Audi Club California HPDE @ Buttonwillow's Classic
Buttonwillow RacewayAbout this event
The Audi Clubs of California
present
HIGH-PERFORMANCE DRIVER SCHOOL
Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Friday, November 21, 2025 - Sunday, November 23, 2025
Have fun driving your own car on a racetrack!
NEW! Ride with Randy Pobst, our Celebrity Pro Instructor at this event!
At this high performance driving school you will:
- Enjoy a fun, supportive, no-pressure learning environment.
- Be welcomed by a diverse group of friendly people who love performance driving and really understand, appreciate, and enjoy their cars.
- Join in fun social gatherings with great catered meals!
- Improve your driving skills and learn your car's capabilities.
- Participate in diverse learning opportunities including classroom, group discussions and, of course, driving instruction.
- Bring the car you already have. All makes and models of coupes and sedans are welcome. Select models of convertibles and CUV/SUVs are okay, too!
Safety first - This event is all about education and fun! Run groups are established to allow students to be on track with other drivers of similar experience. This event is not a race, a racing school, or practice for racing. Passing is allowed only in designated sections of the course and under controlled conditions. All Drivers will be placed in run groups appropriate for their skill level and their car's capabilities.
Expert instruction - Beginners will spend Friday afternoon reviewing vehicle dynamics in the classroom and warming up with car control exercises on the skid pad. On Saturday and Sunday our valued Beginners will drive with us on the track with an Audi Club instructor in their car. Expert instruction is always available on request for our pre-solo experienced drivers.
NEW! Celebrity Pro Instruction – Motorsports personality and champion professional racer Randy Pobst is Audi Club's celebrity instructor for this event. Get pointers for making the most of your own car’s capability. Donate to Audi Club and Randy will drive you on track in your car. We also offer a few special opportunities to ride with Randy on track in a limited-edition high-performance Audi sports car. Support your club with your donation and have a blast!
Fun Social Events - Randy Pobst will be around all weekend. He'll be our featured speaker and master of ceremony at the Saturday evening banquet in the Audi Club big top tent, as well as at the Friday evening Welcome Reception. Join us for two great evenings of fun, comraderie, motorsports stories, and great food!
Track Configuration - Audi Club is approaching a quarter-century of annual driving schools at Buttonwillow! To celebrate our long history at this track we will be running our original configuration of Star Mazda in the clockwise direction.
Calling All Experienced Drivers! Audi Club SoCal is planning our Motorsport Safety Foundation Level II Instructor Certification clinic on Friday 11/21. If you are interested in getting Certified please reach out to our chief driving instructor via email at CDI@audiclubsocal.org, as this affordable opportunity to upgrade your skills is contingent on adequate participation.
Why get Certified? Are you ready to pay it forward to help your fellow club members have a great time at the track? Audi Club driving schools feature dedicated run groups for our valued instructors. Friday is an opportunity to reCertify if your expiration date is approaching; and for qualified instructors who join us from other groups to get Certified. Audi Club California has been committed to MSF Certified for many years. Now is the time for you to get Certified to Level II, as we believe the tracks will begin requiring Level II Certification in the near future!
REGISTRATION
Weekend Registration is $725. All two-day weekend registrations include an event shirt, our Friday evening Welcome Reception, on-track driving Saturday and Sunday, lunch at the track each day, and our Saturday night gala Banquet. We'll gather for all meals in the Audi Club big top tent at the track.
- Weekend+ registration for our first-time VIPs includes the above plus a Friday afternoon warmup consisting of a review of the fundamentals of performance driving and car control exercises on the skid pad. Saturday and Sunday you will drive laps on the race track with your in-car instructor, along with additional classroom discussions. We also include a free motorsports helmet rental and an online course in the fundamentals of high performance driving so you can prepare in advance for the driving school!
- Experienced Driver Day - Experienced drivers can add an open pit-lane track day on Friday. This optional, additional-cost day is only for solo-qualified intermediate and above drivers and our instructors, as we do not provide formal on-track instruction on Friday. If you aren't sure if this is for you, ask our chief driving instructor CDI@audiclubsocal.org.
- Instruction - Beginner and Novice Drivers will all receive on-track instruction. They will be assigned an experienced and trained Audi Club Instructor. Solo-qualified drivers may request instruction, which will be provided as instructor resources permit.
- Banquet - Our Saturday night banquet in the big-top tent is included with the Weekend registration; guest tickets may be purchased at check-out.
- A limited number of single-day registrations are available for qualified drivers.
Why Audi Club?
There are other opportunites to learn and practice high performance driving, but Audi Club California events are focused on the educational and social aspects of driving to a greater extent than other groups. We are very proud of the glowing reviews drivers give our events. Here are just a few excerpts from recent Audi Club driving schools:
- "The Audi Club track events are consistently top notch. A class act through and through. This was a SAFE way to push myself and the car all weekend. ... The community experience is also great. Everyone was supportive and enthusiastic throughout the group levels. Excited for the next one!"
- "The driving school has a remarkable supportive culture fostered by members who clearly care deeply for each other as well as being welcoming to newcomers."
- "Audi Club events are so much better than any other club, I don't even like to do others anymore."
Who We Are
The Audi Club of North America (ACNA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization providing its members with driver safety training and education about the brand. Audi automobile ownership is not a requirement of ACNA membership. Audi Club SoCal and Audi Club Golden Gate chapters are the joint organizers of Audi Club California HPDE events.
SIGN-UP NOW to save $25! Early Bird registration ends 9/7/25. If qualified for Friday, sign up for the full three-day-package and save $50! Prices go up for late registration. See other details on the registration form.
Event requirements
Driver Requirements - ALL DRIVERS must:
- Be a current member of Audi Club North America (ACNA) with membership valid through November 30, 2025, or later. www.audiclubna.org/join. Membership fees are in addition to event registration.
- Possess and present a valid driver's license issued by their state of residence (not a learner's permit).
- Wear an auto racing helmet certified to Snell SA2015 or later, or equivalent EC or FIA standards. Not ready to buy? We have some rental helmets available.
- Sign the liability waivers - Audi Club's online SpeedWaiver upon registration, and the track's waiver when entering the facility.
- Minors (under 18) whether a registered driver or a guest, must be accompanied at all times during the event by a parent or legal guardian who will sign the ACNA and facility Minor Waivers at the track.
- Wear appropriate clothing - long sleeves and long pants are recommended - and sensible footwear for driving (no sandals, boots or open-toe shoes). Plan for variable weather conditions.
- Be Safe, and have Fun! Behave responsibly and exercise good judgment at all times.
- Instructors must be Certified to Motorsport Safety Foundation Level II.
Vehicle Requirements - YOUR CAR must:
- Undergo and pass a safety inspection within the four weeks prior to arriving at the event. Download the tech inspection form here.
- The seat belts, air bags, seats, etc. (the occupant safety systems) must be the same type for both driver and passenger. If your car is equipped with harnesses we strongly recommend that all occupants's helmets be equipped with head and neck restraints. If you have questions about your car please ask our Chief Driving Instructor cdi@audiclubsocal.org.
- Audi Club North America allows convertible cars with adequate rollover protection (for example, Audi A4, TT and R8 cabriolets) and certain models of small performance SUV/CUV (for example, Q3, Q5, and SQ5) cars at our driving school. Equivalent models from other manufacturers are also allowed. Please email CDI@audiclubsocal.org if you have questions about your particular car. Note that the OEM Mazda Miata rollbar does not qualify.
- Competition tires (whether DOT R-compound or true racing slicks) are not permitted for SUV/CUV or Beginning and Novice group drivers. They are discouraged for Intermediate group drivers.
- Remove all loose equipment. Onboard cameras must be securely mounted - handheld cameras or cell phones are not allowed. Exterior suction-cup-mounted cameras must have two forms of attachment, typically a leash to a hard point on the car. We ask that you use common-sense when posting video to social media - choose scenes which reflect positively on your club.
Preliminary Schedule
Now
- Click below to Register. We will take your payment info now, but your card will not be charged until four weeks before the event.
- Sign the online SpeedWaiver.
- Make your lodging reservation at the location of your choosing.
The Month Before
- Have your car inspected for safety and mechanical condition. Allow enough time to fix any discrepancies.
- Complete the Performance Driving 101 independant study course. It's a great introduction to the principles of high performance driving which will ensure you get the most fun out of the driving school.
- Review the Welcome Letter which will be sent about two weeks before the event. It will have additional event details and important updates. White-list emails from eventmaster@audiclubsocal.org and cdi@audiclubsocal.org so they are allowed through your email filters.
The Week Before
- You will receive your Student/Instructor assignment via email from DrivingEvals, our web-based driver's logbook system. Reach out to each other via email or telephone to get acquainted and review event plans.
- Join your fellow drivers for our online Driver, Instructor, and/or First-Timer meetings, as appropriate. These are midweek evening Zoom meetings. Dates, times and links will be provided to registered drivers as we approach the event.
Friday
- Those participating in Friday's Experienced Driver open pit lane day should arrive when the gates open at 7am to allow time for car prep. Check-in and safety briefing will be available soon after in the Tower Cafe.
- Weekend+ drivers (first-timers) must arrive at the track no later than 1pm on Friday to check in for warmup driving exercises and introductory classroom. However, we encourage you to arrive in the morning to observe the action, ask for a ride with an instructor, and join us for complimentary lunch.
- Join your fellow drivers for our Welcome Reception with buffet appetizers in the big-top tent after the track goes cold. This is a great opportunity to meet with your weekend instructor.
- Check-in for Saturday/Sunday drivers is available in the tent between 6pm and 8pm.
Saturday & Sunday
- All drivers should arrive at the track no later than 7am for car prep and safety briefings. The gate is attended 24 hours.
- Enjoy the Saturday Banquet dinner in the big-top tent after the track goes cold. Keynote presentation by Randy Pobst.
A detailed event schedule will be provided at event check-in.
Questions about your car? Contact the chief driving instructor cdi@audiclubsocal.org.
Questions about the event? Contact the event organizer eventmaster@audiclubsocal.org.
Audi Clubs of California look forward to seeing you at the track. We are going to have a great time!
