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Just came back from ADA Pro at Road Atlanta and thought I would share my experience.
Excuse the lengthy post but hopefully some of you will appreciate the feedback:
1-I am not a track rat and I was so impressed with the GTS and how AMG has truly built a solid track car IMHO. The cars would do 15 minute sessions, rest for a little and do it again. The cars never missed a beat or went into limp mode but outside temps were not high either as we got some rain.
2- I believe this is the first year MB is doing it but at this level after a few lead and follow sessions, the instructors leave you alone on the track therefore you can truly explore your own limits and work on improving your own times just like regular track days. The advantage of doing it with AMG is the built in telemetry of the cars and the instant feedback after your sessions. You can compare yourself to the instructors turn by turn and analyze your throttle, brake and steering inputs. Instructors were top notch and it was very refreshing to discover their different philosophies / racing lines and apply it to your own driving style.
3-AMG also changed the way they reward people during the course. Rather than benchmarking on track time only, they now focus on consistency for your laps which allows less skilled people to still be in the competition. Very smart way to make sure people do not over step their limits and potentially go off track and crash. Happy to report that I got on the podium and got 3rd
4-I am nowhere close to exploring the limit of the GT and I have not driven the competition on that track but I am happy to report that I feel that it is a true competitor to Porsche.
5-I did not feel an advantage of having the CCB versus the regular brakes. There was no fade on the steel brakes for our sessions. Obviously there were fairly short and going longer would probably prove that the CCB are better but for my level, the regular brakes proved to be just fine.
6-The only issue that needs to be worked out is the pre-safe feature on the car. This was mentioned on another thread and it is present and very annoying. If you come close to another car at a rate that the computer feels is too rapid, the system will tension the seat belts to prepare you for an impact. There should be an override in the system to turn it off and the instructors stated the GT-R will be better.
7-The 3 cars used for the large track were the SL63, C63S coupe and GTS. The SL63 quickly showed its colors in the way that it is not a track car but just a blvd cruiser. The suspension is quickly overwhelmed with the weight and the ESP intervenes way too early. The C63S coupe is a major improvement over the W204 chassis and is a worthy adversary of the M4. Some members have wondered the merit of buying a GT versus a C63 coupe and all I will say is go drive both on the track and you will open your wallet more and sign on the dotted line. Personally the unique look of the GT and the DCT is enough to make me step up to the GT but it’s a no brainer if you will just even occasionally take your car to the track.
8-For the slalom, we used the SLC43 and I have a new respect for that car. It has impeccable balance and you can throw this little convertible around and it will go where you point it or power slide thru a hairpin (I know, not the quickest but way more fun). The change from the V8 (SLK55) to the V6 was the right move and it is too bad it will be discontinued.
9-We had a slalom competition with the new E63S and it hides its weight extremely well. The new chassis and AWD system is a marvel of engineering. The interior is so close to S class level , the dual screen with the ability to change the digital dash to your own liking is a must & needs to trickle down to all models and its competition will have to step it really high as the bar has been set very high.
10- No rides in the GT-R (a red and green one was there for us to drool over) but the GT-R will become part of the ADA this year.
Finally for anyone still wondering whether the academy is worth it, stop thinking and book it, you will become addicted and I can’t wait for my next one.
Here are a few pics.
06-10-2017, 01:40 PM
and the instructors stated the GT-R will be better. 
, you will become addicted and I can’t wait for my next one.
