By C Y Chew

Want to tune up your driving skills behind the wheel of a 580 hp wagon? Or learn how to shave those precious seconds off your lap time? Well, Christmas came early for the 60 Audi customers in Singapore who attended the Audi Sportscar Experience in Sepang last week.

The full-day programme included a classroom session covering the fundamentals of driving followed by laps on the track.

Audi Singapore said it tailored the programme for bona fide enthusiasts - those who love to drive and are committed to constantly improving their driving skills.

The German marque also said it was an ideal opportunity for drivers to see for themselves how these Audi models earn their "S" and "RS" badges.

Unlike some other rudimentary courses where participants are taught how to do emergency braking or slalom through a set of cones, the main aim was to improve circuit driving prowess while experiencing some of Audi's top-of-the-line models. The circuit was broken up into four sections and after a short theory lesson, participants took turns driving behind the instructors - most of whom are former race car drivers - to learn the correct line and brake/acceleration points.

From the mighty RS6 with 650 Nm of torque to the agile 272 hp Audi TT-S, the entire range of Audi S-cars was available for some seat time. After lunch, drivers took to lapping the complete track with the intent of stringing together all they had learned.

For enthusiasts who have never driven on a racetrack and don't know the meaning of understeer/oversteer, the Audi Sportscar Experience might be a little intimidating. But for those who yawn at the pseudo "driving courses" held in car parks, the opportunity to push seriously fast machinery to the limit with valuable instruction thrown in, it was very enriching.

The Audi Sportscar Experience is also available in Belgium, California, Portugal and the UK. Those who missed it this time around need not fret - Audi will make the $2,100 experience available to the public and Audi drivers when it is held again at the Sepang F1 Circuit in February next year.