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AMG Driving Academy 2010/2011: Maximum driving safety and pleasure
Affalterbach, Germany, Sep 09, 2010 – The AMG Driving Academy was set up to give keen drivers the opportunity to hone their sports driving skills under professional guidance and to experience unforgettable events with like-minded enthusiasts. The programme offers a wide selection of events which allow ambitious sports car enthusiasts to improve their car control and further enhance their driving safety. Participants are able to experience the exceptional performance of the SLS AMG in numerous events at which the super sports car is either made available by the AMG Driving Academy or can be hired. In addition to the diverse programme held on European race tracks, the AMG Driving Academy is also able to provide American sports car fans with tailor-made race track training sessions, for example on the Laguna Seca Raceway in California. A new addition to the team of experienced instructors is 27 year-old Scot Susie Stoddart, a current DTM driver in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class for the TV Spielfilm Persson Motorsport team – and the first woman to have scored some points in the "new" DTM.
Founded by Mercedes-AMG in 2007, the AMG Driving Academy provides five different programmes: EMOTION, BASIC, ADVANCED, PRO and MASTERS. These offer everything from lifestyle-oriented events and courses which take the participants through their first experience of driving at the limit, all the way to intensive race circuit training with a competitive edge. The level of difficulty is tailored to the participants’ individual requirements. In the AMG MASTERS Sports Trophy, participants who are resident in Germany have the opportunity to acquire a national Level A DMSB (German Motor Sport Federation) driver’s licence. Prices for the AMG Driving Academy programmes start from as little as 290 euros.
Famous race tracks with exciting names
On legendary race tracks such as the North Loop of the Nürburgring and the Grand Prix circuit in Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, AMG drivers and enthusiasts gradually and safely discover the limits. In this way, each participant automatically improves their driving safety. Licensed trainers with extensive racing experience pass on their vast knowledge with great professionalism. All of which means the learning experience is directly linked to driving pleasure and passion.
For American AMG fans the driver training courses take place on two of the world's most exciting race tracks: the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California, and the Road Atlanta Racetrack in the state of Georgia. Two programmes offering different degrees of difficulty are available which are perfectly tailored to the abilities and requirements of the participants.
In addition to newcomer Susie Stoddart, other prominent members making up Chief Instructor Reinhold Renger's team of drivers include Bernd Schneider and Bernd Mayländer. With five DTM titles, as well as one each in the ITC and FIA GT Championships, 44 year-old Bernd Schneider ranks as one of the most successful German racing drivers. 39 year-old Bernd Mayländer, meanwhile, took to the starting grid for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM and FIA GT Championships over a period of eight years, and since 2000 has been the permanent driver of the Official F1™ Safety Car – in the current Formula 1 season he is helping to ensure maximum safety at the wheel of the new SLS AMG.
Data recording for precise analysis and rapid progress
Advanced training methods ensure the participants in all AMG Driving Academy events are quickly in touch with the fundamentals of driving dynamics, allowing them to discover the limits of man and machine in a danger-free environment. Data recording techniques refined in motorsport are used to record not only individual sector and lap times, but also longitudinal and lateral acceleration. This enables the team to conduct fast and precise analysis of each participant’s progress – which is usually accompanied by a racing pulse and a real buzz. Depending on the event, the programme also features sports medicine input from Dr Markus Schmitt, official Mercedes-Benz DTM motorsport doctor, as well as a sports physiologist.
AMG MASTERS Sports Trophy makes for a top-class event
Ensuring a racing heart and maximum car control are the aims of the AMG MASTERS Sports Trophy. This extremely exclusive and top-class AMG competition series sees the participants benefit from intensive and individual race circuit training, combined with input from the field of sports medicine. In 2010/2011, the two-and-a-half to five-day events are taking place in Le Castellet (France), Brno (Czech Republic) and Arjeplog (Sweden).
Winter driving pleasure in Swedish Lapland
A very special experience is offered by the AMG Winter Sporting event, which takes place in Arjeplog, Sweden – not far from the Arctic Circle. Participants drive the AMG high-performance cars provided exclusively on a closed-off ice surface. All the cars are fitted with special spike tyres, which ensure a precisely defined level of grip. A wide-ranging support programme for the event characterised by a typical local atmosphere rounds off the four-and five-day events in Swedish Lapland. Also included is a ride in the AMG Ice Taxi, a specially prepared AMG car fitted with the special spike tyres used by FIA WRC rally cars.
Since the beginning of 2009 participants in the AMG Winter Sporting event have been able to enjoy the facilities of the newly-built AMG Lodge which nestles in the breathtaking landscape of Swedish Lapland. The AMG-owned hotel on Mount Galtis near Arjeplog provides a fabulous view over the forests and lakes of the region. The exclusive rooms, excellent restaurant and large spa area including swimming pool and fitness studio guarantee a thoroughly pleasant stay.
AMG high-performance cars double up as cars for hire
Depending on the type of event, the participants drive either their own AMG cars or AMG high-performance models laid on by the AMG Driving Academy. There are also cars for hire, for example the new SLS AMG, SLK 55 AMG, C 63 AMG, E 63 AMG and also the SL 63 AMG – all equipped with the AMG Performance package.
Standard features of all AMG events, meanwhile, are top-class hospitality – including culinary specialities, as well as accommodation in high-class hotels. The AMG Driving Academy also arranges complete incentive packages for companies, customers and business partners. These may take the form of lifestyle-oriented events along the lines of an EMOTION tour or intensive race circuit training at Hockenheim, Spa-Francorchamps or other race circuits. Whichever option is chosen, AMG will be pleased to put together a tailor-made programme to suit the occasion.
Details of event dates and other information may be found at www.mercedes-amg.com/driving-academy/ or from the AMG Driving Academy hotline on +49 7144 302-575.
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