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"University of Quattro" Driver Education at the Evergreen Speedway on Saturday, 2/2

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I am going to this event with my Model S and I am wondering if anyone else wants to go?

* All day event from 8 am to when it gets dark
* It costs $100 and includes lunch
* You do not need to have an Audi or be part of the Audi Club
* There are chargers at the Fairground

MonroeChargingStation.png


More details and registration at the links below. PM me if you want to go or want more details.

http://www.audiclubnw.org/profiles/blogs/university-of-quattro-registration-is-open

http://www.motorsportreg.com/index.cfm/event/event.advert/uidEvent/AF2223E8-AF83-3CE4-1E17EA16FEB62FF0#.UP7CSW883Xo


 
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I am going to this event with my Model S and I am wondering if anyone else wants to go?

* All day event from 8 am to when it gets dark
* It costs $100 and includes lunch
* You do not need to have an Audi or be part of the Audi Club
* There are chargers at the Fairground

View attachment 15022

More details and registration at the links below. PM me if you want to go or want more details.

http://www.audiclubnw.org/profiles/blogs/university-of-quattro-registration-is-open

http://www.motorsportreg.com/index.cfm/event/event.advert/uidEvent/AF2223E8-AF83-3CE4-1E17EA16FEB62FF0#.UP7CSW883Xo



Be careful if you are going out on the main track. That is one of the scarier tracks in the region. Many solid objects in close range.
Also, be aware that your instructor may not be familiar with the driving dynamics of the Model S.
 
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So far, it looks like we will get 2-4 Model S at this event. It is going to be fun. Keep your fingers crossed for nice weather.

I am wondering if I should get a GoPro camera for the event. Has anyone mounted one on a car? If yes, how?

GoPro's suction cup is okay for use on car exterior. At least we did it that way anyways. But then again, back then we used to shoot wedding video and didn't drive 100mph.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I decided to go for a ride. Golden City Buffet is nearby. The Eaton charger didn't work fore me. Wasn't free and didn't recognize the 3 credit cards I tried (AmEx, Visa, Discover).

Hmm, on Plugshare, the user comments said it was free. Here are the comments:

+Evii 10 days ago

+BIG_neutrino 3 months ago
Free! However, I don't think the parking where the chargers are is available come Evergreen State Fair time. Even on this quiet weekend, we had to snuggle the car between two R.V.s to get access to the otherwise blocked unit.

-EV LEAF a year ago
Eaton EVSE's. Both spots ICED. No EV Signage. By double parking (plenty of room) cord may have reached

+Josh a year ago
Worked great. Be sure to read the instructions, as I kept trying to swipe my credit card, until I realized it was currently free. Spots are in premium fair parking territory, with no restrictive signage, so this might be a problem come the fair season.
 
Worked great. Be sure to read the instructions, as I kept trying to swipe my credit card, until I realized it was currently free.
Other than "press the yellow button" (which really mean the button with a small yellow light I presume), and trying swiping and non-swiping and blind plugging in (no swipe)... I gave up. If this is how it's gonna be for EVs, no wonder it's taking forever for this tech to take off.

Twenty minutes later, Taco Del Mar was happy to take my card. At least dinner was good.
 
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Francis took some videos, I think, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the other groups did from his posts.

I didn't take many pictures (too busy taking it all in, and being lazy), but I did take a few.

Note: Camera phone. Just about every picture was rushed. All have been resized to 25% of the original (so if any attendees want the original, let me know in PM). No cropping has been done to make them look pretty or anything.


Energy consumption rose throughout the day
UQEvent20130203_Consumption1.jpg

UQEvent20130203_Consumption2.jpg

UQEvent20130203_Consumption3.jpg

UQEvent20130203_Consumption4.jpg

UQEvent20130203_Consumption5.jpg


Long view of consumption (the non-orange part of the graph is travelling to the venue)
UQEvent20130203_Consumption6.jpg


A few shots of the car line-up before the final driving activities
UQEvent20130202_Lineup1.jpg
UQEvent20130202_Lineup2.jpg
UQEvent20130202_Lineup3.jpg


Note that it's pretty easy to pick out Chad's car. ;)
 
I didn't get many pics either, but here is what I managed for energy consumption during the event (this picture was taken about 3/4 of the way through the day):

IMG_1104.jpg


And here is my consumption from later that evening...the part of the day I spent at the track is clearly visible :biggrin::

IMG_1105.jpg


It was great fun...Personally, I highly recommend attending an event like this. IMO, It really gives you a great sense of how the Model S handles and, more importantly, what the car feels like in extreme situations.
 
So how did the S handle on the track?

Absolutely phenomenal. I've never quite experienced driving like that before. I had participated in a clinic like that many years ago, but it was nothing like driving Model S. The responsiveness of the steering on the slalom was incredible. The handling through the figure-8 was nothing short of amazing. As one of our fellow Model S drivers put it to me, "it goes where you put it." I really felt like I had total command of the vehicle the entire time.

I was definitely outclassed by my vehicle.

+1
 
Before I forget to mention it...

Our hosts were very gracious and welcoming. Coming into the event, I had some lingering concerns about whether we'd be "invading" a mostly Audi event. Quite the contrary in reality. There were vehicles from VW, Porsche, BMW, Ford, and others. Further, participants and instructors alike were very gracious and welcoming of our squad of Tesla vehicles. Most (all?) had never ridden in the Roadster or the Model S and there was clearly enthusiasm to have us (and other Tesla folk) attend future events.
 
Looks like a needed sw feature for the energy consumption display is auto-scaling :). Did any of you hear if this is an annual event or will they have it more frequently?

Also curious, would a 60kWh battery have made it through the day? Maybe at least charge up nearby before heading out on the track...?!
 
Looks like a needed sw feature for the energy consumption display is auto-scaling :). Did any of you hear if this is an annual event or will they have it more frequently?

Also curious, would a 60kWh battery have made it through the day? Maybe at least charge up nearby before heading out on the track...?!

These events are held regularly, from what I understand. And, from what I hear, other groups (Porsche, BMW, etc) hold similar events. I think you just have to find your way to their website and find the events for which you are qualified to participate (for example, there are certain lapping events that require you have taken at least one of the Driver's Education events prior to being able to attend). The short answer is, yes, this is a popular sport that occurs multiple times during the year at many different tracks.

As far as the 60 kWh battery goes, it shouldn't have a problem. I used a range charge prior to heading to the track on my 85 and totally didn't need it. I consumed a total of 20 kWh driving to the track, participating, and the driving home from the track. If it were a longer day (a lapping event, for instance), then some charging might be necessary, but I think that would be the case for the 85, as well.