MANILA, Philippines - It was an ordinary day turned into pure brilliance and infectious excitement when Audi, the unprecedented 11-time winner of the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans, unleashed its cars’ collective might at the Clark International Raceway recently.
The 2013 Audi Driving Experience stormed the country and produced four memorable days of driving. The Audi Driving Experience is a world-class event held across Asia. It’s designed to celebrate premium automobiles equipped with Audi’s legendary high performance and technologies such as its LED lighting, quattro permanent all-wheel drive, TFSI and TDI engines, aluminum space frame construction, and countless other features proven on the road and on the track—a true embodiment of Audi’s mantra, Vorsprung durch Technik (progress through technology).
The event featured technical briefings, pro-level driving exercises, racetrack driving exhibitions—all complemented by 14 high-performance Audi S6, S7, S8 models flown in from Germany, plus 13 Audi Philippines line-up cars including the all new Audi Q3 and A1 Sportback.
The centerpiece models were the striking Audi TT RS, R8 GT and R8 GT Spyder. The participants drove all 30 cars, virtually setting the Clark International Speedway ablaze, especially when the S models began turning their wheels in anger.
There were five driving exercises in the morning that highlighted Audi’s stability, braking capabilities, driving feel, responsiveness, and more. The German Audi instructors, all with car racing backgrounds, taught participants ways to maximize specific Audi features that can aid them on the road, on the track, and during emergency situations.
After the morning autocross session, it was time to take everything the participants learned with a track-lapping session. All participants had the chance to drive the full circuit and unleash the 420-hp, turbocharged V8 engine and quattro all-wheel drive of the Audi S7 and S8. These cars were led by the 360-hp TT RS and 560-hp R8 GT. Needless to say, it was a phenomenal sight.
Later on, Audi’s way of cooling down still had high energy and excitement. A “taxi ride†around the circuit in the S6, TT RS, R8 GT, and R8 Spyder driven by the professional instructors gave participants the chance to experience a full throttle racing experience. Goose bumps and grins infected everyone after each ride. The day had to end but the experience, knowledge, and impact of what the Audi Driving Experience shared would linger for long.
The Audi Driving Experience provided an exclusive sneak preview of Audi’s progress through technology--not with words, photos, or videos, but with real speed and performance. It was indeed a dream come true made possible by Audi Philippines and Audi Germany. Expect more brilliant experiences to come this year from the marque with the four interlocking rings.