Bottom line, anyone can drive fast in a straight line no matter what kind of car they're driving, but when you're racing, the rules of the game change dramatically.
I'm reminded of this every time I drive on a track. In fact, the first time I took the AMG Challenge I had minimal track time and didn't really know what to expect. This time I knew it wasn't going to be easy.
The day began at 7 a.m. at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is when we met our host, celebrity pro racecar driver Tommy Kendall. Tommy hosts every AMG Challenge and does an excellent job.
The 37 attendees, at $1,700 per person, were quickly divided into three groups to be put through seven exercises. From that moment on, the day was all about driving the quickest Mercedes-Benz models on the planet — those created by AMG, M-B's in-house tuning and racing division.
Exercise 1 — Full Track Lead
This exercise consisted of getting out on the straights, then turning into the inner track for some open lapping, then back out onto the straights again. This allowed us to hit triple digits on the straights, brake hard to make hairpin turns into the inner track, and then experience some open lapping.
Imagine driving down a straight at approximately 100 to 125 mph, depending on which AMG rocket ship you're strapped into, and then having to slow the car down to somewhere around 40 mph so you can cut a corner into the inner track. It was awesome to say the least.
I jumped in the Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG for my first few laps and did horribly. Maybe I didn't have enough coffee.
Exercise 2 — Advanced Line
This course was set up with cones much like your typical autocross configuration, however, there was enough room to hit 90 mph. The goal was to get a feel for vehicle dynamics. We were instructed to brake at 100 percent, corner at 100 percent and accelerate at 100 percent. If we want to brake and turn, we'd have to manage the tire contact patches.
I can't say I totally listened, though, because I lost it on my first lap. My second and third laps were better, but I wish I would have taken the first lap slower to really get a feel for the course.
Exercise 3 — Skid Car
Ready for this? Two E55s were hooked up to a skid car system, which can immediately put a vehicle into oversteer or understeer.
The objective here was to teach us how to recover from an oversteer situation by steering into the skid, staying off the gas and brakes, and steering back straight when the rear tires regain traction. We were also taught how to recover from an understeer situation by easing off the accelerator and gently applying the brakes.
In both situations, the instructors couldn't stress enough that you need to be constantly looking where you want to go, not where the car is going. Excellent advice that is easier said than done.
Exercise 4 — Full Track Lapping
This was a repeat of our first exercise, but this time we were challenged to take the course at a faster pace.
I went back to the C55 with the same instructor because I wanted to see if my driving skills had improved from the other exercises. The short answer is yes, everything made a difference. I felt more confident, I was able to drive faster and maintain more control. In fact I was driving so well my instructor said, "You've improved dramatically since this morning and you're doing just fine, so let's stay out and have some fun." I did two more laps before we pitted.
Exercise 5 — Timed Skid Car
Now the course was laid out in a figure eight. The trick was to go through the turns as smoothly as possible because any hard or semihard tap on the accelerator would send the E55 into a spin. Since we were getting timed, you needed to scoot along even when the car was pointed straight.
Yeah, right.
When I was up, I drove very slowly through my two figure eight laps, and then when the car was pointed straight I nailed the gas and headed straight to the finish line with the tail sliding slightly out, the tires squealing and of course a smile from ear to ear.
Exercise 6 — Passing Exercise
Well, boys and girls, what you call crazy, AMG calls the passing exercise. The very daring instructors are in CLK55s, while we were positioned immediately behind in SL55s.
The objective was to pass your instructor on the straight and hug the tight horseshoe turn, then, as you approach the next straight, you allow him to overtake you.
This was awesome.
Exercise 7 — Timed Lapping
I sat this exercise out. Instead, I rode shotgun with Tommy Kendall while he piloted an SL65 around the Las Vegas speedway.
The first thing Tommy did was turn off the electronic stability control. Then he proceeded to drive the entire course swinging the SL65 around like a go-kart. Where I was hitting 100 mph on the straights, Tommy was hitting over 140. Where I was taking turns at 40 mph, Tommy was hitting them at over 100.
We topped off the day with the professional drivers simulating a race on the full track. You haven't lived until you're in an AMG with nine other AMGs racing around you at over 100 mph. You think to yourself, shouldn't we be hitting each other? This was one exercise where I was grateful to be a passenger and leave the driving up to a professional.
When Can We Do It Again?
All in all, the AMG Challenge Advanced Course proved to be an exciting and educational experience. It provided much more high-speed track time than the 2003 AMG Challenge and we were encouraged to be more aggressive when driving. Plus we got to do it all in vehicles like the E55 or CLS55.
I'm reminded of this every time I drive on a track. In fact, the first time I took the AMG Challenge I had minimal track time and didn't really know what to expect. This time I knew it wasn't going to be easy.
The day began at 7 a.m. at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is when we met our host, celebrity pro racecar driver Tommy Kendall. Tommy hosts every AMG Challenge and does an excellent job.
The 37 attendees, at $1,700 per person, were quickly divided into three groups to be put through seven exercises. From that moment on, the day was all about driving the quickest Mercedes-Benz models on the planet — those created by AMG, M-B's in-house tuning and racing division.
Exercise 1 — Full Track Lead
This exercise consisted of getting out on the straights, then turning into the inner track for some open lapping, then back out onto the straights again. This allowed us to hit triple digits on the straights, brake hard to make hairpin turns into the inner track, and then experience some open lapping.
Imagine driving down a straight at approximately 100 to 125 mph, depending on which AMG rocket ship you're strapped into, and then having to slow the car down to somewhere around 40 mph so you can cut a corner into the inner track. It was awesome to say the least.
I jumped in the Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG for my first few laps and did horribly. Maybe I didn't have enough coffee.
Exercise 2 — Advanced Line
This course was set up with cones much like your typical autocross configuration, however, there was enough room to hit 90 mph. The goal was to get a feel for vehicle dynamics. We were instructed to brake at 100 percent, corner at 100 percent and accelerate at 100 percent. If we want to brake and turn, we'd have to manage the tire contact patches.
I can't say I totally listened, though, because I lost it on my first lap. My second and third laps were better, but I wish I would have taken the first lap slower to really get a feel for the course.
Exercise 3 — Skid Car
Ready for this? Two E55s were hooked up to a skid car system, which can immediately put a vehicle into oversteer or understeer.
The objective here was to teach us how to recover from an oversteer situation by steering into the skid, staying off the gas and brakes, and steering back straight when the rear tires regain traction. We were also taught how to recover from an understeer situation by easing off the accelerator and gently applying the brakes.
In both situations, the instructors couldn't stress enough that you need to be constantly looking where you want to go, not where the car is going. Excellent advice that is easier said than done.
Exercise 4 — Full Track Lapping
This was a repeat of our first exercise, but this time we were challenged to take the course at a faster pace.
I went back to the C55 with the same instructor because I wanted to see if my driving skills had improved from the other exercises. The short answer is yes, everything made a difference. I felt more confident, I was able to drive faster and maintain more control. In fact I was driving so well my instructor said, "You've improved dramatically since this morning and you're doing just fine, so let's stay out and have some fun." I did two more laps before we pitted.
Exercise 5 — Timed Skid Car
Now the course was laid out in a figure eight. The trick was to go through the turns as smoothly as possible because any hard or semihard tap on the accelerator would send the E55 into a spin. Since we were getting timed, you needed to scoot along even when the car was pointed straight.
Yeah, right.
When I was up, I drove very slowly through my two figure eight laps, and then when the car was pointed straight I nailed the gas and headed straight to the finish line with the tail sliding slightly out, the tires squealing and of course a smile from ear to ear.
Exercise 6 — Passing Exercise
Well, boys and girls, what you call crazy, AMG calls the passing exercise. The very daring instructors are in CLK55s, while we were positioned immediately behind in SL55s.
The objective was to pass your instructor on the straight and hug the tight horseshoe turn, then, as you approach the next straight, you allow him to overtake you.
This was awesome.
Exercise 7 — Timed Lapping
I sat this exercise out. Instead, I rode shotgun with Tommy Kendall while he piloted an SL65 around the Las Vegas speedway.
The first thing Tommy did was turn off the electronic stability control. Then he proceeded to drive the entire course swinging the SL65 around like a go-kart. Where I was hitting 100 mph on the straights, Tommy was hitting over 140. Where I was taking turns at 40 mph, Tommy was hitting them at over 100.
We topped off the day with the professional drivers simulating a race on the full track. You haven't lived until you're in an AMG with nine other AMGs racing around you at over 100 mph. You think to yourself, shouldn't we be hitting each other? This was one exercise where I was grateful to be a passenger and leave the driving up to a professional.
When Can We Do It Again?
All in all, the AMG Challenge Advanced Course proved to be an exciting and educational experience. It provided much more high-speed track time than the 2003 AMG Challenge and we were encouraged to be more aggressive when driving. Plus we got to do it all in vehicles like the E55 or CLS55.
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