Squeals of protest rose from the tires as she drifted through turn one at Sonoma Raceway, dancing at the outer limits of traction. The 500 HP engine screamed as she powered down the straightaway, pushed firmly against the seat by more force than she’d ever experienced. But she wasn’t worried. Her face betrayed no apprehension as she willed the beast to slow down for the next turn. Instead, she seemed gripped by a heady mixture of concentration and delight with keen focus in her eyes and an ear-to-ear grin on her lips. What could cause this mild mannered corporate executive to carve up the racetrack like a seasoned racer? The mighty Audi R8!
OK, truth be told our pace was a mere trot for the R8, but to us — and to everyone else on track in their own S-Series Audi — we were racetrack superstars.
The Audi Driving Experience
Audi makes high performance cars, and they want their customers — and potential customers — to experience their products as they were intended to be driven. Their solution is to offer the “Audi Driving Experience.” Actually, they offer several programs ranging in length from a half-day, to two full days, so you can pick the one that best suits your needs — and wallet.
While Audi’s cars are brilliant, their command of the web is less impressive. It almost seems like they don’t want people to find out about it. Searching for “audi driving experience” leads to a page that no longer exists, so you’re greeted with a very pretty “page not found” error. Fortunately their page for the Audi Sportscar Experience is still up, so you can read up on it to see if you’re interested.
I was invited to join my friend — the corporate executive-cum-race car driver I talked about at the beginning of this post — for an Audi experience that would have us driving a range of S-series Audi’s in a variety of situations. On the menu that day? The S4, RS5, S6, S7, S8 , TTS, and the king of the S-heap — an R8.
Our Experience
Our day started by signing in at the reception area where we were served snacks and (non-alcoholic) drinks while we waited for our group’s turn. Then it was off to a brief introductory classroom session where we learned about the company’s history and racing tradition.
We also got an overview of what was on the agenda for the day. The driving is broken up into three segments, each designed to let you experience a different facet of the Audi performance lineup.
A Leisurely Start
First, we took to the public roads, driving each model in turn over a range of normal driving conditions. There was some stop-and-go traffic, some rough roads that showed off the suspension, and a fun twisty part.
Autocross Time
Once back at Sonoma Raceway, we were taken to the autocross track. Basically a section of the parking lot with a course laid out in traffic cones. Everybody got one timed run in each of the cars provided — in this case there was an S4 and an RS5. Then, to make things interesting, we each got one final lap in a TTS. The person with the quickest time on their TTS lap wins an extra lap on the big track in the passenger seat of an R8 as one of Audi’s professional drivers puts it through its paces — at speed! Since the TTS is turbo-charged, while the cars we got to practice on were supercharged, our one and only TTS lap was a surprise and a disappointment to most of us. Those twin turbochargers seem to take forever to spool up off the starting line when the clock is running and there’s a prize at stake. Still, once it finally got underway that little TTS was a delight to throw into those tight autocross corners.
The Big Track
Finally it was time for the main attraction. It was our group’s turn on the big track at Sonoma Raceway. We each got one lap in each of the cars. It would be nice if we got more than one lap, because by the time you felt you were getting the hang of that particular model you were driving, it was time to get out and start over again with a different one. Bummer.
Before you get too excited, let me tell you that these are not open track sessions. You have to ride each lap in single file behind a lead car driven by an instructor. Yeah, I know. It would be nice to just have at it, but that just wouldn’t be practical. Most of the people in our group had never been on a track before, and some where clearly out of their element. By enforcing their follow-the-leader policy in place, Audi avoids having their expensive toys wadded up all across the track.
Each of the cars in our experience was an “S” model, meaning it had the upgraded suspension and other goodies that improve performance over the base “A” models. So it wasn’t surprising when each and every one of them was a joy to pilot around the track.
I loved the way the TTS handled, and thought the RS5 had the best balance between power and handling. But the real standout was, not surprisingly, the R8. When it was my turn at the wheel of Audi’s flagship sports car, I realized the R8 is not in the same league as the others. We weren’t going any faster — I managed to restrain myself and stick to the follow-the-leader rule — but the car made running that pace seem easy. At one point, I even took one hand off the wheel, and drummed my fingers on the dash to show how easy it was to steer, brake, and corner the thing at a pretty respectable clip. Phenomenal. Wish I could afford one.
The Takeaway
All of the cars we drove impressed us. Even the bigger ones, like the S7, acquitted themselves admirably on and off the racetrack. And that’s the point Audi is trying to make with these driving experiences. They want you to come away knowing that new Audi you’ve been eyeing at your local dealership will do a great job no matter what you throw at it. Whether you’re commuting to work, picking up the kids from school, getting groceries, or carving up the canyon roads on the weekend, your Audi is up for it. Based on all the grinning faces we saw at the end of the day, I’d say Audi got their message across.
So, Was it Worthwhile?
