Fri, Jan 25 - Sun, Jan 27, 2019

Winter Driving Event 2019 HPDE

Thunderhill Raceway Park

About this event


 

Join Audi Club Golden Gate at its annual celebration of winter at our Winter Driving Event, January 25th through 27th, 2019 at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows CA. If it is your first or your tenth time attending an Audi Club driving event we're confident that you'll have a great time. The event is open to all skill levels from first timers to advanced drivers. The weekend event will be preceded by an advanced drivers only day and instructor clinic on Friday, January 25th, 2019.   

First timers and beginners will spend the Saturday morning in a classroom session followed by practical car control exercises during which you will develop skills and learn the practical side of vehicle dynamics. The classes and exercises are designed to enhance your car control skills in a controlled and safe environment.

During all on-track driving activities, all levels of students drive their own cars and will be assigned an Audi Club instructor who will accompany them and provide expert guidance to improve students' driving skills. During the car control sessions, first time and beginning students drive their own cars and are coached by instructors who observe their progress from outside the car during the exercise. This provides each student with the foundational knowledge needed to get the most out of the event.

Students are aggregated into Run Groups which are established to allow them to be on track with other drivers of similar experience. First timers and beginning students always have an instructor in the car during on track sessions. Novice, intermediate and advanced drivers will be assigned an instructor. Depending on skill level demonstrated to the instructor during the event, these students may be signed off to solo in the car on the track without an instructor. To ensure that the club provides each student with a safe and secure environment, passing is only permitted on designated sections of the track and under controlled circumstances. The race track does not have side streets, stop lights, pedestrians, or any of the other distractions that are encountered while driving on public streets. Because of this, time spent on the track provides a great opportunity for each participant to learn advanced driving techniques safely and to explore the capabilities of both driver and car.

The Winter Driving Event will take place at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, California. We will be running the eastern 3.0 mile counter-clockwise configuration of the Raceway which is an SCCA track that includes several elevation changes, short & long straights, and a number of technical turns. It is considered to be one of the safest, and best tracks in America for drivers to improve driving skills. This unique combination of safety and complexity creates the recipe for a great driving experience.

Come and join us. You will leave the track on Sunday night with driving skills that will enhance and improve your daily driving experience.

Event Details

The Winter Driving Event weekend begins on Friday afternoon, January 25th, 2019. Check-in will begin at the track's clubhouse at 5:00 PM and will continue until 7:00 PM. During the check-in period a light meal will be served. Friday evening will also include a special meeting for all first timers, as well as a mandatory meeting for all instructors, and a mandatory meeting for all registrants. Details of these meetings will be provided in your welcome packet; you should plan for the mandatory meetings to take place between approximately 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

In addition to the light snack provided prior to the Friday night drivers’ meeting, we will provide water and lunch at the track on Saturday and Sunday and we will also provide breakfast at the track on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The track will open early on Saturday and Sunday mornings (at 6:30 AM).  Lunch, the cost of which is included in the registration price, will be served at the track.  The track will close at 5:00 PM each day.  On Saturday evening we will hold a Banquet (catered by Thunderhill's popular chef Jim Thompson) and fund-raising event at track in the main meeting center. Exact timing and details will be sent to you as part of the welcome packet, which will arrive by email, approximately 1 week prior to the event.

Advanced Drivers Day & Instructor Clinic

In addition to the 2-day weekend event, this year's Winter Driving Event will be preceded by an advanced drivers only day on Friday, January 25th, 2019. The club will also be holding an instructor clinic that day, sharing sessions and track time with the advanced drivers. If you are a pre-solo-ed C or D group driver and wish to attend the advanced drivers day, make sure to select the corresponding option when signing up and paying for the event.

Costs and other details

Early bird pricing is available until and including December 23rd, 2018.

  • For students, $400 for the two-day weekend Winter Driving Event with early bird pricing, and $450 after December 23rd.
  • For instructors, $200 for the two-day weekend Winter Driving Event with early bird pricing, and $250 after December 23rd.

The cost of the Friday advanced drivers day is $175 for all with early bird pricing, and $225 after December 23rd. Note that registration for all three days includes a $35 incentive discount!

Trainees in the instructor clinic get a special flat rate of $150 for all three days.

The cost of the event includes: breakfast, lunch and water all-day for both days at the track, a light meal on Friday evening and the Saturday banquet dinner.

Note: If you have any credits to be applied for this event, you must coordinate with the event master prior to enrolling in this event in order to ensure that your credits can be properly applied.  If you are at checkout, and you do not see your credits, please cancel the registration, and send an email to Maxime Petazzoni (max@audiclubgoldengate.org) or Mayur Bhatia (mayur@audiclubgoldengate.org) .

Registration will end on January 8th, 2019 at 6:00 PM PST.  Please NOTE - Registration MAY close earlier than this date if the event sells out. So please do not wait until the last minute to register!

Hotel Information

The headquarters hotel for the event is the Holiday Inn Express in Willows, CA.  Be sure to mention you are with the Audi Club to receive a room rate of $109/Night, for 2 nights.  To obtain this rate, you must call the hotel directly, and book through the front desk.  You can reach the hotel at 530-934-8900.  If you call early in the morning, the front desk agent might transfer you to the 800 number, and the 800 number will not know anything about the discounted rate, so if that happens, hang up, and call back later.  There are limited rooms guaranteed at this rate, so act quickly.  There will be no event related activities taking place at the hotel.

Event requirements

All registrants must be licensed drivers over 18 years of age and must be members of Audi Club North America (http://www.audiclubna.org/membership).

Equal seat belt restraints are required for driver and instructor.

Lights, turn signals, etc must be operating.

No trucks or SUVs are allowed.

Each car must pass a Technical Inspection (see below).

A failure to meet safety checks or submitting an incomplete Technical Inspection form may disqualify students from event and cause forfeiture of the entry fee.

Helmet Requirements: Participants must wear helmets bearing Snell SA or MA 2010 or SA 2015 certification. This certification sticker MUST BE present and visible inside the helmet. Helmets are also available to rent at a nominal cost when registering for this event.

Medical Information: No medical form is required for ACNA events. Please be sure your MotorsportReg.com profile has updated emergency contact information.

Technical Inspection for the Winter Driving Event: You are STRONGLY encouraged to have your vehicle inspected by a qualified individual/mechanic from an Audi dealer or local independent shop (preferably an ACGG sponsor including Title Sponsors 034Motorsport and Griffin Motorwerke!) to verify its safety (click here for a list of additional sponsors who offer technical inspections). You MUST have your Tech Review Form filled out by a mechanic no more than 30 days prior to the event. No technical inspections will be provided at the track! You are solely responsible for insuring that your vehicle is safe before you come to the track. Failure to present a completed Tech Inspection Form will disqualify you from participation in the event and your entry fee will be forfeited.  Click here to download the Technical Review Form

Thunderhill Raceway Park

Willows, CA
Download track map
Download track map
Buy virtual track walk
Buy virtual track walk

Organizer

HPDE organized by

Audi Club NA - Golden Gate Chapter

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Event over!