Thursday 11 February 2016 - As the Hawthorn Football Club's Principal Partner, Audi Australia PTY LTD invited players to be amongst the first in Australia to experience the power and exhileration of the highly anticipated all-new Audi R8 at a track day in Melbourne.

Sherrins for racecars, Audi Ambassador Jordan Lewis was joined by 12 of his teammates including Josh Gibson, Isaac Smith and Jack Gunston in an exclusive tailor made Audi Driving Experience – the country's benchmark performance driving program.

On arrival at Broadford Circuit, one hour north of Melbourne, the players were greeted by 15 left hand drive all-new R8's that were sent to Australia from Audi's head office in Germany, ahead of their official launch in May this year.

 "As principal sponsor of the Hawthorn Football Club, it was important for us to showcase the dynamic Audi Sport brand to the players and as they found out today there is no greater driving thrill than taking the wheel of an Audi R8," Audi Australia Managing Director Andrew Doyle said.

"Mirroring Hawthorn's reputation as a leading and innovative club, the all new R8 pushes the boundaries of what is possible for a modern supercar, and we are thrilled to share this special experience with the Hawks."

Capable of reaching 100km/h from rest in just 3.2 seconds, before a top speed of 330km/h, the R8 V10 plus is the fastest production Audi ever built – which the players experienced first-hand, finishing the day with signature Audi hot laps.

Under the watchful eye of Audi's expert team of instructors, including chief driving instructor Steve Pizzati, three-time Australian racing champion Dean Canto and V8 supercar veteran Steve Johnson the Hawks were guided through a range of exercises to experience the full power and the capability of the R8.

"The Audi Drive Experience program allows our customers to experience our fantastic performance vehicles, but more importantly, it serves to raise awareness about safe driving practices. Steve and his team understand the importance of their role for our brand, and for our customers, and we are delighted that the program has proven such a success," said Mr Doyle.

Some background on the Audi Driving Experience

The idea of a manufacturer-based driving program isn't new to Audi. The brand with the four rings launched the Audi quattro Experience in Germany in 1980 to demonstrate the dynamic benefits of quattro technology and to educate customers in defensive driving techniques. For 15 years, Audi Australia has also offered a simplified, half-day version of this program.

After 15 years as an invitation-only, dealer-based program, the new Audi Drive Experience was re-launched in 2012 with a $6.8 million fleet of 40 cars for all customers to attend.

Four tiers of the Audi Drive Experience are available to Australian participants. The Audi Advanced Driving Experience introduces participants to the program, with a schedule that includes a slalom course, understeer and oversteer identification, high-speed emergency braking with obstacle avoidance and full track lapping.

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The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 16 locations in twelve countries. In the second half of 2016, Audi will start production of the Q5 in San José Chiapa (Mexico). 100-percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include quattro GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).

In 2015, the Audi Group delivered to customers approximately 1.8 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 3,245 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and about 54,800 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2014 financial year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €53.8 billion and an operating profit of €5.15 billion. At present, approximately 85,000 people work for the company all over the world, about 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on new products and sustainable technologies for the future of mobility.