Idiotsavant

Just got back from the NEQ 2 day course at Monticello Motor Park. Anyone who hasn't done these events really should they are awesome.

Facility: Very impressive total course is 4.1 miles which can be divided into two courses, we were on the smaller quite technical course on the right of the map which you can view of their website Monticellomotorclub.com

Participants: This was my first ever track event so I have little basis for comparison but I thought the organization, instruction, and venue were all top notch. There was a huge variety of cars from what looked like a relatively stock Passat wagon to a 360 Modena coupe and everything in between. My instructor was a very cool guy driving an R8 and I got to right seat with him for two sessions (in addition to my own sessions) which was a real treat as he was totally up to the task of driving the R8. Everyone was friendly, welcoming, and completely non-threatening to beginners. I was surprised that I was the only RS4 at the event and even though I was in the Green group I did my best to represent.

Track time: Day one I had three track sessions and one skills station (lane toss, slalom, threshold braking) and day two I had 4 track sessions. Each track session was a full thirty minutes, and by the end of the second day I was pretty fried. There were also 3-4 classroom sessions which were all about 30min long and helpful.

Track Performance: As a neophyte I had no idea what to expect but by the end of the second day I was starting to get the hang of it passing a bunch and even lapping a number of slower people in my group. I ran with S button on (of course) and even though I left the ESP on it only engaged once in two days of pretty spitited driving and it did probably keep me on the track (missed a downshift in 2nd and really unsettled the car coming into a tight corner). I truly felt privileged to be driving with such excellent equipment and quickly appreciated what a fine communicator the RS4 is with its driver. While the limit is still probably somewhere over the horizon for me the amount of feedback the RS4 provides through steering and braking is pretty amazing and so I never once (maybe that one ESP time) felt out of control...but boy is she one heavy monster and managing the weight and the power available will definitely take some more education. My last ride was a B6 S4 avant (hence my handle) and the RS4 does everything ever so much better.

Mechanical issues: NONE!!! Brakes perfect, tires no prob, DRC dry as a bone (checked the fronts twice each day)without knocking, Engine oil temp as high as 245 but never hight with coolant at 90 and that's after 30 min mostly in third gear with rpms 4-7.5k. Each time I came off the track the car gave me the feeling she could just go all day and not hiccup once (my car had 19k on it and is all stock). I had one transient brake light come on twice in hard corners (the sensor is probably high up in the tank) which was resolved with 2 capfuls of fluid.

On the drive home everything seemed like it was going in slow motion and I was happy to have my street car back with its I-pod hook-up, Nav+, bluetooth, sat radio, convenient cup-holder for my iced latte, comfy seats, and smooth highway ride....Oh yeah....that's my RS4 too, ****'s so sweet I'm getting cavities.

That's all for now....don't have that many great pics and haven't downloaded them yet but when I do will post some.

Joe@AxisMotorsport

Hey Jason!
It was great to see you at the event. Everybody had a blast as far as I could tell.

I saw a huge improvement in your laps as you and Richard went round...I was watching from various spots as I helped out a little.

Glad you enjoyed it and hope to see you at another one in the future!

Cheers,
joe