Matt Ammon Memorial Driving School & Teen Clinic info on May 15, 2021 (814874) | MotorsportReg.com

Audi Club Northwest (ACNW) is proud to present the 14th annual Matt Ammon Memorial Driving School (MAMDS) and Teen Clinic 2021, May 15-16!

We are returning to Ridge Motorsports Park (“the Ridge”), located in Shelton, WA, to host both Driver Skills (DS) and High-Performance Driver Education (HPDE) instructed lapping for MAMDS.

Who was Matt Ammon? Matt bought his new Nogaro Blue Audi S4 in May of 2001 and became very active in local chapters of Audi Club North America in Ohio, Illinois, Virginia and Missouri before coming to the Seattle area in the Summer of 2006. Tragically, he was taken from us at age 31 in November 2006, when a Bellevue construction crane collapsed. In his short time with us Matt brought his enthusiasm, skill and knowledge to our region. He quickly became integrated with the local Audi community and Audi Club Northwest as an Instructor. When asked what modifications should be made to your car, Matt would be quick to answer, “The first mod should be driving school.” This is the legacy we are honoring with the first combined DS and HPDE of the season.

What is Driver Skills? It's not like what you may have experienced when you first earned your driver's license. This is an advanced car control course that is encouraged for all drivers, both new and experienced. It is a great opportunity to learn how you and your car work together and can be applied in real life situations on the street and highway. DS students will participate in a variety of fun and challenging exercises such as slalom, emergency braking, collision avoidance, figure-8 and autocross to hone their driving skills on Saturday.  New for this year: we will be using the new paddock B surface at the Ridge.

Teen Driver Clinic on Saturday is simply Driver Skills with a discounted fee for young drivers age 15-19.  Drivers with Instruction (Learner’s) Permits are allowed. The clinic is a valuable and perfect complement to traditional driver’s education programs, because it teaches real world skills like emergency braking and collision avoidance, in addition to helping the new driver understand and master their car control skills. A parent, guardian or authorized representative must accompany anyone younger than 18 into the facility.

Parents or guardians of teen drivers are encouraged to attend the Teen Driver Clinic as a participant. Take the same clinic as your teen; you’ll be surprised how much you can learn together!

What is autocross? A chance to drive your car on a course made of up cones, as fast as you can, while not breaking any laws and being totally safe! You'll drive through the course following a route of orange cones that define the course. It looks crazy from afar, but from behind the wheel it's a blast! Autocross is an excellent way to apply the skills you learned in the other DS exercises.

What is lapping? An exciting opportunity to drive your car around a real racetrack at whatever speed your skills, comfort, and/or instructor allow you to do safely. With no competitive element and drivers of similar skill/experience/pace grouped together, it provides an opportunity to enjoy the controlled environment of a racetrack. Novice drivers are always paired with an experienced ACNW instructor to learn the skills necessary to safely navigate the track while applying the skills learned in DS. Drivers must be 16 years old or older.

We will be offering 1-day or 2-day High Performance Driving Education (HPDE or lapping) options that is the staple of most of our events along with our Saturday Driver Skills and Autocross option.

HPDE driving fees for this event are $490 for two days, $290 for one day. We will prioritize and process two-day registrations first.  Saturday Driver Skills driving fees start at $125 with a $25 discount for teens. Everyone who registers will first be placed on the waitlist, as we have been doing for the past year or more.

Registration includes lunch. Guest lunches are available as well. Note: When meals are a part of our events, ACNW will attempt to accommodate special dietary requirements if requested. However, meals are provided by third parties and circumstances may not always enable ACNW or its vendors to meet every special dietary need.

Audi Club North America (ACNA) membership is required for all HPDE lapping participants at this event. If you're not yet part of the club, change that here: http://www.audiclubna.org/join.  An ACNA membership is NOT required for Driver Skills.

We will continue to offer HPDE lead-follow instruction where instructors and students will alternately lead and follow in their own cars.  In addition, if you are willing, we are allowing in-car instruction for the first time this year, with mandatory windows-down and masks on for both student and instructor.  Please make your preferences known on the registration form.

Saturday Driver Skills and Autocross instruction will be done with debriefs outside of the car.

Of special note: PLEASE make sure and read the requirements on the next page, including the linked driver’s handout. You will be expected to bring items that are not usually required for our normal events.  In addition, you will be expected to comply with the requirements that will be provided in documentation prior to the event.  It is imperative that you read and follow these requirements so we can conduct a safe and successful event.

LODGING OPTIONS

• Alderbrook Resort, 7101 E State Route 106, Union, WA 98592. Phone: (360) 898-2200.
• Little Creek Casino Resort, 91 W State Route 108, Shelton, WA 98584. Phone: (360) 427-7711
• Shelton Inn, 628 West Railroad Ave, Shelton, WA 98584.  Call (800) 451-4560 and mention "Ridge Motorsports Park" for a special discounted rate.
• Super 8, 2943 Northview Circle, Shelton, WA  98584. Call (360) 358-3793 and mention "Ridge Motorsports Park" to receive a discounted rate. 

If you have any questions about registration, your qualifications or anything else, send a message to the registrar or the event master Adrian Power.