Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack! - Jalopnik Comments

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Naters4 — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 05:08:47 EST

@R-GTI: A well scheduled Saturday? Going to go to Home Depot? Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time...

But seriously, folks
Nicely written review, Murilee, though the final paragraph only further convinces me that someone needs to send an R8 to MTM; THAT would be a berserk machine.
Anxiously awaiting pt. 3

Naters4

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

kareemsultan — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:19:03 EST

@Al Navarro:
I would suggest using the services from www.racedv.com
That equipment eliminates shaky video and adds graphical data. Might make more sense for Audi to have the cars prepared with our equipment to begin with. That way every journalist will get their own video.
Disclaimer - I own the company.

kareemsultan

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

camp6ell — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:46:58 EST

@Al Navarro: the former - and i work not a kick in the pants away from the dream garage whateveritis. hail to the new jalopnik editor - no more stories of paris-hiltonesque-banality!

camp6ell

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Al Navarro — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:45:48 EST

@camp6ell:
Do you think no one from here would be interested in meeting Roy or that geographically I might be one of the only ones able to make it?

Surely the former. I just finished the book this AM, great read.

Al Navarro

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

hairykrishna — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:24:01 EST

Nice writeup. It's good to see an R8 review from 'one of us' if you know what I mean. More car write ups from Murilee please!

hairykrishna

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Turboner — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:46:37 EST

You could have used more of the track there, Murilee ;) Did it feel better to you than drag racing? Did it make you think about getting a car that handles? Do you now have a need to do another track day? Just curious if you are going to make "the switch" or not. Great proletarian review, BTW.

Turboner

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Murilee Martin — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 22:03:07 EST

@viergangfuchs: It was weird how the other journalists turned up their noses at the S5... that thing is fast!

Murilee Martin

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

camp6ell — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 21:43:18 EST

murilee, are you the stig?
and, how gimpy did you feel taking that picture in the classroom?

camp6ell

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

camp6ell — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 21:42:22 EST

@Al Navarro: it would be amazing for you... you'd have him all to yourself!

camp6ell

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

camp6ell — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 21:41:55 EST

@Rust-MyEnemy: maybe you need to try it with a man next time?

camp6ell

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

GameBreaker — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:26:32 EST

Man, I've been waiting for this! Although I was hoping for some sideways tire smoking action, but hearing the flyby's is good enough for me.

GameBreaker

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

R-GTI — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:40:24 EST

@Al Navarro: Hey, guess who's going to be in NY/NJ for the holidays! Herr Roy? any interest? I sure would like to peek around the schwag in that Mahattan Automobile Club garage.

R-GTI

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Paul Y. is Going Dumb at the Sideshow — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:38:17 EST

@R-GTI: Every year, I think about going to the Buffalo auto show, but I think that would actually be worse than your experience. No one cares about Buffalo.

That, and the Buffalo convention center is in a shady neighborhood.

Paul Y. is Going Dumb at the Sideshow

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Al Navarro — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:34:57 EST

@R-GTI:
You know what would be amazing? If the Jalop somehow wangled a Jalop-reader/commenter exclusive book signing session with Herr Roy. Might have to be in NYC, but still...I think they'd get a lot of action on that.

Al Navarro

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

R-GTI — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:22:54 EST

@Al Navarro: In fact, that was what drew me to the show in the first place. But I went first thing in the AM and the M5 was nowhere to be found. Nor the shiny bald head of Roy (I can say that, I too have a shiny bald head). The girlfriend and I had a well-scheduled saturday, and left after an hour or so. The show left me disappointed in so many ways ("no, sir, the concept vehicles are still in LA," "the W12 GTI is not available to this show, I'm sorry," "the Evo X is not travelling to this show"), that we just gave up rather quickly.

R-GTI

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

SebringMGB — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:22:18 EST

That little tin of M&M's... That the same tin a local so-cal cannabis club uses.

SebringMGB

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

charles_barrett — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:48:12 EST

I don't know beans about track driving, but I envy you this junket, even if it were only the Audi-branded swag you came away with. Then again, how often does someone get the opportunity to drive $130K state-of-the-art German hardware (unless you're Paris Hilton or her BFF)...?

As always, Murilee, a well-written and entertaining read!

charles_barrett

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

ViergangFuchs — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:34:46 EST

Murilee's being modest, of course; he did very well and threw down some very decent times. In the S5, he was as good as a lot of the journos in the RS4 and R8.

ViergangFuchs

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Al Navarro — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:32:38 EST

@R-GTI:
Did you see Alex Roy there on his book tour?

Al Navarro

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

BinkysDream — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:22:38 EST

Murilee: please write everything from now on. kthxbai

BinkysDream

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

R-GTI — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:48:06 EST

In all seriousness, nice follow-up, and i'm glad to see it.

I went to the profoundly bad Boston auto show over the weekend, and arranged test-flogging of the 135i, 335i and 335xi, because I am still wary of RWD in this sector, despite recent Jalop discussion. And yet I was drawn to the S5 over Audi way. OOOOOOhhh, that's a nice ride. If the 4.2 V8 in that rig can be re-tuned to pound out the 420HP of the RS4 and R8 (S5 is set for 354HP stock), I would be Very Interested.

R-GTI

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

kungfo — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:45:30 EST

a true moment of bliss for my afternoon
a big man in a tropical shirt with a full face race helmet hooning about in a german supercar

your like the stigs cousin from guam

kungfo

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

R-GTI — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:44:14 EST

Well Murilee, I'm happy to see that your stay in the Bulgarian special rendition facility has concluded. You can thank me, as no doubt it was the rabble-rousing, so coarsely referred to as "conspiratorially-minded," that led Audi AG to quietly end that punishment. I mean, sure, they could have quietly "disappeared" me, but that might have become messy. And we wouldn't want those garage floors to get stained, now would we?

I should note that part 2 is quite rah-rah Audi. Part of the terms of your release?

R-GTI

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Fitty7lax — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:23:41 EST

The R8 sounds like an amazing car, amazing in the same way as a 911 Turbo: an appliance for speed, grip, and braking.

But goddamn does it look good doing it.

Fitty7lax

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Mad_Science — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:13:20 EST

@Rust-MyEnemy: Dude, you're on a roll today.

Mad_Science

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

d4005 — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:53:26 EST

That Audi attention to detail is legendary. I know a few people who work at the Ingolstadt HQ and they were telling me about all the things that were going on before the Frankfurt show. Things that regular people wouldn't even consider for a second were all given a lot of attention. Clearly it pays off and gets noticed.

d4005

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Rust-MyEnemy — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:30:50 EST

I have to say I had a vague, pit-of-the-stomach feeling this was going to be the case. Not quite crazy enough. And I get this feeling when I drive pretty much any Audi, up to and including the RS4.

Like, you know when you have really good sex, but you know it could have been better. There's just a certain something missing. An edge.

Maybe they just lack violence. Savagery. When a girl digs their nails in, that's what some other cars do.

Audi's are like BMWs, but without the pantyline tattoo.

Rust-MyEnemy

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Novaload — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:23:18 EST

It's going to take awhile to process all this --I'm still going back to the gift swag!
But this much is painfully obvious: Murilee you are one lucky sob. Can you feel all the waves of envy directed at you?

Novaload

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Joe_Bloe — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:56:55 EST

@TheAstronot wins one internets.

Joe_Bloe

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:49:03 EST

@burglar: Heh, my friend calls Lost the handjob of TV dramas. Could this be the handjob of automotive journalism?

Now I know what the Audi lotion is for.

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

cyclopticgaze — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:48:37 EST

Sending Mrs. Martin on this assignment was a fantastic editorial decision. I've enjoyed this review tremendously. Kudos.

cyclopticgaze

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

JoeKing — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:46:40 EST

@ MAD_SCIENCE: That may be the quintessential QOTD--car some of us here might actually be able to afford vs. car most of us here can't afford.

JoeKing

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

HansStuckJr — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:40:05 EST

Excellent multimedia review. Getting stuck in a construction zone behind a 25-year old Dodge van leaking fuel is a true test of Bruce. And of course the R8 passed with flying colors. Well worth the wait.

HansStuckJr

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

milo_carrera — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:31:57 EST

CARGASM! Sticky keyboard. Not much work gonna get done around here today.

milo_carrera

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Mad_Science — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:30:55 EST

Hmmm...QOTD: RS4 or R8?

Mad_Science

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

burglar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:30:18 EST

Ack, it's like watching Lost, the questions never get fully answered.

I was planning on tuning in again anyhow, you don't have to keep me hooked.

burglar

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Al Navarro — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:27:08 EST

I find it interesting and slightly amazing/distressing that someone with Murilee's automotive knowledge base and mechanical facility is not more of an intuitively hot-shoe driver.

---

Attention Ray W, new commander of the Jalop budget:

Buy this:
[www.filmtools.com]

And this:
[chasecam.com]

for the team....they'll help eliminate the shakycam effect.

I used the former to shoot this: [www.youtube.com]

Al Navarro