Members of local club pursue interest in all things Audi

Before it became a regional chapter of the Audi Club of North America in 2001, the Glacier Lakes Quattro Club was this continent's Audi club, dating back to 1984. But Glacier Lakes' 300 or so enthusiasts aren't unhappy about their "demotion" because they like having more people involved with the brand they love to drive.

And club members definitely like to drive Audis - and not just on our roads. Though club president Louis Zachary says only a few members are "track junkies" who regularly drive at Brainerd International Raceway during advanced driving schools the club sponsors each summer, he thinks about three-fourths of club members have zipped around BIR during at least one weekend school. Glacier Lakes members also like driving on ice at club events when winter cooperates. But wherever members drive, the emphasis is on safety, not competition.

Barb Weernink, who chairs the club's social events committee, regularly drives on race tracks. She calls her time there "the most fun thing you'd ever want to do." She says she's been "totally hooked" since her first track experience six years ago and currently drives a modified 2004 S4 that began life with 340 horsepower. She's also a word-of-mouth advertiser for Audi and Quattro when she says of her car, "I get performance and great winter driving in one vehicle."

Mary Ann McCauley, a club member since 1996 and its current treasurer, got into Audis because she needed four-wheel drive for her steep driveway but didn't want a truck or SUV. Not happy at first with how her Audi performed, she was told to learn how to drive it. She did at one of the club's driving schools and has been an Audi enthusiast and club member ever since.

With a diverse membership that's "not high-strung or into performance," according to Zachary, the club has put on more social events in recent years, including fall tours and picnics where members vote for their favorite Audis. The group has also partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and donated 130 new bicycles to Toys for Tots last year with the help of a corporation.

The club's interest in safety also extends to teen drivers, who participate in several driving clinics the club sponsors at Dakota County Technical College's driving course each summer and fall. Though some kids attend the one-day "driving boot camps" reluctantly, Weernink says, she notes that they "can't wipe the smiles off their faces" once they get on the course.

For more information on the club, call 952-401-1983 or visit www.glacierlakesqclub.org.