Northeast RS 6 Treffen 2022

By: Ray Reyes

America had been dreaming, no, demanding Audi Sport bring its performance Avant to our shores. That happened in 2020; the RS 6 finally arrived, beginning with just 25 examples of the Nogaro Blue “RS Tribute Edition”.

With the arrival of the RS 6, the goal of North East RS 6 Treffen (NERS6T) has been to assemble the largest gathering of these Avants anywhere. That goal was a lofty one when the first event occurred in 2021. It was even more the case for 2022.

To understand this RS 6 gathering, you must first understand the creator Ray Reyes. Ray’s goals were simple. Be different, give back to the RS 6 community in ways that other groups haven’t yet done… and bring plenty of beer and food.

The first NERS6T set the tone for what can happen when this group of RS 6 owners get together. It’s a two-day event beginning with a Friday night gathering filled with beer and food catering for the attendees. Next comes a day at the track, including a raffle with many incredible RS 6-specific prizes. The Friday evening gathering is the day most like to attend because the casual atmosphere is conducive to building comradery and meeting lifetime friends.

NERS6T came about in part inspired by other Avant gatherings such as Long Roof Rally and Camp allroad. These groups began a model that could be built upon and tailored to the RS 6 owner base. To start, a cluster of houses were rented near the venue to assure those staying for the weekend would have a basecamp. Since many in this tight-knit group are foodies, they were also invited to contribute to the Friday barbecue. One made brisket, which was amazing, while others contributed barbeque chicken, ribs, and pizza for the kids. After all, we all have families, so we encourage attendees to bring kids and share the experience with them. Early enthusiast education for our kids can be fun for making future Audi enthusiasts.  Then, there’s the day at the track.

For 2022, Pocono Raceway was selected as the venue.  The idea behind the new location was to both move the event closer to many attendees located and inject some competitive motorsport elements suited specifically to the strengths of the RS 6 Avant. NERS6T partnered with RaceMotive’s roll-race drag racing competition events on Pocono’s long front straight. If you haven’t done roll-racing before, it’s effectively a full throttle run beginning at speed. That means easy on the tires and brakes, yet dominantly, effortlessly replicable for the big RS 6 Avant.

By go time, over 50 RS 6 Avants had been registered and you never really know how many more could just show up. Even still, you get an idea and on Friday night and this year was extra special with a meet planned at one member’s own facility. Constantine, also known as Tino to his friends, who owns an RS 6 Tribute and an RS2 (p.63, Q3_2021 Porsche Only Swap Meet), spends part of his time in the Poconos and much of that in a commercial garage he’s converted as an office and space to park his cars. Tino generously opened up his facility to the enjoyment of all. It was a relaxed and memorable night to hang out in such a place, welcoming cars rolling in from all over – Ohio, Ontario, Florida, Virginia, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and more.

At the track the next day, the gathering of Avants took place around a NERS6T tent sponsored by Unitronic, PartsbyTopher, and ABT USA. Around this, no less than 37 RS 6 Avants made for a record-setting collection of privately-owned cars, including six of the 25 Nogaro Blue RS Tribute Edition cars, five Nardo Grey examples, and a huge mix of nearly everything else, including many specially painted Audi exclusive specimens.

A particularly attention-getting example was Ronni Alcaide’s Macrommata Green RS 6 with BCForged wheels. The car was so unique, he was placed at the center of the event. Other notable entries including an ABT RS6-R and ABT RS6-S, making for a rare opportunity to see these two side-by-side. Of course, there were many, many more that were all unique in their own way.

Another signature part of the NERS6T gathering is its substantial raffle. Volunteers Don Adams and Steve Gillmeister were instrumental with the on-site setup. Sponsorship dollars are used most generously to bring together a massive number of items that would be an obvious get for any RS 6 owner. This includes items like an RS 6 Eventuri intake or Eventuri engine cover, CSF Intercoolers, a license plate plaque spelling out “2^nd NERS6 Treffen” custom made by Trina at JustPlateCrazy, a custom embroidered VyperChair, and even a set of HRE wheels. Each is provided or financially supported by event sponsors, any number of whom are also event participants.

Drivers filed in and out of the RS 6 corral all day, most heading out to take part in the roll-racing. A notable win here was owner Mark Kogan who got the fastest trap speed of 144 mph with his APR tuned Avant.

And though this is a gathering of RS 6s, NERS6T has done its best to be inclusive as well. Any number of other Audi owners also showed up, including several incredibly built A4 allroads. Even still, the focus here is to show appreciation for the RS 6 Avant. Spreading the love for any Avant is key to the success of the Audi bringing these long roofs to the USA, so this group definitely wanted this event to scream loud for Audi to “Bring more Avants.”