branshew

I went to the MB “On Track” driving event yesterday at the Virginia International Raceway (VIR). It was a killer event! The “C-Spot” driving party has nothing on this event. To start with we were on an incredible track – one of the best in the nation. Check out this link for more track info:

http://www.virclub.com/

We were able to drive one of every model in their current lineup (not necessarily every trim/engine package available, but a good selection overall – including an E55 AMG and an SL55 AMG. They had different courses set up on the track as well as an off-road event. Overall it was a great day and tons of fun. If you ever get the opportunity to attend the “On-Track” I would highly recommend going.

Event 1 was the off road course for the ML. We took 2 ML 350s and one ML 500 on a moderate off road course. All three trucks were factory stock with no mods. The course was not overly difficult (like for a Hummer), but given that less than 2% of ML owners will ever take their trucks off-road – it was challenging enough. Lots of uphill climbs and some deep ruts and streams. A few logs and smaller boulders were in there as well. There was a lot of thick red clay mud and the trucks performed very well considering that they were not really designed as off road vehicles. I have newfound respect for the ML after driving it across that terrain.

The hill descent is a cool feature too. I was on a steep decline and I put the ML in 1st gear, took my foot off of the brakes and let the truck do all of the work. Someone in our group had a close call w/ a boulder that put a nice gouge down the entire passenger side of one of the ML350s.

Event 2 was a C230K coupe road/slalom "street-cross" course designed to show the performance of the smaller coupe. We had to drive a tight course through some cones while staying in 1st gear the entire time (the course was too tight to get over 35 MPH anyway). The object was to drive the course in the fastest time w/o knocking over any cones and bringing the car to a complete stop within a set “box”. Each downed cone was +2 sec to your score and stopping out of the "box" was +5 sec.

Each driver had two intro runs and one timed run. The layout of the course proved great great fun in this small car. I managed to get the 6th best time out of about 60 drivers with no cones down. The 230K was fun to drive under those conditions and the brakes were smoking after a couple of runs.

We followed this with a brief lunch and then on to a quick sales pitch (you didn’t think you’d get the free TV w/o listening to a timeshare sales pitch did you?) They went over the e 320 CDI and some of the new diesel and other technologies on the E Class.

Event 3 was by far the best of the day. They had us set up on the VIR south course with 2 C240K sedans, one SLK 230, an E55 AMG, and the SL55 AMG. The first round we had to ride in the car with a professional driver at the wheel and run the course at a moderate pace with them to get a feel for the track. After that we were free to choose any car and drive it to our hearts content with the pro drivers riding shotgun. I drove all of the cars, but I drove both AMG models twice.

I cannot even begin to tell you how nice it was to be able to take a car like the E55 or SL55 and put it through the paces on an open track. I have driven a few European performance cars (911, M3, SL500, etc.) as well as some hot-rodded American muscle cars on the street before, but nothing compares to this. It was also nice not to have to be on the lookout for "Johhny Law."

It was cool to have the pros riding shotgun to give a few pointers along the way (“more throttle, find the apex, more throttle, brake, more throttle…”). I pushed all of the cars as hard as I could and I was never able to get the back end to break loose on any of them thanks to ECT. Although I never was able to get over 125 MPH (distance limitations on the straightaways), the overall performance of all of the cars (even the C240 and SLK) was amazing.

Event 4 was a wind-down from the previous event. They had the following models set up on the north course for a “follow the leader” drive: E320 CDI, E320, E500, S500, E320 4MATIC Wagon, CLK320 Convertible. This was a lot of fun since this section of the track had a lot of nice curves where you could really get the wheels squealing. I was able to drive all of the cars except the 4MATIC. I was never able to get over 95 mph on this event, but it didn’t matter. Overall the E 320 CDI and the E500 were the most fun to drive. The CDI performed great on this section partly due to the 340+/- ft/lbs of torque that the diesel puts out to really pull you out of the curves. I could really feel the chassis flex on the CLK convertible as it twisted around some of the curves. It really didn’t perform quite as well as I had expected and the 3.2 liter engine could barely keep up with the 500s.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. If you ever get the chance – take it. You will not regret it.

ABsC280

what do i have to do to be down?

branshew

I was lucky in that I personally know one of the directors at the dealership where I bought my car. I also do business with them (outside of buying cars) from time to time.

I would just ask your local dealer about it. Talk to one of the managers & maybe hint that you might possibly interested in buying a new MB in the next 12 months.

Some dealers treat this as a reward for good customers, some are prospecting for future sales, and some do both.

DougandhisC280

I like your track. Reminds me of mine . I just wish we had as many events as you all did. It's only a two year old track so hopefully it will get there.

REX0000

is this on track event free? If not, how much is it?