Hey, good to hear from you. Great minds think alike! I was certainly familiar with the Evo "blackbos", but that was a slow fading into a dark black. The GTI brakes just scorched right from the get-go. The Evos brakes were light years ahead of these.....they'll be ok for a while, but you can only do so much with a single piston sliding caliper. Stock pads? You're braver than I sir.
The car barely had 500 miles on it as I pulled up to the track, they pads had lots of meat on them. I brought along a spare set of EBC yellows just in case but I checked the pads frequently and they were still within spec even after 260 miles on track for the 2 days. It's funny but I have learned that the more seat time you have the less brakes you use. On my Evo and currently on my Grand Sport I use Raybestos ST43 pads and I swear by them, unfortunately they are considered custom order from Raybestos and because of this they are pricey so I will give the yellows a shot (FCP Euro FTW). I really do not plan on tracking the GTi a whole lot as it is my commuter but I can tell you that it was really nice on track. It really has good manners and loves to wag it's tail with the right input. I was totally impressed.
I'm with you on the ST43. By far my favorite pad on the Evo. Its very unfortunate you cannot get them for the GTI. Perhaps I'll try to find a BBK down the road that allows for the ST43. But suspension, oil pan, radiator and other misc are next in line.