U4

Seam-welded shell, full rollcage, DMS suspension, Autotech engine mapping, Ross-Tech Vag-Com Computer management, Brulen 2.5 high-flow stainless exhaust, Concept 1 custom engine mounts, ABD turbo piping, K-04 Turbo upgrade, Hella 4000 driving lights, Momo Acropolis Racing Seats, Pierre Guyon custom six point harnesses, Terratrip 303+ remote display odometer, speedometer, timing control. Quaife differential, lowered ring and pinion.

Jim Peplinski’s Leasemaster National www.jimplease.com

Concept One VW www.c1vw.com

Fifth Avenue Volkswagen Dealer  www.fifthavevw.com

Montgomery Auto Parts www.4nparts.com

Guyon Racing www.guyonracing.com

Colour Club Graphics

Dragonfly Promotions www.winefestcalgary.com

Autobahn Auto Body

Vag-Com Software www.ross-tech.com

1. Hi Guys. Tell us why you are making the trek down from the frozen confines of Canada. It can't be the exchange rate.

Oh the exchange rate!, we commonly refer to our money as dollarettes now, its just a good thing that American dollars are so much easier to photocopy than ours. We are looking forward to a cheap vacation. The frozen confine hasn’t been working lately, our iceracing series doesn’t look like it will happen due to lack of , well ‘ICE’. Driving around the bottom of the lake with our SCUBA gear on just seems a little silly at this point, or as my friends in Texas say ‘a little too californian’. We have been looking at several different packages for races in the US and it seems like your gang will be having more fun and better driving than the other guys, besides Mark needs another dozen of those hamster-ball Margarita things that we got from Laguna Seca. Break out the tequila I.V. for Mark and a case of limes.

2. I do not know if this aired in Canada, but shortly after the new Beetle was offered for sale, there was a really funny commercial from Volkswagen. It depicted the success of one of their SCCA Rallye teams using the Beetle with all the competitors laughing at the car and saying "cute car" or "it's cute". Will this "cute car" of yours be unleashing the thrashing of a lifetime on Touring 4 and all other OTC competitors?

Yup, Karl and his Beetle allowed us to suffer the ‘cute car’ abuse for a year now, we have a pro boxer on staff to take care of the lip for us now, Karl ran the 100 HP version of the car, I think our extra helping of boost should provide good entertainment for all, Our car is built as a rally car as well, so the disbelievers can come for a ride. (oh, Dave Clark, our suspension guy says we can get 20 feet of air with our new suspension, what was the story I heard about a jump at buttonwillow?)

3. I Have to ask...is the flower vase still in the car?

Mark has this theory that the roads would be much safer if we removed all the airbags from cars and replaced them with a titanium spike, in supporting his theory, the bud vase is still in the car, only it has a big cactus in it!

4. So tell me about Canada. Right now my notes include "cold", something about "Mounties", and "Mike Myers was born there".

And Dan Akroyd, Jim Carrey, Alex Trebek, Natasha Henstridge and so on and so on. Definitely cold up North in the Yukon, in Calgary we have only dropped below 32F a couple of times this winter and got snow maybe 3 times. We get a weather phenomenon known as the ‘Chinook’ which blows a hot wind through the area and keeps us warm, unfortunately the wind pushes all the cold to Minnesota, who think we do it on purpose. The Mounties are our national police force (who just sold all the marketing rights of their images and appearances to Disney). We like to refer to them as the boys from Buffalo cab company, (from the buffalo on the door) always happy to give you a lift, usually when drunk or stupid or both.

5. As you may know, Willow Springs, "The Fastest Track in the West", will be home to the Inaugural Lil' Scooter Shoot-Out presented by Bell Motorsports. In this race, the 6 staff members of OTC will be racing around this great track..."The Fastest Track in the West"...at a whopping 14-18 miles per hour. How would you like to wheel out that bad boy 250cc kart of yours to be the Official Pace Kart of the Lil' Scooter Shoot-Out? You should finish that lap a good 8 minutes before us...

Yup, we will definitely be honoured to have the opportunity to scare the shit out of ourselves at any of you fine locations, anyone else interested might be allowed as well for the appropriate fee (see rule #1, about Margarita’s). We are already getting the Kart ready for the trip, for those who have not seen one before, it is an eyeball popper 200lbs of machine, 95HP duh! They have been banned here for close to ten years, we just keep it for fun.

6. What are the proudest moments in your illustrative motorsports careers?

Watching Mark with his driving suit legs rolled up, walking around the swamp trying to find his tow hook before his wifes week old 996 Carrera4 sinks into the swamp ( so then he cleans it up parks it in the garage and figures she won’t notice, until she opens the door and it smell like a toxic waste dump!!! Ha HA ( he will of course beat me senseless for telling this story) My proudest moment would have to be brain fade at the 2000 National Bighorn rally where I got one inch to close to the ditch and…. Three times end over, the first roll was completely in the air, 300 miles of road and I flip 100 feet in front of the national television crew, oh did I mention that is was replayed all year at every opportunity, Usually while I was sitting at the pub with my buddies who could continue their quest for verbal abuse.

7. Let's talk about NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). How's that treating you guys up north?

Well it makes our lettuce that used to be 325.00 a head only cost 200.00 now in the middle of winter.

8. Jacques Villenueve is a pretty fast flapperhead, err Canadian. I say "pretty fast" because Michael Schumacher works him over something fierce. Would you guys venture that you are the 2nd and 3rd best drivers out of Canada?

There is a statement surely to get us a sound thrashing from our peers, second or third from the bottom? Kevin Sakaluk made a brilliant comment at our awards banquet when our table was called first to the buffet line, “well at least you get to be first at something” (then got attacked by a bear the next weekend while out four-wheeling, really!) and no it wasn’t me! Actually I (Miles) did win the Production sport title in 1999 and Production title in 2000, 2001 was spent building the new car and testing, hopefully we can triumph again, Mark has been racing Solo1 for three years and continues to lead his group.

9. Admit it...you guys are hoping it rains everyday at OTC, aren't you?

You bet, I love racing in the worst conditions possible, only it has to be bright and sunny every time we stop driving. Besides I thought it was against the law to rain in California? Watch for all the dust and leaves it will be me ‘exploring’ new lines through the gravel traps and forests, ProRally gives you a 300 mile roadcourse with no run-off area, we have a national event 5 days before OTC and 5 days after OTC another so May will be a 10,000 mile month for us, I hope the weather is great so we can enjoy it on the patio with you guys every night.

10. Here is where you get to thank everyone behind the scenes of your campaign and pimp your sponsors' good names.

As we all know it is the sponsors who keep us going, Jim Peplinski’s Leasemaster National provides us with a tow vehicle to get to the events, hmm, I wonder if he can come up with a motorhome for this one?, a tremendous help. Jerry Sturko at Fifth Avenue Auto Haus is our dealer support, who makes sure the visa card is smoking, Steve Harris at Autobahn Auto works wishes we would quit running into things. Uwe Ross at Ross-tech wrote the software to plug our laptop into the car to find out why to windows go down every time you turn left. Mark Cromwell at the Colour Club who delusional fantasies ensure that our car is always the most bizarre-looking. Alan Stork at Montgomery Auto Parts and Ken King at Concept One VW make sure that we always have the parts to keep us in the go-fast club. Guyon racing does all of our fabrication work and helps us with engineering, and last but not least Dragonfly Promotions who find us PR events to display the car and help our sponsors get the value from our commitments. Thanks to all of those who helped in our 1000 hour project and good luck to all of our new friends and competitors at the OTC!

Cheers, Miles McEwing and Mark Winfield