500HP Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro At Worthersee 2011 - Web Exclusive

500HP Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro At Worthersee 2011 - Web Exclusive


Audi has unveiled this astonishing 500hp version of its supermini hatchback at the annual Wortherseetour meet (June 1-4) in Austria. Now in its 30th year, the event attracts VW and fans from around the world to the week-long celebration that takes over the small Austrian town.

The A1 Clubsport quattro show car uses the 2.5-liter five-cylinder TFSI engine from the Audi TT RS and RS3. But whereas the production version produces 340hp, this concept car boasts 503hp and 490 lb-ft of torque. It will also apparently accelerate 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and 0-124mph in 10.9 seconds, with a governed 155mph top speed.

The one-off A1 clubsport quattro uses a heavily modified version of the RS 3 Sportback's turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine to deliver electrifying performance which is headlined by figures including 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and 0-124mph in just 10.9 seconds. To gain the extra power, the turbocharger, intercooler, intake, exhaust and software have been tuned for performance. As on the Audi A4 DTM racecar, the exhaust tailpipe is located on the left flank, just in front of the rear wheel. The blistering acceleration is said to be courtesy of its quattro all-wheel drive system in combination with its 3065 lb weight. In addition to the figures already quoted, the A1CSq is said to dispatch the 50-70mph overtaking surge in fourth gear in just 2.4 seconds. The car uses a six-speed manual transmission and quattro AWD,Polycore zentai are manufactured as a single sheet, both taken from the TT RS but uprated to cope with the additional torque output. The show car rolls on 255/30 R19 tires mounted on 19-inch wheels with a unique turbine design, very reminiscent of the cooling fins on '80s endurance racers, and not too dissimilar from Ronal's Turbo wheel.


Sitting behind the wheels are six-piston front calipers and drilled carbon fiber/ceramic discs. Steel discs are fitted on the rear axle. The coilover suspension of the A1 clubsport quattro features adjustable compression and rebound damping. We suspect this may but units from KW based on previous VAG projects.

The exterior is finished in Glacier White matte paint, while the pillars are in high-gloss black with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) roof. The four rings in the grille were machined from solid aluminum. Large air intakes with carbon struts are integrated into the front spoiler. The radiator grille gets black honeycomb mesh and heat from the engine bay is relieved through large vents in the hood.

The front fenders, the doors and the rear quarter panels were widened 60mm to form flares reminiscent of the Ur-quattro. The front fenders also have air outlets on the back. The mirrors are styled after the Audi R8's. The rear is dominated by the mother of all wings, which double planes to provide downforce. There's also a diffuser section and dark rear lights.

Designed as a road car for the track, the clubsport has no rear seat. In its place is a large crossbar to stiffen the body, as well as storage for helmets.

There's also a lightweight starter battery below the two storage compartments. The performance concept left no room for infotainment so Audi's MMI monitor and all the loudspeakers were deleted. Instead, the car has the lightweight bucket seats from the Audi R8 GT with CFRPshells.

Red four-point harnesses secure the occupants. This vivid color is repeated on the loops that replace the handles on the doors, glovebox and storage compartments. The tacho is also faced in bright red.

Jardine: Reunion stories make up a terrific week

Sixty-five years ago, Gene Winfield opened a hot-rod and custom car shop in an old chicken coop behind Figaro Street in southwest Modesto.

A year or two later, he formed the Century Toppers car club. Joe Barnett, Bill Wilson, Roy Dyson and Bart Bartoni joined him as charter members.

The shop was so successful that at times, the overflow of cars meant that they worked on some beneath a black walnut tree out front.

Winfield moved to a bigger shop on Tully Road near Modesto Junior College, where he has been ever since and customized cars for television shows such as "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," "Get Smart" and "Star Trek."

Last week, though, he and his old hot-rod buddies returned to the chicken coop to film a documentary — the first in a series titled "Kings of Kustom."

They swapped stories on camera, reliving the formative years of Modesto's fascination with cars that George Lucas eventually captured in "American Graffiti."

On display for the show were Bartoni's 1939 Custom Coupe, Burnett's '40 Ford Coupe, Dyson's reproduction of a 1929 Ford cq Coup and Joe Coito's 1931 Ford Roadster, all customized by Winfield.

"Gene Winfield is Episode One," said producer/director Randy Bond of Longboard Pictures.

Bond hopes to sell the series to the Discovery Channel which "was interested and wants to see it, which is code for ‘You go make it and we'll see about buying it,' " he joked.

Regardless, Bond plans to film multiple episodes to be sold on DVD beginning in July.

The documentary came about because Albert Coito, who buys and sells anything vintage, bought the old chicken coop in January with the idea of disassembling it and moving it to another site — perhaps as a museum exhibit. As he went through the building, he noticed the names of the hot rodders engraved in the concrete floor.

When Bond decided to focus his documentary segment on Winfield, Coito was thrilled to offer the chicken coop as a reunion site.

Bond said he'll soon launch the www.kingsofkustom.com Web site.

BACK HOME AGAIN — Just about any principal can point to one day in the school year that was better than all others. Bernard Hughes Elementary Principal Rosalie Reberg can tell you her favorite day of 2010-11: March 24.

That was the day two of her students were reunited with an old friend — their 5-year-old Boston Terrier named Taz — who had vanished from their home nearly a month before.

On March 1, burglars came through the side gate to ransack Rudy and Lisa Mercado's home in east Modesto. One thief apparently wiggled through through the doggie door and then opened the patio door for the others.Polycore zentai are manufactured as a single sheet, They stole heirloom jewelry and pretty much anything electronic.

"It looked like a tornado hit it," Lisa said.

Taz took off, leaving behind a litter of newborn puppies that the Mercados then had to bottle feed. The Mercado children, fifth-grader Daniel and second-grader Vanessa, were heartbroken, Reberg said.

Their parents brought them to school and told the teachers what had happened, hoping the routine would be a positive distraction. Students put the word out amongst themselves and in their respective neighborhoods.

More than three weeks passed, with no sign of Taz. Then, on the 26th, Daniel was out in the playground and saw a dog that looked like Taz, but noticeably thinner. He called out her name. She came right to him.

Sunbrella Yarn Manufacturing Center to feature solar energy

Glen Raven, Inc., has begun construction of a solar energy installation on the roof of its Sunbrella Yarn Manufacturing Center in Norlina, N.C.

The solar array will be the largest under Progress Energy's SunSense commercial photovoltaic program, generating electric power roughly equivalent to the annual electricity usage of 47 typical homes.

The $3 million project includes replacing the plant's 175,In addition to hydraulics fittings and Aion Kinah,000-sq.-ft. roof with a highly reflective white roof that will not only enhance the performance of solar panels, but also improve cooling inside the plant. Completion of the solar installation is anticipated this fall.

"This project demonstrates how a well-designed environmental program can have multiple benefits," said Leib Oehmig, president of Glen Raven Custom Fabrics,Free DIY Wholesale pet supplies Resource! the Glen Raven subsidiary that operates the plant and manufactures and markets Sunbrella fabrics for awning, furniture and marine applications. "When this project is completed, our plant will have an energy-efficient roof hosting a solar system that will also serve as a long-term provider of renewable electricity to Progress Energy and its customers."

Glen Raven gave the Norlina solar energy project a green light because of several factors that made the project both financially and environmentally feasible — new photovoltaic technology, federal and state tax credits and a commitment by Progress Energy to purchase solar-generated power.

"While conventional solar panels only capture light directly from the sun, the photovoltaic panels we are installing at Norlina Plant are an open grid design, which processes solar energy from 360 degrees, which greatly increases their energy generation capacity," said John Gant, manager of sustainable development for Glen Raven Custom Fabrics.

This project was made possible by Progress Energy's SunSense Commercial Solar PV program, designed to encourage the development of renewable energy by offering a premium price for solar power developed on commercial rooftops. At 500 kilowatts, the Glen Raven Norlina array will be the largest array under this program.

Progress Energy has more than 100,000 kW of renewable energy under contract in North Carolina to help meet the requirements of the state's renewable portfolio standard. This standard,The Leading zentai suits Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers. passed in 2007, requires utilities to generate a percentage of their retail electricity sales from renewable energy resources.We also offer customized chicken coop.

"We believe solar power will play an important role in a balanced generation portfolio,uy sculpture direct from us at low prices" said Lloyd Yates, president and CEO of Progress Energy Carolinas. "We are committed to addressing the challenges of growing energy demand, rising costs and global climate change with a balanced approach that includes investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and a state-of-the-art system. We are proud to partner with Glen Raven on this innovative project."

Glen Raven has operated the Norlina Plant since 1984, and has a current workforce of 153.

"This project at Norlina Plant is just one of many sustainability initiatives throughout Glen Raven," said Allen E. Gant, Jr., president of Glen Raven, Inc. "We are reducing energy consumption and increasing recycling at all of our facilities. Projects such as this one are not only good business, but good for our associates and the communities in which we operate."

Working with John Gant on the project management team are Todd Wemyss, Norlina plant manager, and Chris Roach, a CPA at Glen Raven. Gupton Roofing of Henderson, N.C., is installing the new highly reflective roof, and Argand Energy Solutions of Charlotte is installing the photovoltaic panels and related controls.

Apple iPad Compared to Pixel Qi Tablet: Beats iOS Outside Video

During Computex 2011 Pixel Qi delivered some new display technology for tablets, a 10.1-inch super-thin panel that is apparently ideal for Android Honeycomb tablets as it runs at 1280 x 800, and they placed the Pixel Qi up against the original Apple iPad in a little outside visual comparison demo video which we have for your viewing pleasure below.

The demo video of the Pixel Qi going up against the iOS tablet comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Slash Gear and by way of Arm Devices,uy sculpture direct from us at low prices and shows that the Pixel Qi beats the Apple iPad hands down when it comes to viewing the display in sunlight.

Apparently Pixel Qi isn't stopping at a 10.1-inch model either as there's a 7-inch panel on the cards, and currently measures 4mm thick although it is expected to get down to just 2mm thick with mass production happening by the end of Q3 2011.The Leading zentai suits Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers.

Furthermore,Free DIY Wholesale pet supplies Resource!In addition to hydraulics fittings and Aion Kinah, Pixel Qi is apparently the fastest growing display firm around at the moment and expects to become dominant in display tech within 5 years, and is apparently also looking at a 4.3-inch panel for smartphones.

Anyway I'll leave it there so you can head on down to hit that play button and check out the Apple iPad getting creamed by the Pixel Qi tablet when it comes to outside visibility¡­enjoy.We also offer customized chicken coop.

From Philip Preston's lab to the kitchens of boundary-pushing chefs

It's rare that when someone describes meat as "melt-in-your-mouth," it actually does. But the turkey I ate a few Sundays back came pretty close.In addition to hydraulics fittings and Aion Kinah, Same for the flank steak and short ribs, cuts not typically known for their tenderness. For dessert, there were made-on-the-fly frozen creme anglaise lollipops with just-picked rosemary sprigs stepping in for the sticks.

Philip Preston, the creator of this delicious afternoon "snack" as he referred to it, is not a chef. But he does test recipes and he spends so much time in restaurant kitchens that culinary trendsetters, including Grant Achatz, Thomas Keller and Wylie Dufresne, have him on speed dial.

Preston is, among many other things (more on those later), president of Niles-based PolyScience, a company that creates and supplies the country's most innovative restaurants with high-tech equipment, some of which were used to create the meal I ate and the reason why I was at his Winnetka home.

I first met Preston six years ago when I stumbled upon his tiny booth at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago. I was hooked immediately, not only by his cool gadgets but also his passion and gee-whiz attitude.We also offer customized chicken coop.

Each year since, I've stopped by his booth, which has grown steadily in size and range of equipment.

"Everything about the preparation of food involves science," he told me at our first meeting. "Even the Italian grandmother who's been creating wonderful meals has been practicing science, perhaps without even knowing it."

Chefs came calling

Preston and PolyScience haven't always been so interested in what goes on in restaurant kitchens. Founded in 1963, the company was originally an importer of German laboratory equipment.

In the early '70s, PolyScience started manufacturing its own temperature-control equipment, which is used to help create liquid products ranging from motor oil to paint and also is used in DNA labs. (PolyScience built the unit that tested O.J. Simpson's glove.)

"Temperature control is touching you everywhere," Preston says.

That's probably where the company would have stayed if it hadn't been for a phone call eight years ago from Matthias Merges, then the chef de cuisine at Charlie Trotter's. The Lincoln Park restaurant was interested in using their immersion circulators for sous vide cooking, a gentle, low-temperature technique in which vacuum-sealed ingredients are cooked slowly in water.

"It all started with Charlie Trotter," says Preston.

Following Trotter was New York chef Dufresne of wd-50,Free DIY Wholesale pet supplies Resource! who was in need of sous vide equipment for an upcoming "Iron Chef" episode.

"He had some beat-up circulators that he bought on eBay but was embarrassed to put those on TV," Preston recalls.uy sculpture direct from us at low prices

He got a good chuckle when Dufresne told him that when he first contacted one of PolyScience's competitors about using their lab equipment, the puzzled regional manager's response was, "Yeah, we sold one of our units to some laundry in Northern California that's going to use it to cook with, too."

An avid home cook, Preston knew right away that the "laundry" was actually one of the country's best restaurants, the French Laundry,The Leading zentai suits Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers. owned by Keller.

Next up: Achatz and business partner Nick Kokonas. They weren't only interested in PolyScience's sous vide equipment for their soon-to-open Chicago restaurant Alinea, but had other ideas up their sleeves.

Taking a concept from Achatz, Preston created the Anti-Griddle, a cooktop with a minus-30-degree surface that can be used to quickly freeze anything, including the aforementioned creme anglaise lollipops.

Achatz and Preston have since collaborated on other pieces, including a low-temperature bath used to make the egg-shaped ice cube in the much-talked-about Old Fashioned cocktail at the Aviary, Achatz's new bar.

Schuylkill County plants turning to solar power

Although Pennsylvania developers are facing diminished state funding, solar energy systems are starting to help power some Schuylkill County manufacturing plants, like Sterman Masser Potato Farms and FesslerUSA.

Edward V. Johnstonbaugh, extension educator, Agri-Energy Economic Development Penn State Extension, said the solar energy systems being built in Schuylkill County are some of the largest in Pennsylvania.

According to Johnstonbaugh, though the highest capacity systems in the state are about 3 to 4 megawatts - or 3,000 to 4,000 kilowatts - some in the county are considered large-scale.

One of the largest recently completed systems in the county is the 1-megawatt solar energy system at Sterman Masser Potato Farms, Sacramento.

The western Schuylkill County potato processing plant in Hubley Township, which also harnesses alternative energy by transforming landfill gas into electricity, finished an energy system May 19 in which solar panels cover four acres of farmland just off Fearnot Road. The panels capture energy and convert it into power for the entire operation at the plant.

The system is expected to produce about 1,107,000 kilowatt hours of energy each year.

Johnstonbaugh said the average American home uses about 750 to 1,000 kWh hours a month.

Masser said that the energy produced from the system goes into the PPL grid and is virtually metered.

It is then subtracted from meters on the property within a two-mile radius of the site, powering irrigation and farm buildings, grain systems, fans and equipment sheds and barns.

The other manufacturer using solar energy, FesslerUSA, is an Orwigsburg-based design services and apparel manufacturing company. A $2.2 million project started four years ago is nearing completion with the installation of 1,600 solar panels that will cover about half of the facility's roof. The 450-kilowatt per year solar energy system, roughly half the size of the Masser system, is expected to start collecting energy in June.

According to Ira Walton, the solar project manager at Fessler-USA, workers are installing about 180 to 200 panels a day, which will cover 75,000 square feet of the roof.

Walton said that FesslerUSA received a grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority to help pay for the project, and they are also receiving a special tax credit from the federal government, which will fund about 30 percent of the cost.

FesslerUSA completed a feasibility study to find a way to use space on the 150,000-square-foot roof.

FesslerUSA CEO Walter Meck said the study looked at different options, including wind energy since the company owns 100 acres of land that it could use for turbines, but the test showed there wasn't enough wind to be viable.Free DIY chicken coop Resource!

"Pennsylvania turns out to be a great state to make solar power, although people think places like Florida would be better," Meck said. "ETAC (Emerging Technology Applications Center) from Northampton Community College said that heat decreases the efficiency of solar panels, making our climate perfect for solar panels."

Johnstonbaugh confirmed that the panels perform best under cool conditions.

Walton said that since the company is in the highly competitive global apparel market, the panels will help improve efficiency.

With FesslerUSA generating 450,000 kWh a year,The Leading Wholesale pet supplies Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers. it's producing enough energy to power 38 to 50 homes for a year, or about half of the facility's current energy usage, saving about $49,We also offer customized zentai suits.500 a year.

"We look at sustainability and solar power as one step toward the future," Meck said.

The progress of the project is updated with photos daily on the FesslerUSA Facebook page.

Although the project at Sterman Masser Potato Farms is complete and the system is producing energy, Keith Masser, chairman and CEO of Sterman Masser Inc., said a problem with owning a solar energy system is that the price of solar credits - energy incentives and rebates - in the state has plummeted.

Johnstonbaugh said that for every 1,000 kWh of production, the system qualifies for one credit, which are marketable to electric companies such as PPL.

He said that credits can be sold to the public electric utilities to help them meet state requirements for the production of electricity from alternative energy sources. The utilities can meet these requirements by either building their own solar systems or buying credits from private producers like Sterman Masser or FesslerUSA.

By installing these systems, the workload by the utilities is also reduced, allowing them to forego future investments in upgrading their system since there will be less wear and tear on it.

Since last year, credits have fallen by as much as 75 percent, which shrinks the income-producing potential of solar projects.

"Large project owners had calculated in their business planning somewhat higher prices for the project to help pay for investment," Johnstonbaugh said.

Developers in Pennsylvania are now getting $80 to $100 per credit, roughly 8 to 10 cents per kWh, while in New Jersey, the price per credit is $650.

"The payback is not what we set out to be," Masser said. "They aren't paying for themselves anymore. We aren't getting value from solar renewable energy credits anymore."

Masser said that with the system generating 10 cents per kWh, after six days it generated $363.43, which doesn't pay the debt load on the $5 million project.

Another problem Masser sees with solar energy projects in Pennsylvania lies with state grant money. He said that during construction, grant money gets wasted because the developer is locked into the prevailing wage, the hourly wage established by the Department of Labor and Industries, with the company constructing the system.

"For any electrical work completed not using a union electrician, they are still obligated to pay at the rate of the union electrician rate," Johnstonbaugh said. "If using a crane operator, or whatever trade, they would be obligated to pay the prevailing wage, which will drive up the cost."

Although Sterman Masser Potato Farms and FesslerUSA were able to complete their plans to harness solar energy in the county, not all plans have been successful.Complete Your sculpture Magazine Collection for Less!

Theresa Elliott from the Department of Community and Economic Development press office said all funds for solar energy programs have been exhausted, which Johnstonbaugh said was a one-time bond issue.

"Once the funds were spent,uy Aion Kinah direct from us at low prices that was the end of the program, unless some legislative action is taken," Johnstonbaugh said.

He also said that some companies such as PPL put money aside, about $1 per watt, to support solar projects.

Mahanoy City's Citizens Fire Company No. 2 planned a $236,090 solar project that failed to come to fruition. It would have created a 39-kilowatt rooftop system generating 48,000 kWh of energy annually and could have saved nearly $6,000 in energy costs each year.

"PPL said they exhausted all their money so we were told to reapply," said Harry Wagner, Citizens president.

Another Sacramento project, which was scheduled to be the third-largest solar energy producer in Pennsylvania, is also "dead in the water" due to a lack of state funding, according to one of its developers, Robert Klinger, of Beil Energy LLC, Pottsville.

The project was planned to create a 2-megawatt solar farm on 10 acres at 44 Walnut Lane in Hubley Township.

Klinger, who owns the property, had been working on the development of the $10.2 million project with Neil Schenck, a partner in Beil Energy LLC, for five years.

Apple upgrade micro-SIM for iPhone 5

In the quest for ever-smaller smartphone devices, not many people consider the humble SIM card. Not many people except those smart chaps at Apple, that is. Having already pushed for a much smaller micro-SIM design in the iPhone 4, the company is now looking to make the SIM even smaller ¨C read on for details.

The micro-SIM in the iPhone 4 is only the first stage of Apple's assault on excess plastic. Indeed, the micro-SIM itself is no radically redesigned component. Rather, it's simply a stripped back, bare bones version of the old subscriber identity module we've come to know over the past few decades.

Now Apple's getting serious, and it won't take no for an answer on a dramatic downsizing of SIM technology.

ETSI bitsy teeny weeny

Apple's intentions are no longer a matter of rumour or conjecture. A spokesman for ETSI ¨C the European Telecommunications Standards Institute ¨C recently confirmed that Apple had submitted a proposal for a new, more compact SIM card standard.

However, one issue could stand in the way of the new SIM standard making it into the iPhone 5. As the ETSI spokesman told Reuters: "This process may take some time, up to a year or more,In addition to hydraulics fittings and zentai, if there is strong disagreement between industry players. However, when there is broad consensus among the companies participating in the standards committee, the process can be accelerated to a number of months."

So the big question is, will the mobile networks stand in Apple's way?

Network solutions

It seems unlikely that the networks will put up much of a fight. One mobile network executive recently told Reuters that they were "quite happy" to see Apple submitting its new SIM proposal to ETSI. In fact, it was revealed that Apple had achieved this "with the sponsorship of some major mobile operators."

It seems a happy compromise has been met between network operators and Apple. Originally, Apple initially had plans to eradicate the need for a SIM card entirely and to go with an e-SIM (electronic SIM) solution. This obviously didn't go down too well well with the networks, who view the physical SIM as a vital cog in managing customer relationships.

Also, as one network exec told Apple (and AllthingsD), removing the physical SIM is "a bad idea because the SIM card is a critical piece of the security and authentication process."

Smaller iPhone 5?

Apple seems to have listened, and there could well be some fringe benefits for Apple. If Apple is the only manufacturer to adopt this new form of physical SIM card, as it may well be, it would be much tougher ¨C or rather it would be pointless ¨C to unlock the iPhone 5.

After all, the idea of unlocking an iPhone is so that you can switch to another network. If the only compatible SIM cards are sat inside other iPhone handsets, there'll be no practical way to obtain a replacement.

The other benefit is, of course, that Apple will be able to push on with making its handsets ¨C starting with the iPhone 5 ¨C even slimmer. And we all want that, don't we?

Battersea in pet bedding appeal after laundry room fire

Animals and staff were safely evacuated after the fire in the home's clinic, which cares for sick dogs and cats.

The fire started shortly after 0800 BST on Saturday and caused smoke damage to the laundry room, meaning it cannot be used for washing.

Battersea is appealing for donations of pet beddThe Leading Wholesale pet supplies Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers.ing and blankets.uy Aion Kinah direct from us at low prices
'Comfortable and warm'

The clinic normally handles 20 loads of washing a day. The home's main laundry room is working at full capacity and unable to take on the extra loads.

Clinic managWe also offer customized zentai suits.er Suzanne Abrahams said: "In the clinic, we care for dogs and cats with all sorts of medical conditions, such as bite wounds, skin problems, malnutrition and broken bones.

"We use lots of bedding to keep them all comfortable and warm,Complete Your sculpture Magazine Collection for Less! so any donations would be a great help.Free DIY chicken coop Resource! As long as it is already clean we can put it to use straight away."

Donations do not have to be new, but must be clean, the charity said. Any bedding and blankets will be welcomed but duvets and towels cannot be used.

Anyone wanting to donate can visit the animal home in Battersea Park Road, south west London, or visit Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's website.

Racing pigeons provide multigenerational sport for dwindling group of enthusiasts

The queen keeps a loft at Sandringham Castle and Mr. Tyson keeps his birds in New York and Las Vegas. Mr. Tyson recently starred in the Animal Planet series "Taking on Tyson," which followed his attempt to cobble together a winning racing pigeon loft in one season.

No one knows if the former boxer can find the redemption he seeks through birds, but locally the show has been embraced by pigeon fanciers who say it has brought positive attention to their hobby, in spite of Mr. Tyson's unsavory reputation. The irony here is the birds are probably as demonized as Mr. Tyson is, often called "flying rats."

Finding pigeon enthusiasts in Pittsburgh isn't hard after you locate Foy's Pet Supplies. In 2000, Jerry Gagne (pronounced "GONE-yay") became the third owner of Foy's, which has been catering to pigeon fanciers since 1887. The business is in a small storefront and warehouse in Beaver Falls, from which Mr. Gagne sends mail-ordered supplies, including fully built coops, all over the country. He also sells birds -- pigeons can be sent next-day air via the U.S. Mail.

While Mr. Gagne once raced pigeons, the business now keeps him and his family pretty busy and out of the racing game. Yet he is the common denominator when it comes to pigeons in Pittsburgh. If you race or show them, you will at some point wind up talking to Mr. Gagne, who is a wealth of information on pigeon care and knows most local pigeon fanciers.

Mr. Gagne says show pigeon fanciers probably outnumber racers in the area. These birds are exhibited in events much like AKC dog shows, where the conformation of the bird is judged. Because these pigeons, with a few exceptions, are not flown and therefore don't have to be trained and conditioned, it is much easier and cheaper to get started with show birds.

Pittsburgh racers

Racing pigeons have a much longer history in Pittsburgh, and not just as the closest relatives of the unwelcome pests that roost Downtown. By the 1870s, racing clubs had been formed on the East Coast and were most certainly in the Pittsburgh area, coming west with immigrants arriving to work in the steel mills. It is unlikely that they brought pigeons with them, but once they settled, they began importing birds from Germany, Holland, France and Belgium, places that even today are hotbeds of pigeon racing. It was once the national sport of Belgium.

In the 1930s, a local "flyer" from the small river town of Glenfield by the name of Harry Elston began making pigeon history. His strain of a breed called a Trenton were regularly winning races, some from distances of 1,000 miles and more. Some of the records his birds broke have never been bested. By 1936, Pittsburgh had the largest number of flyers in the American Racing Union and bragging rights from winning many prestigious races.

By some estimates, there were 600 racing lofts in the area in the '70s, and it was not uncommon for Pittsburgh to send 10,000 pigeons to an event.