Jim Russell Performance Driving class

[Radius8]

Last Thursday I attended the first day of the Jim Russell Performance Driving class at Infineon Raceway. For those of you familiar with the Audi R8 Experience, the same instructors run these events.

The format is very similar to the R8 Experience except you drive your own car. The class size is limited to 8 participants. Cost of Day I is $696 and lunch at the track cafe is included.

The day started at 10:00 as we checked in at the Audi Forum. Following check in, one of the instructor collected our car keys and we moved down to one of the class room inside the garage below for our first lecture. There, the lead instructor went over the basic physics of performance driving. During that time, our cars were checked by their mechanics and tire pressures were adjusted (more on that later).

After the first lecture, we went out to the parking lot where our cars were lined up waiting for us. The first activity consisted of paddock exercises including a slalom and a simulated hair pin turn. We were split in 2 groups, each group starting with one exercise then switching to the other. We were given the chance to try out the courses numerous times, and many cones were ran over (took me more than an hour to clean the scuff marks off my front bumper on Saturday).

At the end of the exercises, we drove our cars to the track cafe for lunch. It was a nice time to discuss car topic with our fellow class mates and the instructors joined in. While we were having lunch, the paddock was reconfigured for an autocross.

After lunch we regrouped back for the autocross which started with us taking rides with an instructor driving an mitsubishi Evo X around the course at slow, medium and high speed (I wish we could have done this before lunch instead). Those Evo can really corner . Again we were given numerous runs at the exercise and more chance to kill cones (and smoke our brakes).

Following this last paddock activity, we went back into the class room for our pre-track lesson. After getting fitted with helmets it was finally time to go out. We were split in 3 groups (this time of 2, 2, and 3 cars each), I was paired with an S5. The instructors drove Evo X. The format was the same as the R8 Experience, that is lead follow with constant radio contact in the car, no overtaking except when instructed to switch positions so every one got the chance to tail the instructor. We had 2 sessions, I recorded almost exactly 50 miles total for track distance. It didn't seem at the time but I was actually really beat by day end (after I got home bed time came at 20:30).

We met back in the class room briefly to be handed completion certificates and parted company. Every one had a great time and learned a lot, me included even though I had the most previous track time of the students that day.

Overall, I think that it was a worthwhile program, especially for those with little track experience and we got to drive our own cars. Therefore, recommended for anyone like myself who need all the coaching we can get . I am considering going for the second day (cost a bit more).



Now about tire pressure. The R8 Experience fleet is mostly V8's (and they just got brand new ones, all with ceramic brakes). They do have one 2009 V10. The factory recommended tire pressures for the 2009 V10 is considerably less than these for my 2011 V10. The sticker on my car says 45 psi front, 41 psi rear. My previous times at Infineon, I ran with close to stock pressures (may be 1 psi lower). This time, the Jim Russell mechanic set my pressures at 32, 36 rear and 34, 38 front (can't remember order) and I didn't find this out till Saturday when I check them cold. Apparently, my car did not like these settings as I was constantly lighting up the ESP about 1/4 into the carousel (turn 6) even at the low speed of 50 mph during our cool down lap (something that did not happen during my previous track events there). The instructor did say that the R8's electronic is pretty sensitive in that particular section of the track and he also mentioned that the car with street alignment tends to wear the tires in some unusual way which causes the ESP to kick in despite the tires still having lots of tread left in them. Anyhow, this is something to keep an eye on.

[swansailor]

Thanks for a great write up Phil. During two visits to Infineon last year and a recent one to Thunderhill last month, I had tire pressure adjustments for my V8 done by the Big O Tires team who did a Nitrogen flush of the tires and then measured temperatures and pressures immediately after I came off the track following each session. I was surprised by how much gas had to be let out of the tires to ensure uniform temperatures; the optimum hot pressures were approx 40psi fronts and 35 psi rear (which translated into 29.5 and 26 psi the next day when the tires were cold). Before going to Thunderhill, I also had the camber on my wheels adjusted as a response the the uneven wear observed after track events (done by the excellent R8 mechanic at Steven's Creek Audi in San Jose). I was amazed at the difference these adjustments made (especially the changes in pressure). I now have my own temperature gauge as well as pressure gauge.

[Radius8]

... the optimum hot pressures were approx 40psi fronts and 35 psi rear (which translated into 29.5 and 26 psi the next day when the tires were cold). ....

Hi Terry, thanks for the good info. Woa these are really low indeed . Does the TPMS trigger any warnings? Of course, being a novice still I can't possibly be driving the car as hard as you so I doubt that I need such drastic adjustment to my tire pressures. Still there is the fact that the recommended stock pressures are different for our two cars and I suspect the ESP is not tuned the same either.

I'll have the pressures checked by Big-O at my next club event. Curious to see what they recommend.

[swansailor]

Yes, the TPMS does come on. The warning goes away after the tires have been pumped back up to the normal recommended pressure.