Mark'sA8L

I had done one DE ( Driver's Education event ) last year here in KC at Heartland Park Topeka and was unable to do anymore, until our club DE this past weekend at Heartland Park again.

Once again I was the only LAND YAHCT in attendance.

Since last year the car has been lowered, wheel spacers added, wider tires, new pads and rotors and exhaust resonator removed.

This car was nothing at all like last year, it handled better, stopped remarkably well even when an instructor drove it and pushed it a little hard. All on street tires and street pads!

My assigned instructor was unable to teach me due to a scheduling conflict with training exercies, so my fill in instructor was a member of our club. On Saturday I was getting use to the car again in track situations, the track configuration had changed from last year as well and to me it seemed like I could do nothing right. It was a very frustrating day for me. I ended up leaving part way through our last run session of the day with my head spinning and not feeling very well. If you do not feel good it is best to be safe and just get off of the track. You have to remember to DRINK a lot and avoid the sun at all costs, which I did, but I think the day got to me anyways. I went to the hotel and slept it off for a couple of hours.

Woke up Saturday evening, after missing a lot of the scheduled social activities, in a better state of mind. Talked with my substitute instructor some more. When an instructor with 20 plus years of experience talks, you listen and try to absorb as much information as possible. IT WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL!

Come Sunday it was a whole new time, I felt much better, my head was clearer and more fucused and I was ready to learn! My ORIGINAL instructor for Saturday was now able to ride with me. He had already talked with my substitute instructor from Saturday and the two of them concluded I was doing well, which I did not think I was at all.

Before we headed out on the track we talked about Saturday and how things went and thought we should adjust something on the car - TIRE PRESSURE! We changed the pressure from 35psi to 42psi front and 40psi rear. I am running street tires after all on a very big heavy car.

We went out on the track for the first time Sunday morning at it was GREAT! The car was working well, I was entering and exiting the corners well - not great but good for my second DE, hitting the apex of the turns pretty consistantly and it was now a fun car for me drive. In the first lap or two I noticed the car hesitating/cutting out/fuel issue and mentioned it to the instructor, almost immediately we both reached for the ESP switch on the dash and turned that F****** thing OFF! WOW! what a difference. I am still shifting manually in Tip mode, but the car is just so much more responsive, it will actually accelerate. After that session my instructor said he was getting with the instructor from Saturday and they were signing me off to go SOLO for the rest of the day. SURPRISE! to me, big grin on my face, and I was ready to go. Talk about a shock, I would never have expected or even asked for something like that. But jumped at the opportunity and said to myself I would not let them down by doing something stupid.

So now with a big S next to my car number I went out for my first ever SOLO run and it was simply the greatest feeling I have had behind the wheel of this car so far. I talked myself through the whole session of when to accelerate, brake, turn in etc... with the voices of my two great instructors echoing in the back of my mind the whole time, and found myself being able to push myself and the car a little harder on each lap. Getting a feel for just what the car could do and how to adjust for it.

I was staying in the throttle a little longer, applying the brakes firmer and harder and before I knew it I was no longer getting passed by everything on the track, that had been such a common occurence on Saturday. Not that this is a RACE but I am a guy for gosh sake and I am competitive, it is in our DNA! It was fun to feel the back of an A8L rotate and slide a little through some corners, yet remain in control of it at the same time. Driving a line on the track smoothly just equals FAST! Not that is was a perfect or 100 percent correct each time, but it was good.

It was interesting during the rest of the day as I kept pushing myself and the car a little more, seeing how much more it could do. It was amazing that I was not always able to catch up with cars on the straight aways, but I caught up to them in the corners. I was able to keep accelerating longer and applying the brakes harder and before I knew it I had caught up with them.

All said I highly suggest that anyone that has not been to a DE - DO ONE AS SOON AS YOU CAN! you will not regret it.


Mark

TwinCitiesS8

It truly is an incredible experience! I can't imagine doing it in an "L", but I know my S was as you said the only "8" in the lineup and it is always fun to have people come around and ask how the "big" car does on the track. Going on the track and mentally talking to yourself, "brake, brake, brake, downshift, turn, accelerate..." really helps! My 2 instructors were VERY helpful and I learned a lot about driving. I will post some pics later.... I am now thinking about going to Road America in September. Mark is right, DO A DE, it is life changing!

Mark'sA8L

We were able to get Dean Treadway the president of ACNA out there as well, with his wife Pam who is also an instructor, and Dan Sullivan another Audi instructor from the west coast.

There attendance at this years event was greatly appreciated. It helped make it a little more special for those that were in attendance.

There cars were just awesome, too bad I was not able to hitch a ride, maybe next time.

PaulW

It took me something like 3-4 weekends to keep the hammer all the way down until it was time to brake hard for turn 1.....instead of lifting for 1-2 seconds before hand.

That's for any track.

Sounds like you got your groove on! My A8 always did well at the track. Not the fastest, but for my run groups I would pass 80-90% of the cars out there.

TOMAS7

Nice write up. It looks like you had a good time. Thanks for sharing.

ryoung

Paul and I were there a few years ago.

<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a8/msgs/39467.phtml">Those Long Straights</a>

<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a8/msgs/38117.phtml">Paul's Track Report</a>

This is our Formula Continental looking back thru the Toyota Bridge just before Turn 6 :-)

<img src="http://pws.prserv.net/usinet.Young/photos/99jsprints.jpg">

chenishead

I wish I knew of one where I am

Mark'sA8L

Where are you at anyways?

Mark'sA8L

be getting a cd/dvd of all the pics of my car within the next two weeks. A lot of the ones I previewed were just awesome.

If anyone has the chance to go to an event, ask these people to come out. They took over 14,000 pics throughout the three day event - all first class high resolution!