Hit the track with us for a lap in Audi’s hottest R8.
The combination of 525 horsepower and an 8700-rpm redline isn’t one that invites prudence, so we recently took Audi up on an offer to sample the new R8 5.2 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma Valley, California. Audi runs its one- and two-day Sportscar Experience at this track, and the R8 V-10 is now one of the featured cars.
One-day R8 courses, which will plant participants behind the wheel of an R8 5.2 for about 3.5 to 4 hours of in-paddock training and on-track instruction, runs $1895. The two-day course gets you between 8 and 10 hours of drive time and costs $3495. Graduate from one of those two without terrifying your instructors too much, and you’ll be eligible for the $4295 advanced two-day program. If the R8-specific courses are out of your price range, Audi offers a pair of S-model classes that sample the S range, including S4, S5, S8, and TTS, starting at $695 for a half day or $1395 for a full day—which includes a short stint in the magical R8.
Infineon (still Sears Point to purists) is an awesome track, with dramatic elevation changes and a great variety of corners. The layout Audi uses provides a long lap with a mix of tight hairpins, wide esses, and a pair of nerve-wracking hilltop apexes in the first four turns. Runoff is scarce in a few areas, including in the hilltop corners, which makes those corners particularly intimidating at first.
While $1895 isn’t a cheap day, it’s less than two percent of what you’d pay to own a new R8 5.2, and the opportunity to wring the V-10 out to its redline on track isn’t necessarily included for those who buy one. Settling for the S-model courses is hardly a bummer, as all the cars are a blast to engage at their limits—and there’s something to be said for sampling a group ranging from the (relatively) flyweight TTS to the freight-train V-10–powered R8 in the same day. Watch the video for a preview of what awaits participants. (And don’t be misled by the superimposed tachometer’s indications that we exceeded the redline; notice it is from an RS4, which tops out at fewer revs.)
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The combination of 525 horsepower and an 8700-rpm redline isn’t one that invites prudence, so we recently took Audi up on an offer to sample the new R8 5.2 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma Valley, California. Audi runs its one- and two-day <link>Sportscar Experience<link> at this track, and the R8 V-10 is now one of the featured cars.
One-day R8 courses, which will plant participants behind the wheel of an R8 5.2 for about 3.5 to 4 hours of in-paddock training and on-track instruction, runs $1895. The two-day course gets you between 8 and 10 hours of drive time and costs $3495. Graduate from one of those two without terrifying your instructors too much, and you’ll be eligible for the $4295 advanced two-day program. If the R8-specific courses are out of your price range, Audi offers a pair of S-model classes that sample the S range, including S4, S5, S8, and TTS, starting at $695 for a half day or $1395 for a full day—which includes a short stint in the magical R8.
Infineon (still Sears Point to purists) is an awesome track, with dramatic elevation changes and a great variety of corners. The layout Audi uses provides a long lap with a mix of tight hairpins, wide esses, and a pair of nerve-wracking hilltop apexes in the first four turns. Runoff is scarce in a few areas, including in the hilltop corners, which makes those corners particularly intimidating at first.
While $1895 isn’t a cheap day, it’s less than two percent of what you’d pay to own a new R8 5.2, and the opportunity to wring the V-10 out to its redline on track isn’t necessarily included for those who buy one. Settling for the S-model courses is hardly a bummer, as all the cars are a blast to engage at their limits—and there’s something to be said for sampling a group ranging from the (relatively) flyweight TTS to the freight-train V-10–powered R8 in the same day. Watch the video for a preview of what awaits participants. (And don’t be misled by the superimposed tachometer’s indications that we exceeded the redline; notice it is from an RS 4, which tops out at fewer revs.)
Watch the Video: Audi R8 V-10 at Infineon Raceway
Related posts:
- 2010 Audi R8 5.2 V10 FSI Quattro – First Drive Review
- 2010 AUDI R8 5.2 V10 FSI Quattro – Short Take Road Test
- 2010 Audi R8 5.2 V10 FSI Quattro vs. 2009 Ferrari 430 Scuderia – Video
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