Audi R8 Final Lap: Driving the Mid-Engine Legend Into the Sunset at Laguna Seca

Chances are, you remember the first time you saw an Audi R8. I know I do. With its futuristic front end, aggressive rear, and out-of-this-world side blades, it looked like it could eat Italian supercars for breakfast. It was such a departure from anything else on the road back in 2008 that it instantly became the de facto German supercar. Fifteen years, two generations, and various trims including convertibles and race cars later, the 2023 Audi R8 is hanging up the helmet and driving into the sunset.

Last weekend, Audi threw its senior supercar a big retirement party with some very special guests in attendance. The R8 stretched its legs on official company business one final time on Saturday, Aug. 19 at none other than Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca. It did so under the watchful eye of its designer Frank Lamberty, as well as endurance racing extraordinaire and nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen. Other company execs who have been involved with the car for the last decade and a half were also there to witness the closing of a chapter for the German automaker.

Oh, and then there was me. Certainly the person of least importance in attendance and most definitely the person with the least involvement in the R8's history, I actually played a very cool role in its going-away party. I got to lap Laguna Seca in a 2023 Audi R8 V10 as the sun literally set over the car one final time.

An Icon

There were actually two of them: A red R8 and a blue R8 parked next to each other on the street. Both of them had contrasting silver side blades. I couldn't believe I had managed to spot not just one, but two new R8s! This was 2008 so I took a photo of them with my iPhone 3G, which I later uploaded to a novelty digital photo portrait I had on my nightstand. From that day on, the first Audi R8 I ever saw lived in that never-ending slideshow.

Fifteen years later, I experienced a similar feeling as I caught a glimpse of two R8s parked at the Laguna Seca paddock. One was gray and the other was red. Both were V10 RWD Coupes, and both looked absolutely killer with their side blades in exposed carbon fiber. Even in the car's second generation, which saw the side blade toned down quite a bit, the R8 remained one of the most aggressive yet elegant supercars money could buy. As its creator, Lamberty told me, "It's the definition of a German supercar. Not Italian, not British, but German."

This time, however, my excitement was met with a pinch of nervousness, as I knew that later that day I was going to get behind the wheel of one of those R8s and drive it around a famously challenging track. Further exacerbating these feelings was the fact that Kristensen—yes, Mr. Le Mans himself—would be driving the car in front of me. I had to, uh, keep up with him.

In case you're not a racing nerd, Tom Kristensen is the winningest driver in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Danish star has nine overall victories to his name—six of them consecutive—and the majority of them in Audi race cars, including all the iterations of the R8 LMP.

Driving Into the Sunset

At six feet tall, I'm never comfortable wearing a racing helmet in a sports car, and the R8 was no exception. That said, I was surprised at how much room there was in the cockpit, even for a big guy like me. With the helmet out of the picture, I could probably spend many hours behind the wheel of an R8. That didn't matter, of course, because I had just two laps in front of me, and wearing a helmet was obviously a requirement.

I made some quick adjustments to the seat and steering wheel before Kristensen came over the radio: "If ready to go, give a thumbs up." I felt like saluting him à la Top Gun: Maverick instead, but I'm not sure he would've found that funny. I raised my hand high enough so he could see it in his rearview mirror and gave him a thumbs up. He immediately blasted away in an Audi RS E-Tron GT. I tried to do the same but then I realized I hadn't even shifted out of park, so I just revved the engine like a complete idiot. F*CK! I got so caught up adjusting my driving position, dealing with my helmet, and making sure I was ready that I never shifted into drive.

After the embarrassment of the century, I was, at last, lapping Laguna Seca in an Audi R8. We entered the track ahead of the final corner instead of the pit lane exit, so I found myself doing 120 mph down the main straight right out of the gate. I had never driven Laguna Seca in real life but had racked up thousands of laps on Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport over the years. (Yeah, lemme tell ya. Those don't count.) I could hear Kristensen's voice over the radio giving some instructions, but he might as well have been the teacher from Charlie Brown because that's all I could hear over the loud roar of the V10. I was on my own.

The crest immediately after the finish line (technically Turn 1) was the first big moment of my drive, as the R8's suspension fully unloaded for a brief second at about 110 mph. I wasn't ready for this, of course, so I translated it as the track's own way of greeting me: "Welcome to Laguna Seca, where you just might die today." I saw the taillights in front glow red so I pressed on the brakes to cut some speed ahead of Turn 2. The R8 wasn't fully settled yet so there was a little shake at the rear from my upsetting of the car's balance. The car's 305/30 summer rear tires kept things under control, but it certainly made me perk up a bit. The brakes felt super strong and I quickly realized that I had braked way too early. "I'll get it next time," I told myself.