Muray

I've been dying to drive *****-out on a closed track. When I get my either S4 or S5 I plan on taking the car out to local SCCA autocross events. But I would like to practice driving hard besides these events, and unfortunately there are no tracks in my local area (I am from Queens, NY). A lot of dangerous street racing goes around here though, which I would never participate in, since I make a living treating car accident victims. Anyways, I was wondering how many of you guys do some form of motorsports with your Audi. Seems like driving an S4 without doing some sort of motorsports would be like keeping a bloodhound and not going hunting.

westwest888

I wouldn't call autocrossing "racing" any more than I would call masturbating "sex".

There are some good one day events at Lime Rock Park in CT (the BMW CCA and the Audi Quattro club run them). If you're up for a longer drive, the Audi club puts on a fantastic event at Watkins Glen. This is where you car would be at home.

A medium drive is to NJ Motorsports Park in south Jersey, where they have two tracks (Thunderbolt and Lightening). This is a really fun park and a very safe place to learn the limits of your car (not a lot of walls, mostly dirt runoff areas). The BMW CCA NJ chapter runs a great event here.

Another great track is Summit Point, WV just outside of Washington, DC. BMW CCA Capital Chapter runs great schools there.

tackdriver

Having been on tracks and autocross events back when I had my Porsche, I gotta say I disagree. While different than a track, autocross is just as legit a racing experience as a track. I challenge the expertise of anyone who assumes that if the track is flat there is no technique or skill involved. Taking a turn smoothly and quickly with autocross can, in many cases, be more difficult simply because there is no banking involved and the turn radii are sometimes much sharper. There is no opportunity for high horsepower to save a driver's lack of skill on autocross.

For example, when we would have PCA events in San Francisco, the 914's would always win autocross. It was funny seeing some dot commer with their GT-2 get smoked by the little 4 cylinder 914, or even the guy with the geo metro!

On the track it is a different story. That GT-2 guy who could not take a turn to save his life did wonderfully at Thunderhill or Laguna Seca simply because he had the horsepower to gain time on the straights.

that's my $0.02

westwest888

I'm not saying autocross isn't a sport, I'm just saying I think you deserve better. Autocross is really a second gear only affair.

The track adds a lot of elements that will improve you as a driver. First, you'll learn how to heel-and-toe. Second, you'll learn how to threshold brake. Third, you're moving at much higher velocities and will have to learn how to be extremely smooth with your inputs. This isn't always stressed in autocross because the car isn't as twitchy at 50mph as it is as 100mph.

I think you slightly overestimate the importance of horsepower on a track. Most tracks are under 2 miles long and have 14-16 turns. I'd say your average speed is 70 mph, and you're sweating every turn. The straightaway is the only time you get a mental break. If the Corvette or whoever following you was able to negotiate those 14 turns as adeptly as you, they can overtake you on the straight. But if they blow one or two of them they're not going to catch up to you.

I kept an S5 at bay all day at Watkins Glen in my 2006 BMW 325i (3.0L).