First of all, I AM AN IDIOT! The lensecover of my camera opened during the flight, and started filming. When we arrived I had 2mins of power left on it. I forgot to pack my extra battery
Anyway, I had my cellphone, and I took pictures and video until that too was empty of juice. The other 20 or so people there shot pictures like maniacs, so I'll post them as well when I get them. Me beeing an Audi nut, this was probably as good as it gets for me. I can not think of anything that would match this.
First a little writeup; We were piced up by a private jet at Gardermoen, Oslo Airport and flown to Visby at Gotland. Then there was a 40min busdrive to the "Ring" The track it self was very entertaining. Lots of up and down, and good turns. A nice straight, and wide, flat and smooth asphalt. We started off with a presentation of the R8! Looks great, and feels great in person! My brother especially took to it. He's the one in the pic of the R8
We started the day in the RS4 Avant practising the first 3rd of the track. The instructor sat where he could see us, and gave us comments when we turned around. It was a small S-turn, and then a 90 degree turn with a full throttle small straight. I got the "mexican wave" from the instructor for my driving in the first 3rd of the track. The car was INSANE! I have never driven such a hard accelerating car in my life. It handeled like a dream on the track, sounded fantastic, and went like a f**king bullet!, hahaha, I couldn't stop laughing after the first run. Me and the guy nex to me (2 in each car) laughed us silly of the acceleration and the sound. Btw, he had a Nissan Micra for a daily driver.... The RS4 was no doubt the best car around the ring. The S6, and S8 were too heavy, and even though the TT had the 3.2 and magnetic ride, it couldn't match the speeds of the RS4 in the corners without serious tire screeching.
The S8 was the second surprise of the day. The RS4 that blew our heads off, beeing the first. To have a 2ton car, with all the extras and gizmos, that can cruise the Autobahn at 250+ is nothing new, but if that car can drive like at sportscar speeds around a track, the that is something very special. The sound first off, is FANTASTIC!!!!!! What you dont hear in the videos, is the very deep growl that comes when it shifts gear. Oh my, I'm in love!. We had some serious speeds around the track in the S8, it truly was an astonoshing car, with an astonoshing sound.
S6 Avant was pretty much the same as the S8, but a little less raw. The S8 seemed more agressive. Only a 15hp difference, but that all important airsuspension in the S8 did the trick for us.
The new TT was very fun around the track. we had a slalom course whick we drove with the magnetic suspension with and without the sport mode engaged. The magnetic ride was very impressive. It drove lika a little go kart. It has a high dashboard, small slim windows, and a serious cockpit feel to it. You feel very protected. The sound engineers at Audi should get the Nobel Prize in engineering for the exhaust work on the new TT. At low revs it growls and humms at an extrarordinary low and muscular tone. Wow! At revs is sounds very similar to the V8 4.2 in the A8.
All in all it was a fantastic day at Gotland Ring, we were so amazed with the things they let us do. My brother is 18 years old, have had his linsence for two months and yet he has had a new S8 5.2 in a drift at 130km/h with smoke from all forur tires. hahahahaha.
After lunch, we drove 5 cars after the instructor following his ideal line. I thought he was supposed to be a sort of pace car, keeping us from going nuts. I tell you, he drove like he had stolen it. I have never concentraded to this level in my life before, ever. Now I realize how fit you have to be to race on tracks. Holy crap!. It was the most scary and fun thing I have ever done. The RS4 is a car to be afraid of. After the first run of the day in the RS4, i started shaking in my clutch foot. Driving an RS4 at a track with a crazy instructor is just complete and utter madness. I drove as fast as I dared, and he kept telling me after each run; "the car can take more" The last run, I was in a 140km/h semi-drift in a hairpin corner, in the ideal line.... then I got the "mexican-wave" from the instructor.
my vids are in my youtube account here:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Skaaala
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The editor of
www.dinside.no/motor has written a review in Norwegian and also made a short vid from all that happened that day. There are also some low-res pictures.
article
http://www.dinside.no/php/art.php?id=342269
video
http://www.dinside.no/km_fil/3/2237963.wmv
pictures
http://www.dinside.no/php/art.php?id=342279
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more pics here
http://www.bilnorge.no/vis_artikkel.php3?aid=29658
Audi Sportscar Experience - Gotland Ring (update!2)
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