JeffW
07-15-2009, 01:08 PM
On Saturday, August 8th, the North Atlantic Audi Club is holding a car control clinic in the parking lot of New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. Designed for drivers of all ages, this course is particularly important for teen and newly licensed drivers, but drivers of all ages will benefit.
To register, please visit
http://www.motorsportreg.com/index.cfm/event/event.advert/uidEvent/74932C5D-F941-EF88-AFAEC759CB2418F3
and be sure to have each participant create their own account based on their own email address.
The cost is $50 for drivers under age 21, $99 for drivers over 21 who are Audi Club North America members, and $125 for non-members over 21.
So what is it?
This is an opportunity to learn to control your car in the sorts of emergency situations that can occur every day, but which you do not ordinarily have the opportunity to practice handling. Driver’s Ed teaches you the basic rules of the road, but does not teach you how to handle the four basic types of skids, how weight transfer affects the handling of a car, how to threshold brake, or the importance of proper situational awareness.
Most drivers have attended driver’s ed, and yet most drivers – teens and adults alike – have little proficiency at emergency maneuvers, accident avoidance, and have often picked up bad habits such as improper hand position, cell phone use, and tailgating.
Driving is the most dangerous activity that most people engage in on a daily basis. You might as well become a little more of an expert at it!
Your day will be spent alternating between classroom sessions that present the theory behind car dynamics and explain the upcoming exercises, and hands-on driving exercises with an instructor in your passenger seat giving you expert advice. We strive to provide as much ‘seat time’ as possible (that is, the driver’s seat!) as that is where you will learn best.
Classroom
The classroom sessions cover many of the basic concepts that provide a foundation for the driving skills taught in the exercises. Some of the topics include car preparation, driving position, attitude, vision, weight transfer, tire adhesion and cornering techniques.
Driving Exercises
During all driving exercises, students drive their own cars. Club instructors provide coaching during and after each pass through the exercises.
Skid Pad
The skid pad is a circle of wet pavement set up for practicing the proper reactions to understeer and oversteer. Students drive progressively faster around the circle until either the front end loses grip (understeer) or the back end loses grip (oversteer). Repeated practice of the correct responses to these very different situations are the only way to develop the proper reflexes.
Slalom
The slalom course is where the student can get a feel for his or her car’s weight transfer during cornering. This is also an excellent chance to develop steering inputs that are smooth and precise yet assertive enough for high speed cornering.
Braking
The braking exercise gives students a chance to see how their car handles under hard braking. In this exercise the car is brought up to highway speed and then stopped as quickly as possible in a small target area. Most recent cars are equipped with anti-lock brakes, so many students get their first experience with this feature on dry pavement. Threshold braking techniques – discussed in the classroom session – can also be practiced in this exercise, especially in cars without anti-lock brake systems.
Lane Toss
The lane toss is for many the most challenging, and for some the most fun.
This exercise is designed to mimic an accident avoidance situation.
Students drive down a single lane at normal street speeds of around 30 mph.
This lane is lined with traffic cones on either side. Without slowing down, the car approaches three lanes (also marked by cones). Signaled by an instructor, traffic lights indicate into which of the three lanes the driver must quickly move the car before coming to a stop. This exercise emphasizes the importance of vision and assertive steering inputs, as well as getting the turning done before applying the brakes.
Road Course
A small ‘road course’ set up at the end of the day provides the final exercise that puts together all of the skills developed during the day.
Incorporating a slalom, several tight corners and longer straightaways, this exercise is great fun but also teaches the importance of looking far ahead and planning one’s “line” through a corner, while providing further practice to hone the skills learned throughout the day.
Vehicles
Students must bring their vehicles to this event. Sharing a car with a friend or relative is fine. Due to the rollover risk, we cannot allow SUVs or trucks. You do not need to bring an Audi! Any make is fine.
Again, to register, please visit
http://www.motorsportreg.com/index.cfm/event/event.advert/uidEvent/74932C5D-F941-EF88-AFAEC759CB2418F3
and be sure to have each participant create their own account based on their own email address.
The cost is $50 for drivers under age 21, $99 for drivers over 21 who are Audi Club North America members, and $125 for non-members over 21.
To register, please visit
http://www.motorsportreg.com/index.cfm/event/event.advert/uidEvent/74932C5D-F941-EF88-AFAEC759CB2418F3
and be sure to have each participant create their own account based on their own email address.
The cost is $50 for drivers under age 21, $99 for drivers over 21 who are Audi Club North America members, and $125 for non-members over 21.
So what is it?
This is an opportunity to learn to control your car in the sorts of emergency situations that can occur every day, but which you do not ordinarily have the opportunity to practice handling. Driver’s Ed teaches you the basic rules of the road, but does not teach you how to handle the four basic types of skids, how weight transfer affects the handling of a car, how to threshold brake, or the importance of proper situational awareness.
Most drivers have attended driver’s ed, and yet most drivers – teens and adults alike – have little proficiency at emergency maneuvers, accident avoidance, and have often picked up bad habits such as improper hand position, cell phone use, and tailgating.
Driving is the most dangerous activity that most people engage in on a daily basis. You might as well become a little more of an expert at it!
Your day will be spent alternating between classroom sessions that present the theory behind car dynamics and explain the upcoming exercises, and hands-on driving exercises with an instructor in your passenger seat giving you expert advice. We strive to provide as much ‘seat time’ as possible (that is, the driver’s seat!) as that is where you will learn best.
Classroom
The classroom sessions cover many of the basic concepts that provide a foundation for the driving skills taught in the exercises. Some of the topics include car preparation, driving position, attitude, vision, weight transfer, tire adhesion and cornering techniques.
Driving Exercises
During all driving exercises, students drive their own cars. Club instructors provide coaching during and after each pass through the exercises.
Skid Pad
The skid pad is a circle of wet pavement set up for practicing the proper reactions to understeer and oversteer. Students drive progressively faster around the circle until either the front end loses grip (understeer) or the back end loses grip (oversteer). Repeated practice of the correct responses to these very different situations are the only way to develop the proper reflexes.
Slalom
The slalom course is where the student can get a feel for his or her car’s weight transfer during cornering. This is also an excellent chance to develop steering inputs that are smooth and precise yet assertive enough for high speed cornering.
Braking
The braking exercise gives students a chance to see how their car handles under hard braking. In this exercise the car is brought up to highway speed and then stopped as quickly as possible in a small target area. Most recent cars are equipped with anti-lock brakes, so many students get their first experience with this feature on dry pavement. Threshold braking techniques – discussed in the classroom session – can also be practiced in this exercise, especially in cars without anti-lock brake systems.
Lane Toss
The lane toss is for many the most challenging, and for some the most fun.
This exercise is designed to mimic an accident avoidance situation.
Students drive down a single lane at normal street speeds of around 30 mph.
This lane is lined with traffic cones on either side. Without slowing down, the car approaches three lanes (also marked by cones). Signaled by an instructor, traffic lights indicate into which of the three lanes the driver must quickly move the car before coming to a stop. This exercise emphasizes the importance of vision and assertive steering inputs, as well as getting the turning done before applying the brakes.
Road Course
A small ‘road course’ set up at the end of the day provides the final exercise that puts together all of the skills developed during the day.
Incorporating a slalom, several tight corners and longer straightaways, this exercise is great fun but also teaches the importance of looking far ahead and planning one’s “line” through a corner, while providing further practice to hone the skills learned throughout the day.
Vehicles
Students must bring their vehicles to this event. Sharing a car with a friend or relative is fine. Due to the rollover risk, we cannot allow SUVs or trucks. You do not need to bring an Audi! Any make is fine.
Again, to register, please visit
http://www.motorsportreg.com/index.cfm/event/event.advert/uidEvent/74932C5D-F941-EF88-AFAEC759CB2418F3
and be sure to have each participant create their own account based on their own email address.
The cost is $50 for drivers under age 21, $99 for drivers over 21 who are Audi Club North America members, and $125 for non-members over 21.