2015 Winter Driving Event HPDE

Come join the Audi Club with it's annual celebration of winter at our Winter Driving Event January 9th -11th. If it is your first or your tenth time attending an Audi driving event we're confident that you'll have a great time.   The event is open to all skill levels from first timers to advanced drivers.   For first timers and beginners you will spend a few hours on the morning of the first day in a classroom session, followed by car control sessions in which you will develop skills and learn the practical side of vehicle dynamics. The classes and car control sessions are designed to enhance your car control skills by applying them to your car, in a controlled and safe environment.

During all on-track driving activities, all levels of students drive their own cars, and are accompanied by Audi Club instructors who sit in the passenger seat and assist the driver as they improve their driving skills. During the car control sessions, first time and beginning students drive their own cars, and are coached by instructors that are observing their progress from outside the car during the exercise.  This process provides each student with the foundational knowledge needed to get the most out of the event.

Students are aggregated into Run Groups, which are established to allow students to be on track with other drivers of similar experience. First timers and beginning students always have an instructor in the car during on track sessions. Novice, intermediate and advanced drivers will be assigned an instructor.  Depending on skill level demonstrated to the instructor during the event, these students may be signed off to solo in the car without an instructor.  To ensure that the club provides each student with a safe and secure environment, passing is allowed only on designated sections of the course, and under controlled circumstances. The race track does not have side streets, stop lights, pedestrians, or any of the other distractions that you must address while driving on public streets.  Because of this, the time you spend on the track provides a great opportunity to safely learn advanced driving techniques and explore the capabilities of both car and driver.

Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA is the location of the annual Winter Driving Event.  We will be running the 3.0 mile CCW configuration at Thunderhill Raceway, which is a SCCA track that includes several elevation changes, short & long straight-aways, and a number of technical turns.  It is considered to be one of the safest, and best tracks in America for you to improve your driving skills.  This unique combination of safety and complexity create the recipe for a great driving experience. You will leave the track on Sunday night with driving skills that will enhance and improve your daily driving experience.

Event Details

The event will begin on Friday afternoon, January 9, 2014.  Check-in and technical inspection will begin at the track at 4pm and will continue until 7pm.  During the check-in period a light meal will be served.  Friday evening will also include a special meeting for all first timers, as well as a manadatory meeting for all instructors, and a mandatory meeting for all registrants.  Details of these meetings will be provided in your welcome packet; you should assume that the mandatory meetings will take place from approximately 7pm - 9pm.

In addition to the light snack provided prior to the Friday night drivers’ meeting, we will provide water and lunch at the track on Saturday and Sunday and we will also provide coffee along with pastries or doughnuts on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The track will open early on Saturday morning and Sunday morning, at approximately 6:30am.  Lunch, the cost of which is included in the registration price, will be served at the track.  The track will close at approximately 5pm each day, and we will have a banquet and raffle on Saturday evening.  The banquet will take place at the track, within the main meeting center.  Exact timing and details will be sent to you as part of the welcome packet, which will arrive by email, approximately 1 week prior to the event.

Costs and other details

The cost of this event is $345 for students until and including Dec 5th, 2014, and $395 for students beginning on Dec 6th, 2014.

The cost of this event is $145 for instructors until and including Dec 5th, 2014, and $195 for instructors beginning on Dec 6th, 2014.

The cost of the event includes morning coffee and doughnuts/pastries and lunch as well as water for both days at the track.  Also included is the Saturday banquet dinner and event swag.

Note: If you have any credits to be applied for this event, you must coordinate with the event master prior to enrolling in this event in order to ensure that your credits can be properly applied.  If you are at checkout, and you do not see your credits, please cancel the registration, and send an email to Tom Lagerquist (tom@audiclubgoldengate.org)  or Terry Unter (terry@audiclubgoldengate.org )

Registration will end on December 28, 2014 at 10 pm PST.  Please NOTE - Registration MAY close earlier than this date if the event sells out early. So please do not wait until the last minute to register!

Hotel Information

The headquarters hotel for the event is the Holiday Inn Express in Willows, CA.  Be sure to mention you are with the Audi Club to receive a room rate of $109/Night, for 2 nights.  To obtain this rate, you must call the hotel directly, and book through the front desk.  You can reach the hotel at 530-934-8900.  If you call early in the morning, the front desk agent might transfer you to the 800 number, and the 800 number will not know anything about the discounted rate, so if that happens, hang up, and call back later.  There are only 40 rooms guaranteed at this rate, so act fast.  There will be no event related activities taking place at the hotel.