Todd Serota (TracQuest)

Attention AudiWorld Gang!

Sadly, it's been a while since I've been able to get to an Audi Car Club event. I had hoped to go to one or both of the recent events at Laguna and Sears Point, but with my own TracQuest events at Laguna Seca and Buttonwillow in November as well as other obligations, there was no way I could make it.

Speaking of TracQuest events, there are still plenty of spots open for the last TracQuest DE event of 2002 at Sears Point on Mon.-Tues., Dec. 9-10. You can register for one or both days. As those of you who went to the recent Audi Car Club event there know, Sears Point (renamed Infineon earlier this year after a $50 million renovation) is one of the best and most challenging race tracks in the country. Attendance at this event will be small no matter how many people sign up in the next week, so this will be a rare opportunity to run Sears Point at an event that will be akin to private track days. You can expect to get 6 to 8 hours of track time over the course of both days. Event headquarters is the incredible Lodge at Sonoma, a virtually brand new Marriott Renaissance resort and spa about 1 mile from the Sonoma Square. The pre-event dinner and banquet (the banquet is included in the entry fee) will be there as well, and last year's banquet was the best banquet food I've had outside of $200 per person wedding receptions at the Hotel Belair in L.A. The special TracQuest room rate is $129 per night, which is about 1/2 of the normal room rate. For those whose spouses have been considering joining them at an event, this would be the one!

While TracQuest events routinely accommodate drivers at all levels, they are specifically geared for first time track drivers, with instructors who are second to none in the DE world. Passing rules vary in the 3 different run groups - from typical Audi Car Club "strict" rules in the novice group (minus turn signals! :-)) to much more liberal rules in the advanced groups. You may have seen discussions on this forum about TracQuest events, as many Audi Car Club folks attend as both instructors and participants. For detailed information about how TracQuest events are run, visit the TracQuest web site at www.tracquest.com and click on "Driver Education" on the left.

As a special added bonus, two of my TracQuest instructors (Mark Dalen and D.J. Johnson) recently purchased Radical SR3's, which are 2-seat closed wheel race cars from England that run in CSR (C Sports Racer) in SCCA. They have agreed to come to TracQuest events primarily to give rides to TracQuest participants. For those who know lap times, these cars turn approx. 1:32's at Laguna Seca, 1:21's at Willow Springs (big track) and I'd estimate low-mid 1:40's at Sears Point. I went out for a ride with D.J. at my Buttonwillow event 2 weeks ago, and I have to tell you, it was one of the most exhilarating experiences I've ever had on a race track! Of course, other instructors also take participants for rides throughout the event (including me), but this is an experience not to be missed!

The early discounted entry fee expired on Nov. 11, and the regular entry fee expires on Monday. However, as a special courtesy for Audiworld readers, I will extend to you the early discounted entry fee whenever you sign up. This means that you will need to fax in your registration, because if you pay on-line on the TracQuest site, you will automatically be charged the current rate. You can still fill in the registration form on the site, but you will need to print it out and fax it to me with a note that you saw this post on Audiworld and are entitled to the early fee.

If you have any questions, please send me an email at tserota@tracquest.com. I hope you can make it!

Todd Serota
tserota@tracquest.com (TracQuest high speed driver education)
tserota@vinoquest.com (VinoQuest wine business)
tserota@adelphia.net (law firm and home)
www.tracquest.com (TracQuest web site)
www.tracquest.com/deboard (TracQuest message board)
www.vinoquest.com (VinoQuest web site)