Journeymen Kreuzerfest 2006 - Every year we organize a cruise to Waterfest and throw in a track drive at the end of it.
Albert Uhler and his Papaya orange '97 GTI VR6 turned heads all the way to Englishtown
It's more than the destination; it's about the drive. And every year in time-honored tradition, hundreds pay homage to the drive to Waterfest in what's known as Kreuzerfest, presented by Volkswagen. After all, if you're going to make the journey, you may as well enjoy it with some like-minded enthusiasts, right?
Coined from "cruising" to the "fest", this year's Kreuzerfest was bigger than ever as the event attracted many sponsors and drivers alike. Indeed, Volkswagen supported Kreuzerfest and brought several cars along, including its Mk5 Rabbit Harlequin from the TV ads and several older aircooled models, while NOS Energy Drinks provided drivers with some free throttle in a bottle. Co-sponsors GReddy and Quaker State Lubricants also put in an appearance along the way, adding to the fun.
Split into two groups bound for Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, the North Leg, headed by Greg, rendezvoused at Windsor Locks, CT; while the South Leg, lead by Sam, departed from Fredericksburg, VA.
After peeling yards of protective masking tape from their cars, both legs met at Englishtown Raceway for a few hot laps of the road course. After that it was a few hours of well-earned sleep before the Big Show itself kicked off on Saturday.
If you missed out this year, check out eurotuner.com. The Kreuzerfest is free to enter, you meet fellow Dubheads and get to drive on the road course. So we'll see you next year?
Bringing up the South- Sam
We gather some of our loyal readers for a caravan north to WaterfestThe South Leg of Kreuzerfest started at a local 7-Eleven mini-mart, which evidently doubles as local car club hangout in desolate Fredericksburg, VA, 50 miles south of Washington DC. We were worried about convenience and proximity when we arrived so we checked into a motel across the street the night before. Unfortunately, it was one of the dirtiest, shadiest establishments we've ever stepped foot in. If you're in the area, watch out for the brown stains and bugs!
Despite our hardships - we weren't there to taste luxury or relax - we were there for Kreuzerfest and pure Dub enthusiasm. So after struggling to catch some sleep and adjust to Eastern Time, Greg Yamamoto and I arrived at the 7-Eleven early Friday morning in our borrowed Mk5 GTI. We were surprised to find nobody. "Are we in the right place?" we asked ourselves. "We're in the middle of nowhere, so it wouldn't surprise me," I concluded. Thankfully, moments later VWs began pulling into the parking lot. We were greeted with warmth by the enthusiastic drivers. A total of 15 cars congregated from different regions of Virginia, Maryland, and even as far south as Tennessee and Florida. Volkswagen representatives also made an appearance and joined the cruise in their Rabbit Harlequin and two Passat R GTs (et 7/06).
The drive was beautiful. Being used to the dead wildlife and bland buildings surrounding Californian freeways, the greenery of the Kreuzerfest drive was a pleasure to behold.
The morning started cloudy and grey but as we drove north, the sun broke free from the clouds near noon. We stopped in northern Philadelphia for lunch. A local restaurant, Plaza Beverage, was kind enough to block off the street for Kreuzerfest parking. They'd set up a small barbecue to stave our hunger, and allowed NOS Energy Drinks to throw up a booth with live DJ music, free drinks and promotional giveaways. NOS even brought two models who attracted city-wide attention.
After an hour of eating, socializing and listening to the DJ, the group headed out to Englishtown, NJ. We picked up a few more drivers at lunch and our group expanded to 25 cars. Unfortunately, leaving Philadelphia was tricky to navigate and several participants separated and had to resort to personal GPS systems. Luckily, everybody made it to Raceway Park safely where we joined Greg and the North Leg.
Down from up North- Greg
Bringing the faithful South to WaterfestAsking a boy to do a man's job is always a mistake and the South Leg's 25 car caravan was easily swamped by the North Leg, which began at 9am with over 40 cars and grew throughout the day. And while our Events Manager, Elliott Moran, and myself would like to claim all the credit for the great turn-out, we actually have to thank wasserwerks.com.
Based in Manchester, CT and founded in '99, the club caters to VW/Audi enthusiasts in Southern New England. Its members attend the majority of shows in the area and take part in local cruises, autocross and a racing league. They also hold regular meetings at Kart Trak, a venue in Windsor Locks, CT.
On the recommendation of WasserWerks, we met at Kart Trak but quickly filled its parking lot. WasserWerks was already set up when we arrived, handing out membership details. Elliott and I then setup shop, selling our unique Kreuzerfest t-shirt and tour bag combos. The NOS Energy Drinks gang, who were sampling drinks and giving away merchandise to cars carrying their stickers, also joined in.
Several VW personnel were making their way to Waterfest as well, so they joined us, bringing with them aircooled show cars from VWoA's own collection. Sadly their cruising speed was dismal but they caught up at the lunch stop. It was a privilege to have these older cars with us and we'd like to thank VWoA for its support of the event, which is definitely appreciated by the enthusiasts.
We were able to leave the start point at a more civilized time than the South Leg because our entire journey is considerably shorter. So we made a leisurely stop for lunch where we experienced some of the worst-tasting burgers since I last flew with Continental.
After a desperately needed restroom break, we made it to Englishtown within a few minutes of the South Leg and headed for the track.
Track TimeOne of the biggest perks of Kreuzerfest is that all participants who sign up are able to lap the road course at Englishtown. This is a controlled, medium-paced procession led by our pace car.
Yeah, right! It quickly descends into a tire squealing, out-braking free-for-all where the Kreuzers get to burn off some of the freeway frustrations. Obviously, we don't allow overtaking and can't encourage this sort of hooliganism but it all passed off safely and everybody seemed to enjoy the experience - except Yamz who was driving the pace car and constantly had his rearview full of out-brakers. Still, it gets him out of the office for a day so he's happy!
To take part in Kreuzerfest 2007, log on to eurotuner.com next year or email us at eurotuner@primedia.com and we'll give you the starting points, lunch stops and other relevant details.
Albert's cousin, Ryan Uhler, riding alongside in his Aviator grey '95 Golf VR6 (full feature on both cars soon) | 
Our GTI parked by the highway with Cameron and Whitney Casteel's '87 Golf from Greenville, TN | 
Christopher Rosario drove his '03 GTI 1.8T from Fort Pierce, FL. It had R32 bumper, 19" Axis and ABD FMIC |
Subtle but sweet '97 GTI VR6 owned by Chris Rambo with Jetta front-end, shaved side markers, FK Cup kit, Carbonio intake, Techtonics exhaust and chip | 
The real old school, from VWoA | 
Kasper Sikorski and his '98 Jetta VR6 with BBS, Weitec suspension, cat-back exhaust, GIAC chip and Autotech intake |
Jennifer Prentice in her '05 Jetta with color-matched 18" RVM330 wheels, Votex body kit and KW V2 coilovers | 
Eric Gussin's '01 S4 from Potomac, MD sported 19" SSR GT3 wheels, Duh Engineering FMIC, APR exhaust and chip and Stasis coilovers | 
Mike Love's 2.0 supercharged Jetta wore Porsche 928 wheels. He bought it as a beater and is slowly building it up |
Tony Workman's GTI he drove from Pennsylvania at 6am to meet with Kreuzerfest | 
That should protect from rock chips | 
Tony Lehman and his '04 Jetta GLS with XP+ chip, CAI, DV, Borla exhaust, projectors and Caractere grille |