Why do people in Singapore buy sports cars? We've all heard the expression right - 'cars that you can't actually drive'. What’s the point of having 400+bhp or some fancy traction control system and a wonderfully aerodynamic spoiler when you spend most of the time puttering around stuck in a traffic jam somewhere. And it's not like we have a race track to really let these cars' performance shine through either.

Perhaps, then, people buy performance vehicles for more than the vehicle's performance. It comes with a broader package - whether it may be buying into a particular car community, the status that comes with owning a particular brand/model, or of course the opportunity to take it onto the race track (if you are so inclined).

In Audi's case, this is myAudiworld, a membership programme for all of its customers. And on a recent Sunday morning, I joined a group of Audi Sport customers (who own either S or RS models) on the Audi Sport Driveaway Adventure -  a three-day trip up North highlighted by an exclusive afternoon at the Sepang International Circuit.

Track Day, Whack Day

Held for the very first time, the Audi Sport Driveaway Adventure is a 3D2N trip up to Kuala Lumpur (KL), with the highlight being an afternoon at Sepang International Circuit. Of course, any trip up North will include the cursory stops at various makan places, including a quick lunch in at Genting and dinner at Overseas Restaturant.

But the highlight for the myAudiworld customers was a chance to take their personal cars onto a race track. For the majority of them who were on their virgin Sepang experience, it was certainly an eye-opening experience. All of us were coached by experienced driving instructors on the finer points of track driving, and to get the best out of the various cars - RS3, RS4, S5, RS6, R8, they were all there. 

On the initial sighting lap, we all had the cool opportunity of actually physically stepping onto the tarmac - the train of Audi cars stopped at various points on the circuit so that we could physically see the ideal racing line through the different corners. This of course also made for great selfie opporunities. Subsequently, the customers were also progressively brought up to speed, heading out in small groups led by an instructor. Finally the last hour was free for each driver to take his car out and push it for as hard and as long as he or she dared.

I, too, had the opportunity to head out onto the tarmac, and the weapon of the day was the new Audi R8. On the drive up to KL, the car is smooth, comfortable, and admittedly easier to drive than I thought. Out on the track, it's two-faced nature is revealed - it's a rev-happy beast than jumps into corners and soars through some of the long sweeping bends in Sepang with aggressiveness and vigour. The car's racing pedigree is clear (it shares 50 percent of its parts with the GT3 race car after all). It offers an immense amount of mechanical grip through corners, while the quattro All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system did an amazing job of plastering over many of my obvious missteps.
Coming in hot

But it's more than just a glorified track day, this one. We also got the special exclusive chance to personally meet Tom Kristensen, a nine-time 24hr of Le Mans race winner. What's more, each person also had the opportunity to ride shotgun as he took the R8 out on flying lap after flying lap.

Although, flying lap might be describing it slightly wrongly. A flying lap connotes a fast, clean lap to set the fastest possible time. While certainly very fast, there was nothing particularly clean about these laps. Kristensen made sure everyone had a ride they would never forget, throwing the 540bhp AWD R8 into massive slides and dancing the car across the tarmac. And yet, even with all that unabashed no holds barred driving, I reckon he was still clocking lap times that would put some of us to shame. And of course, everyone stepped out of their taxi ride a little giddy, a combination of both excitement and slight stomach churning I suspect. 

The promise of hidden menace

It's on the drive back to the Singapore that it finally struck me - after having spoken to some of the customers, I realise that such people buy sports cars not because they just want to go fast, but perhaps more for the knowledge that they could, but don't have to. Modern performance vehicles function perfectly well as everyday cars - comfortable, packed with equipment, and easy to drive. And the Audis are especially understated - R8s aside, cars on the trip like the RS4 and the S5 would blend in perfectly on our roads.

And yet with the right circumstances (i.e. an empty Sepang track), these cars can still go like hell. It brings me back to the two-face nature of the R8. On the road, it's docile and comfortable. On the track, it reveals itself to be effervescent and captivating. And I suppose that’s why people buy sports cars - it's to have that best of both worlds. It's not so much about the performance but more of the promise of hidden menace.

But it's more than just the car. It's also about additional opportunities, like the rare opportunity to meet and get flung around a track by a nine-time Le Mans winner. But perhaps most importanly of all, the opportunity to be part of a larger community. To meet fellow car owners who share the same passion and love for their rides. To sit down over dinner and some beers and engage in motoring chit chat or otherwise.

It's easy to think about car ownership as something singular and lonely. But the truth is that it isn't. The greatest joy in driving is a shared driving experience with fellow enthusiasts. That's the promise that you buy into when investing in a vehicle, especially a performance one. And with all the myAudiworld customers coming home beaming from ear to ear, this Audi Sport Driveaway Adventure is surely the perfect example of that.