About this event
Join Audi Club Golden Gate at “AudiTron” 2018: May 11th - 13th
Can you remember the fun that you had at the Winter Driving Event? Well - we are returning to Thunderhill Raceway for AudiTron, another fun filled weekend. If you missed the Winter Driving Event in January ....don't miss this one in May.
This High Performance Driver Education event (HPDE) is open to all skill levels from first timers to advanced drivers. On Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th we will be driving the 3 mile configuration of the track. For those who wish to experience the track and have an extended driving weekend, ACGG sponsor Hooked on Driving will be running on Friday May 11th; you can get more information at their website http://www.hookedondriving.com.
First timers and novices will spend the morning of the first day in a classroom session followed by practical car control exercises during which you will develop skills and learn the practical side of vehicle dynamics. The classes and exercises are designed to enhance your car control skills in a controlled and safe environment.
If this is your first HPDE, you can download some useful information from our website to help you to prepare: click here
During on-track driving activities, all levels of students drive their own cars and will be assigned an Audi Club instructor who will accompany them and provide expert guidance to improve students' driving skills. During the car control sessions, first time and beginning students drive their own cars and are coached by instructors who observe their progress from outside the car during the exercise. This 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 them 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 on the track without an instructor. To ensure that the club provides each student with a safe and secure environment, passing is only permitted on designated sections of the track and under controlled circumstances. The race track does not have side streets, stop lights, pedestrians, or any of the other distractions that are encountered while driving on public streets. Because of this, time spent on the track provides a great opportunity for each participant to learn advanced driving techniques safely and to explore the capabilities of both driver and car.
Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA is the location of AudiTron. Thunderhill is an SCCA track that contains all the types of corners that you are likely to experience in your day-to-day driving. This track, which includes elevation changes, short & long straights and a number of technical turns, is considered to be one of the safest, and best tracks in America at which drivers may improve their 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:
AudiTron will begin on Friday afternoon, May 11th. Check-in will begin at 5pm at the track, and continue until 7pm. Friday evening will also include a separate meeting for all first timers, as well as a mandatory meeting for all instructors, and finish with a brief meeting for all registrants. Details about the times of these meetings will come in your welcome packet, however, you should plan that the meetings will take place from approximately 7pm - 9pm. A light meal will be served at the track.
In addition to the light meal provided prior to the Friday evening meetings, your entry fee includes: breakfast, lunch and water at the track on Saturday and Sunday and a Saturday evening Banquet at the track in the main meeting center (catered by Thunderhill's outstanding chef, Jim Thompson). Saturday evening's festivities will also include a fund-raising event for the club. 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.
All cars must have passed a technical inspection prior to participant registration and each participant must show documentation of the inspection. ACGG will NOT be carrying out any Tech inspections at the track for this event.
Costs and Registration Dates:
The cost of this event is $435 for students up until March 23, 11:59pm and then $485.
The cost of this event is $225 for instructors up until March 23, 11:59pm and then $275.
Note to instructors: If you have not instructed with ACGG in the past two years you must contact the Chief Instructor, Gregg Franklin (gregg@audiclubgoldengate.org) before registering.
As mentioned above, the cost of the event includes: morning breakfast, lunch and water for both days at the track and the Saturday banquet dinner.
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 Matt Shafer or Mayur Bhatia if you have any questions.
We are happy to announce that we will now be using an online student - instructor evaluation tool from Driving Evals. Due to this integration, there are a few changes to the questions being asked during registration. Registration will close on April 27th, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. However, please note that our events have been selling out well in advance of the closing dates, so please register as soon as possible to avoid being placed on the waitlist.
Hotel Information:
The headquarters hotel for the event is the Holiday Inn Express in Willows, CA. Be sure to mention you re 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 a limited number of rooms guaranteed at this rate, so act quickly. There will be no event related activities taking place at the hotel.
Who are we?
The Audi Club Golden Gate is a chapter of the Audi Club of North America (ACNA), which is a 501c(3) non-profit organization with the purpose of educating its members in driver education, driver safety training, and education about the Audi brand. The Audi Club Golden Gate serves the members in Northern California, and Northern Nevada areas, but our events are open to anyone. To support the educational experience, Audi Club Golden Gate offers a variety of different types of events for our members. In addition to HPDEs, we also offer our members access to new product launches at local dealerships, technical seminars, fun drives, social events, tours, etc. Audi Club Golden Gate enjoys an excellent level of support and participation in our events from our sponsors. We often offer special arrangements with these Audi dealerships, and well recognized private service centers around the geographic proximity to Northern California. Many of our sponsors offer discounts to club members.
As a member of ACNA, you automatically become a member of the Audi Club Golden Gate if you live in the two states listed above. You will receive a quarterly magazine from ACNA, as well as periodic emails from us to keep you up to date on all the scheduled events happening throughout the year. Mingle with other Audi owners and club members for new friendships and lasting memories.
Contact Matt Shafer (matthew@audiclubgoldengate.org) or Mayur Bhatia (mayur@audiclubgoldengate.org) if you have any questions.
Go to www.audiclubgoldengate.org for information about the club.
Event requirements
Requirements:
All registrants must be licensed drivers over 18 years of age and must be members of Audi Club North America (http://www.audiclubna.org/membership).
Equal seat belt restraints are required for driver and instructor.
Lights, turn signals, etc must be operating.
As a general rule, open cars (convertibles) are not allowed without a 4-point roll cage installed. This includes R8 Spyders, TT's, BMW Roadsters, Honda S2000s, etc. There are, however, certain exceptions to this (e.g. Porsche Boxster); please contact the Event Master if you have a question about a convertible.
No trucks or SUVs are allowed.
Each car must pass a Technical Inspection (see below).
A failure to meet safety checks or submitting an incomplete Technical Inspection form may disqualify students from event and cause forfeiture of the entry fee.
Helmet Requirements: Participants must wear helmets bearing Snell SA or MA 2005, 2010 or SA 2015 certification. This certification sticker MUST BE present and visible inside the helmet. Helmets are also available to rent at a nominal cost when registering for this event.
Technical Inspection for AudiTron HPDE: You are REQUIRED to have your vehicle inspected by a qualified individual/mechanic from an Audi dealer or local independent shop (preferably an ACGG sponsor!) to verify its safety (click here for a list of sponsors who offer technical inspections). You will need to have your Tech Review Form filled out by a mechanic no more than 30 days prior to the event. You are solely responsible for insuring that your vehicle is safe before you come to the track. Failure to present a completed Tech Inspection Form or failure to pass the tech inspection will disqualify you from participation in the event and your entry fee will be forfeited. Click here to download the Technical Review Form . ACGG will NOT be carrying out any Tech inspections at the track for this event.
