To say I’ve been looking forward today would be a pretty massive understatement. I honestly never thought I’d get a chance to drive an R8, let alone out on the track.
When I was told I’d get to do a driving experience, I just about lost consciousness. Then I lost sleep. Last night was no exception.
We were up early again to be at the track around 8am. They had some breakfast food for us there — croissants, English muffins, toast, yogurt, fruit, etc. which was just enough to give us energy to last until lunch.
After a classroom session they took us out to the parking lot and we picked our cars. We got a white one with silver sideblade, equipped with the R-tronic transmission — recommended by the instructors as being better on the track.
Then we did the same exercises I did in the RS4 yesterday: slalom and a tight curve. I enjoyed taking out cones in the slalom… the car just turns in and bites so much better than the RS4 — or any car I’ve driven — that it took some getting used to.
Following another short classroom session, we had the on-track introduction, which was a pretty low-key lead-follow. Progressively, the speeds increased but we knew we weren’t anywhere near the limit. Then we broke for food.
Lunch was fajitas; a green salad; pasta with chicken, corn, and beans; more fruit; and a large assortment of sweets for dessert.
Once we were full — but not too full — we went back to the classroom for a quick Q&A before heading out on the track again. In the final three sessions, we pushed the cars harder and harder. I don’t feel like I was at my limit or the car’s limit, but there was no denying we were flying. ESP was on permanently and could not be disabled, so there were a few spots where it started to kick in, mainly on off-camber corners or elevation changes where there was a fair amount of throttle and steering input together. That said, it was pretty unobtrusive, allowing the car to drift a bit and providing perfect feedback to throttle steer through the larger bends.
Once our day was done, those of us who wanted were taken for a “hot lap” in the R8 by the instructors. I rode with Ken again, but by that time the tires were cooked and the car was sliding a bit. Regardless, he was a good 10-15% faster than we were when going with the group.
I couldn’t have asked for more with this trip… well, that’s a lie. I really couldn’t get enough of the R8. I had never driven anything like it… something so poised and so communicative. There is a 2-day R8 program that allows the drivers to push the cars even harder, but that’s nearly $4k and not something I can justify at my current income level. Some track days in the RS4 will have to suffice 
There was a professional photographer there again today — not for me — but I’m not sure if we’re going to get the pictures he took or not. We will, however, get some live in- and on-car video from Audi in a couple weeks in DVD form. Once I have that ripped and posted — together with the fair amount of video I shot today — I’ll post it up… so check back often!
Tomorrow we’ve got some spa time in the morning and will probably take the Q7 out to some wineries in the afternoon before our late-evening flight back to San Diego. I should pick up the car Thursday, so more pics to come!
