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From YourSITE.com Miscellaneous Features “Don’t go off the road.” That’s rule number five in Autobahn Country Club Driver Training Manager Tony Kester’s five-step lesson in track driving. If you’re thinking that’s a bit too obvious to be part of a lesson (please, please think that’s obvious,) you’ve fallen into Tony’s trick. “Yes, it’s obvious,” he explains, “but if you don’t do the first four things, brake enough, hit the apex, get back on the gas at the right time, and keep your eyes up, you WILL go off the road.” Well played, sir.
After paying $150 to sign up and picking a day from the schedule (September 24 and October 15 are the last remaining days) the drivers arrive at the club and register for their session. For the first 45 minutes, attendees enjoy breakfast while listening to Tony Kester teach his lesson and techniques. Additionally, an Audi representative talks about the brand, the attention paid by engineers to performance, as well as some of the benefits of ownership. With stomachs full and brains filled with new knowledge, the group splits up for one of two stages behind the wheel of their own vehicles. The first session (or second, depending on how the group is split) is spent on a short autocross course with a slalom, some heavy braking points, and some variable-radius turns designed to challenge drivers. The laps are timed, but just for fun. It’s hard to reward a TT-S driver for being fastest if he only beats that guy in the A8L by a few tenths, you know?
The second session happens out on Autobahn’s wonderful road course. The group lines up behind Tony and is directed on a series of lead-follow laps. Because most participants are expected to be new to the track or track driving in general, this allows everyone to get a feel for the best line while preventing any catastrophes. As the laps progress, the pace increases along with the thrills. And to ensure no one gets stuck at the back of the pack, each lap ends with a rotation of cars in which the first driver drops to the rear and the rest move up. After a combined 75 minutes or so (Germans aren’t running the program, so the “or so” applies here) the two groups reconvene for the last portion of the day. The TT-S and S5 the professional drivers had been using as pace cars thus far turn into hot lap machines for a final half-hour of fun. Each participant rides along with Tony or another seasoned professional at ten-tenths. Because they’re both very skilled and more familiar with the track than anyone else in the world, the experience is a rewarding one. Drivers new to track days will be shocked by this portion, seeing how much performance is still on tap over what normal drivers might use. The program then concludes, and anyone without a queasy stomach will be served lunch, including some tasty hand-made potato chips we just have to have each time we’re down at Autobahn. For the rest, plenty of water and a lounge full of very comfortable leather chairs are also provided.
Having attended a too many track events to remember, I was honestly expecting to daydream right on through Tony’s talk about apexes and the science behind racing lines and friction circles. But listening to him talk was both engaging and educational; he’s by far the best track coach I’ve ever dealt with. His tone is relaxed and humorous and he puts his concepts in terms everyone can understand. He even jokes about how even engineers probably fall asleep during any friction circle talks. He makes it a point to encourage participants to have fun and is never intimidating, as many professional drivers can be. And Tony is certainly a professional—as a racer since 1973 and as a coach since 1988. During my time with him, multiple members of the country club approach Tony requesting his help in fine-tuning their race cars and techniques, which I think is quite a testament to his love and knowledge of the business. That doesn’t change out on the autocross course or track. Tony will encourage you to go faster, make suggestions about how that can be done, and is never negative. The courses themselves are also entertaining. The autocross was more technical and slightly longer than most I’ve done, which made it seem less repetitive. The track section uses Autobahn’s north course, the shorter or the two, which is good for newcomers. The south course is long enough that for such a short session, there wouldn’t be time to fall in a rhythm. That isn’t the case on the north loop, which is easy to learn (especially with Tony pointing out landmarks to help you remember the line) and gets to be a lot of fun in no time at all.
While the experience is open to owners of all current Audi car models, we’re willing to bet we had the best ride to really enjoy it, the new TT-S coupe. As we’ve mentioned in previous reviews, the updated 2.0-liter turbo used in that car is truly fantastic, and the car is overall the best TT we’ve driven. With enough provocation, the rear end will get nice and light to keep the front tires biting down, preventing understeer. DSG, too, has never felt so good. Thanks a lot to Autobahn Country Club, Audi, and Tony Kester for the invitation and hospitality. For those of you in the Chicago area, you really will come out of the event feeling like your money was well spent. Some very seasoned drivers might be better off saving for the full Audi Drive Experience in Sonoma, California, where more free track time is allotted, but for the average driver the Autobahn event has a lot to offer and all of the skills learned there carry over to every day safe driving. If you’re interested, all you have to do is contact Terri Weber, the event’s organizer down at the club: Terri Weber Phone: 815-722-2223 E-mail: Terri.Weber@drivefastbesafe.com
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