Unfair Advantage Podcast by Audi Club

When George Achorn produced the latest issue of quattro Magazine with a heavy focus on electromobility, he thought he knew just about everything he needed to know. He's owned an e-tron since 2019. Even still, driving the new Q4 on the autobahn, the RS e-tron GT on Angeles Crest Highway, diving into the makings of Electrikhana with Hoonigan and real world experiences have opened his eyes to a lot. So what'd he learn and where does he stand? Listen and find out. It may surprise you.

When Marcus Holzinger revealed his new Elegend EL1, a modern and electric reinterpretation of the Audi Sport quattro, he turned a lot of heads. Initially, it was only going to be a promotional design to celebrate the 40th year of operation for Hote Design, a German design and modeling studio founded by his father who was a former designer at Audi. Hote had worked on the Sport quattro and many, many more Audis over the years, and the Sport quattro made for the perfect starting point for an idea that would eventually form to create a car company intent on reinterpeting iconic performance cars in a modern EV form. In October we visited the Hote studios and saw the car, which will be featured in the Q1_2023 issue of quattro Magazine. More recently, we caught up with Marcus to learn  about the Elegend project, his studio, his family history and more.

When 034Motorsport's Nick Mercadante chatted us up at SEMA about his B9 Audi SQ5 and its capabilities at the track (10 second car at the drag strip, passing on the outside at Laguna Seca), we knew we wanted to get the story in quattro Magazine. And, like a lot of stories for the magazine, digging deeper and learning more also makes for a compelling podcast. Check out more on the SQ5 in the upcoming Q1_2023 issue of quattro Magazine sent exclusively to Audi Club members, and also check out more via 034 Motorsport.

Juha & Vesa Mikkola are the sons of Audi rally driving legend Hannu Mikkola. Recently, they had a chance to take part in the Olympia Revival Rally in Germany and at the wheel of an Audi ur quattro rally car prepared and supported by Audi Tradition. The Mikkola brothers caught up with us to talk about their father, his rally career, his family life, and their own backgrounds including the experience of the Olympia Revival. You can also follow their rally fun at @MikkolaRally on Instagram.

In the second part of our conversation with Javad Shadzi of 034Motorsport, he tells his back story, talks business and also about racing and the latest work coming out of his company.

Javad Shadzi built his reputation and his company 034Motorsport by bringing new and useful tech to the Audi I5 tuning space with his 034 EFI product. In this first part of our recent discussion with him, we first dive into EVs and what electrification will mean for owners, enthusiasts and tuners alike.

We recently got back from the North East RS 6 Treffen (@NERS6T) at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania where 37 RS 6 Avant came together for one incredible event, all of which is organized and put on by Ray Reyes. Ray's a regular contributor in the pages of quattro Magazine and a fixture in the Audi enthusiast community, specifically amongst RS 6 owners. In this interview we learned more about his background, his event, roll racing and his preference in unhealthy yet delectable fast food.

When we received an invite to attend the press launch of the new RS 3, Audi Club President Ryan Compton seemed like the perfect ringer. The launch would include track time, and Compton is an instructor in our High Performance Driving Education program. He's also got a pair of TT coupes, including a street version and track-prepped racecar with performance Haldex box. He's about as expert as it gets in Audi's transverse Haldex-based tech, so his assessment of the car was valuable to us. In this podcast, he covers a lot of ground talking about his impressions of the car, how well it does on track and actually drifting. 

Audi Club is about to hold Vintage to Voltage Philadelphia, an event that celebrates the history of Audi and technology, bridging the past to the future in a celebration of all Audi models. We caught up with Talia Pakkala, Audi Club's Director of Events & Sponsorship to talk about the plan for this new event format, the details of what will surely be an unforgettable weekend including Radwood Philly, and one  you can sign up for at the time of this publishing. We also catch up on her recent trip to Germany and what that means for future European experiences for Audi Club... not to mention Chick-fil-A, Sake and other interesting subjects. Check out more information on Vintage to Voltage and sign up to take part via THIS LINK.

VinWiki Founder and CEO and also Cannonball Run expert Ed Bolian joins Nothing Leaves Stock owner Josh Paashaus and Audi Club's own Bill Cho ahead of the 2022 One Lap of America. Ed recently sold Josh a 1985 Audi 4000 quattro Cannonball Run Edition from his own collection. That car has already made a Cannonball Run with Bolian, Alex Roy and Arne Toman, and now it heads to the One Lap of America with Bolian paired with Paashaus and Cho. We caught up with them a few nights before they left, and you can follow their progress on @audiclubna from April 28 to May 8. 

Having spent much of his career at Microsoft working on the Forza driving video game franchise, Justin Osmer now owns and operates Turn-In Point Consulting, drives and RS 6 Avant and recently took that car and his automotive passion (and Avant) on a bucket list road trip covering the full length of Route 66 and then some. Justin covers a lot with us, from his passion, to his business, from driving sims and games to a deep dive on the trip itself. Listen along, and then catch a full feature on his trip in the Q3_2022 issue of quattro Magazine due to be published in the summer of 2022.

Brad Beardow may be best known as co-founder of fifteen52 and its association with Ken Block's Gymkhana series, but his career goes back much further. After meeting Audi's American motorsport boss Jo Happen by chance in Florida in the early 90s, Beardow founded his own tuning firm VW Sport selling ABT Sportsline, Projectzwo and more in the DC area, later morphing to 1552 Design. After a short period managing editorial at VWvortex and Fourtitude, he returned to the tuning business relaunching 1552 (now fifteen52) as a wheel brand and seeing it tie together with Hoonigan and Ken Block's Gymkhana series. Brad's past all that now, launching some of his favorite wheel designs as RML (Retro Modern Line) Wheels and took the time to catch up for more than two-hours for our podcast. Follow him at @rmlsnowflakes.

When we first met Rob DiNuzzo, he was displaying his pristine B7 RS 4 at the Waterfest enthusiast show. Rob's been into modern performance Audis for years, but more recently he's dived into the world of 2-stroke '60s era Auto Union classics including a 1000 Deluxe Coupe and his 1000 SP sports coupe. In owning them he's become a bit of an expert on the space. Look for a full feature on Rob's cars in the upcoming Q2_2022 issue of quattro Magazine, shipping to Audi Club North America members in early April. To join Audi Club and subscribe to the magazine, please visit www.audiclubna.org.

Brian Scotto has been a lot of things, Magazine Editor, Film Director, and now Youtube personality Chief Creative Officer at Hoonigan. Through all that, he's also had a serious addiction to the Audi brand... particularly the big bodies. In this second part of our discussion with him, we talk about importing cars from Germany, wheels/Rotiform, the art of video production (versus virality) and Hoonigan's upcoming Electrikhana with Ken Block and the S1 e-tron Hoonitron.

Brian Scotto has been a lot of things, Magazine Editor, Film Director, and now Youtube personality Chief Creative Officer at Hoonigan. Through all that, he's also had a serious addiction to the Audi brand... particularly the big bodies. In this first part of our discussion with him, we talk about Hoonigan's Audi SEMA cars, his Coupe quattro and Ken Block's Sport quattro, plus his ever-expanding Audi habit.

In the fall of 2021, Jeff Beyda and his sons flew to Burlington, VT to finalize a deal to purchase perhaps the last remaining works Audi quattro rally car from American rally legend John Buffum. The car had won the 1982 Rally Portugal at the hands of Michèle Mouton, then was sent to the USA later that season where Buffum logged Audi's first win at Pike's Peak and eventual rally championships in the USA. The car is now in Michigan with Maskus who is performing a sympathetic restoration. quattro Magazine on location in Burlington to cover it for a story in our upcoming Q2_2022 issue, and so we caught up with Beyda and Maskus to chat about the experience for a deeper dive about their process and of course the car.

New Jersey exotic car dealer and vintage Audi specialist Kevin Ginsberg talks about his own Audi enthusiast history, his former ownership of our Audi Club quattro Sweepstakes '85 "ur" quattro 20V, and multiple other subjects.

Audi Club's Talia Pakkala and Bill Cho join quattro Magazine editor George Achorn to go through questions and comments about the magazine submitted as part of Audi Club's membership survey. Special thanks to SilverCar by Audi for helping make this survey and episode possible, and also for the great prize of free rental days for one lucky survey participant. Joint Audi Club North America at www.AudiClubNA.org.

Over the summer we caught up via conference platform with Audi Sport and Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen for a chat about his biography "Mr. Le Mans". The book is as much about the man as it is about racing, which led to a conversation about documentaries like "Truth in 24" and the "F1 Drive to Survive" series by Netflix. We also got Tom's take on Le Mans 2023 and Audi's return. "Mr. Le Mans" is published by Euro Publishing. It can be found here and possibly with autographed copies ( https://www.evropublishing.com/products/mr-le-mans-tom-kristensen) and can also be found on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Mans-Tom-Kristensen/dp/8797260304).

When a mysterious RS2 pops up for sale in South Florida with a VIN saying it's a 1.6-liter 80 front-wheel drive, importation expert and well connected man Jamie Orr and quattro Magazine Editor George Achorn do some sleuthing to get to the bottom of just what the car is.Think we can't get nerdy with background on the Audi RS2 Avant? Think again.

Aaron Plante enjoys raising eyebrows from his back-of-the-book Rear Spoiler column in quattro Magazine. For the upcoming Q2_2021 issue, he joins editor George Achorn and casts a critical eye at modern electric car naming practices, messing with engineering-based nomenclature, and the problem with too many prefixes and suffixes. The pair also look back at the history of e-tron concepts and products, and the significance of owning one of these cars.

By day, Ivan Shmatov is a designer at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt. He's worked on racecars like the R8 LMS GT3, R8 LMS GT2, and liveries for Audi racers in Formula E and Le Mans. In his free time, he's also @sell_porsche_to_buy_porsche on Instagram where he takes on commissioned jobs of sketching cars for enthusiast owners be they Audi, Porsche or whatever. quattro Magazine editor George Achorn catches up with Ivan to learn more about Ivan and both his roles as professional designer and enthusiast for an article in the upcoming Q2_2021 issue.

Following Monterey Car Week 2019, quattro Magazine editor George Achorn swung by 2Bennett Audimotive in Davis, CA to take a tour of their massive facility dedicated to the restoration, maintenance and augmentation of mainly vintage Audi models. This recording was waiting for the accompanying story in the pages of quattro, and that goes into circulation this week to member subscribers with our Q2_2020 issue.

On the eve of his new book becoming available, former Audi designer Peter Birtwhistle catches up with quattro Magazine editor George Achorn to chat about his long career in design, and offer a window into Audi in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Buy Peter's book on Amazon HERE: https://www.amazon.com/English-Car-Designer-Abroad-Designing/dp/1787114708/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=peter+birtwhistle&qid=1583297874&sr=8-1

quattro Magazine editor George Achorn and Audi Club events manager Bill Cho recount their experience on their e-tron Roadtrip as they return from Avantoberfest in Vermont and electrically motor back to home base. They chat roadtrip, Avantoberfest and go for a deep dive on day-to-day electric car ownership. Apologies in advance. Since we were recording mobile from the e-tron, we were trying a new recording configuration. Bill Cho's microphone doesn't appear to have been working so we've tried to compensate by dialing up his portions of audio. Even still, we found the conversation to be valuable for those considering electric cars and so we wanted to make this available despite the low audio quality.

quattro Magazine editor George Achorn sat down with Audi Sport Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen for a chat at Audi Club Nationals 2019. The venue was the Smithsonian's Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum in Dulles, VA and the conversation happened live in front of the assembled attendees of Audi Club's annual national event. Listen to the whole conversation here.

quattro Magazine editor George Achorn and Audi Club events manager and digital editor Bill Cho sit down to talk Monterey Car Week, walk through all of the events and tell you what not to miss for Audi enthusiasts. The chat begins from the start, and the focus on Monterey Car Week begins at about 12 minutes in.

We recently traveled to Montreal to attend the Eurokracy car show at the ICAR Mirabel faceility and caught up with Audi Club board member and Audi Club Canada whirlwind Gordon Varney to talk about the Canadian car scene, Eurokracy, other Canadian shows, the Audi Club Canada and also his own TT ALMS.

While on location at the New York Auto Show, we had a chance to go Facebook Live with Audi of America e-tron specialist Matt Mostafaei and talk a bit about the new Audi e-tron.

In this episode, quattro Magazine editor George Achorn walks the Audi show stand at the New York Auto Show with Anthony Garbis, Audi of America product planner for A4, S4, A5, S5, RS 5, Q5, SQ5 and R8.

In this third episode, Bill Cho catches up with George Achorn about his background in the Audi space, plus a look at the redesign of quattro Magazine and a preview of the upcoming Q2 2019 issue due out very soon.

quattro Magazine editor George Achorn and events manager Bill Cho head to Audi of America headquarters in Herndon, VA to catch up with Will Barber, current Audi of America liaison to Audi Club. In addition to his tenure at Audi working with the after-sales business, Will's professional past lives include editor of Fourtitude.com, VWvortex.com and also a stint at AWE Tuning.

Audi Club events manager Bill Cho sits down with quattro Magazine editor George Achorn to kick off the Unfair Advantage podcast and go over the vast mix of events in the USA and Canada for Audi enthusiasts over the upcoming 2019 event season.