The art of speed

“Vision up, vision up,” comes the voice form the passenger seat. “Look as far into the corner as you can …. now wind on that throttle and keep the vision up.”

The voice is calm but enthusiastic, urging you on – encouraging you push your limits and explore those of the car – although in this writer’s case, the car’s limits are well and truly out of reach.

Welcome to an Audi Driving Experience event, in this case an Audi Sport Driving Experience and the car is an Audi R8. Enough said. The voice beside me belongs to Audi Australia’s Chief Driving Instructor, a racing driver, engineer and automotive commentator with a tremendous skill of getting the most from people, and the man who steers the celebrated Audi Driving Experience.

There are any number of reasons why thousands of people have taken part in an Audi Driving Experience program. For some it’s curiosity, increased safety or a chance to hone their driving skills. Others are looking to take their driving to another level entirely and get involved in competitive motorsport, while others still want to get the most from daily driving experience. But regardless of their previous experience, motivation or long-term goals, each participant comes away beaming and richer for the experience, says Steve Pizzati.

From the Audi Advanced Driving Experience, right through a structured series of programs to the pinnacle, the Audi Race Experience, the courses have been designed to give participants a broad range of instruction and the chance to drive some of the brands celebrated high-performance models right from the outset.

“The course structure means that people get to drive faster, more performance oriented models sooner," says Pizzati. "With the RS 3 Sportback and Sedan as well as the S model cars available right from the Advanced course, our participants are driving Audi Sport vehicles from the start and then moving on to other RS models and R8s,” he says. 

“Imagine your second flying lesson and you’re already in an FA18 fighter jet,” he laughs.

Just as important as the award-winning vehicles are the world-class team of instructors Pizzati has assembled. Drawn from the cream of motorsport, they boast no less than 75 Bathurst 1000 starts between them as well as countless national and international motorsport titles. Luke Youldon, one of the instructors, is in fact the current Bathurst 1000 champion, while his fellow instructors have all competed (and continue to compete) at the highest levels. All are additionally trained by the International Audi Instructors team, and each has an innate ability to impart their knowledge and help each participant realise their personal goals.

Pizzati is no slouch behind the wheel, the former Top Gear Australia host, overseeing the all-star team which reads like a Who’s Who of Australian (and New Zealand) motorsport royalty.

“It’s not just about their skills and experience,” says Pizzati of the team, “but their passion and ability to pass on what they’ve learned. They’re able to empathise with each participant and help them get the most from a program.”

Of course it’s not just about fast laps and high-speed manoeuvres, but making the most of each car and using it to its full potential. 

“As the technology in the cars advances, so too does the need to better understand how it works and pertains to everyday driving,” says Pizzati of the myriad driver assistance functions available across the range of Audi vehicles.

“It can get confusing with all of these acronyms, and to many it’s not obvious how these systems work and how they enhance their driving and safety out on the road.”

Held at race tracks around the country, the Audi Driving Experience courses not only offer participants the highest levels of tuition and the chance to drive cutting edge machinery, but the emphasis is very much on ‘experience’.

This is an immersive experience – driver training with all the unmistakable Audi touches. A beautifully catered lunch, the Audi lounge to relax in trackside between stints at the wheel – every detail managed to perfection.

The courses themselves have been designed to give participants a wide range of choice – from the Audi Advanced Driving Experience, through the Audi Sport and Audi Sport Pro, right up to the Audi Race Experience. The number of repeat participants is extraordinary, says Pizzati, and there are many who start out looking to sharpen up on some skills and end up coming back back for more and more advanced courses.

A number of participants have gone ‘all the way’, completing the Audi Race Experience – the only such course available outside of Germany – getting behind the wheel of the awesome Audi R8 LMS GT3 race car.

Others still have taken their driving to a different hemisphere – literally – tackling the Audi Ice Driving Experience in Seefeld, Austria. 

“Not everyone wants to go all the way to the Audi Race Experience and drive the Audi R8 LMS,” says Pizzati. “There are plenty of people looking to sharpen up on their driving or wanting to see what the cars can do in a controlled environment.”

“Many have never been on a race track before, while others are real enthusiasts and have completed courses elsewhere and even competed in motorsport events… but they all come away smiling and take positives away from the ADE, regardless of the course they take.”