Life 11/07/2014 at 12:01

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My car still has its ACNA membership sticker from the previous owner. I should re-sign it up.

Audi For Life > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 11/07/2014 at 12:03

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For me, I find being part of the Audi Club is worth it as it has connected me with more Audi owners and enthusiasts outside of the Pacific NW. If you plan to participate in any club track events, like Quattrofest, some chapters require that you be a club member.

I guess it comes down to whether or not you find the access and benefits are worth the cost.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Audi For Life 11/07/2014 at 12:26

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Once you pay to be a member, do most events like Quattrofest cost extra? And if so, how much?

Audi For Life > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 11/07/2014 at 12:36

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It doesn't cost anything to be at Quattrofest or similar events to be a spectator; but, if you want to spend time running the track, do driver's ed, and/or do some auto-cross, there would be a registration fee. I don't quite remember what track session or auto-cross was for Quattrofest this year, but it probably started at around $100-250/day, which includes tech inspection and food.

Other club events (dinners, meet-ups, drives, etc.) tend to be in the $20-50 range.

RallyWrench > E30Joe drives a Subaru 11/13/2014 at 20:16

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If I'm not mistaken, that car belongs to a buddy of mine, and previously belonged to another. Not a real RS4, but has all the right bits & is as close as we can get in the US. It's fun :)

E30Joe drives a Subaru > RallyWrench 11/14/2014 at 12:28

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I love those wagons, some of my favorite ever made.