neilbo75

Once I get the hang of posting pics - how can I get real pics on the screen and not just thumbnails? - you can enjoy some shots of the recent AMG Driving Academy "Pro Training" event at Nurburgring's famous North Loop. Neilbo was there!

Here's part of the starting lineup on Day One of Group 6 (aka the notorious "Black Group"):

C 63 wagon
SLK 55 Black Series
CLK DTM
Neilbo's 208 CLK 55 with the new 18 inch 2 piece "Aero" wheels (subject of another post). On the stock AMG (Euro) suspension, the 8.5 and 10 inch rims settle in with a one finger gap in back, two fingers on the front. Notice how the rear axle doesn't even look that aggressive despite the 25mm outboard change. Tires are 225/40 front and 255/35 rear.

reserved

Wow!!!! That would be my "dream" vacation - driving a CLK Black Series of course!!!!
Please post more pics......

stormkenny3

+1

Peterclk55

Your post brought back some nice memories...the first two are at the Ring and the third was at Spa

DBLNICKL

nice pics...the course looks like ALOT of fun...

Chappy

Thanks for the pic...

What is your impression of driving the W208/55 on track? Do you still have the stock suspension?

neilbo75

Yes, it's still the stock suspension. Therein lies a problem. As you wrote, Chappy, our cars are good at 8/10s. Past that they are fun but you get the feeling the car is getting pushed too hard. Too much understeer, too much body roll. That slows the car down.

At Nurburgring in my Black Group I was down by an average of over 100 hp. There was one SLK 55 but of course the SLK is a lighter car, and this one was piloted by quite a good driver (Antoinette, the overall female champion). The rest of the pack had 63 motors, and/or were in a Black Series. There was even a CLK DTM. OK, one guy from Amsterdam had a C 63 station wagon, so you might say I had a fighting chance against "Dad". But this particular "Dad" likes to race motorcycles in his spare time.

So I showed up to a gun fight with a knife.

If you've got the knife, the only way to survive is to stay close. Very close.

This was guided driving, not a race. We were supposed to follow the line, one after the other, taking turns behind the lead car, a C 63 AMG Race Taxi. In my case I had to push the car hard to keep up. That meant manually shifting between 2nd and 4th to keep the revs above 4000, braking hard and struggling for traction even on a dry track.

Our leader, Uwe, believed that we should get the most out of our section training. So we worked out a ballet where at the end of a section run we would all back up and reverse the direction without ever stopping the car. So now you're driving Nurburginrg backwards, and still going fast! Repeat that, back and forth, 10 times. The automotive equivalent of wind sprints. See fellow Black Group veteran Scott's extensive thread in the AMG Private Lounge for more details, including 100 photos (it was announced today by AMG). The famous Bergwerk curve is considerably harder backwards, since you approach it coming down a steep hill.

The V8 sounded great, and the cooling system was unfazed despite A/C on full blast. The brakes poured out dust but did not fade. Our cars can take it. But fuel consumption went through the roof (I ran out of fuel before the 63s did) and at the end of Day One a "Check Brake Fluid" warning light came on. Yet the fluid was normal and once the ignition was turned off the default disappeared. So I figured this was just an anomaly like the "check ABS/ESP' light that came on once last summer for no good reason (maybe the stop light?).

As I told Scott, by the end of the that first full day I felt worn out. Our seats are pretty ... but a bit lacking in shoulder support at .8 Gs! Still, my car kept up OK, and keep in mind I'm a newbie and not at all a "Pro" driver. It was the first time I have ever driven wearing a helmet.

It was a good, tough, hardcore AMG day. The chase car in our group, a CLK Black Series driven by AMG Performance Studio salesman and overall nice guy Mark Bauerle, hit a rabbit. Hard. This hare had run across the track right in front of me the run before. A rabbit with a distinct death wish. With Uwe pushing the whole group, Mark hit it at about 95 mph. The rabbit exploded, and along with it a chunk of the fancy carbon fiber front bumper of that 63 Black Series.

All in all a terrific experience, and that was just Day One ....

JDB

I was wondering if this is the same young woman from Singapore that did such an outstanding job at Nuerburgring last year (2007)? I remember being very impressed by her driving ability during the day, and found out during the evening meal that she was quite an accomplished driver. After she left the AMG event, she was going directly to another driver training put on by Porsche. Practice definitely makes perfect!

JDB

neilbo75

Yeah, that's her. She plays the field. AMG one week, Porsche the next, then BMW, Audi, etc. Quite a lifestyle. She said that AMG puts together the best driving events - hardly anything goes wrong. However she did not say that AMG puts together the best cars.

Anyway it was my privilege to be the first to congratulate her when she won her prize at the awards dinner!

neilbo75

It's possible - AMG will rent you the car. Scott, the narrator of the big thread in the AMG Private Lounge, had a CLK BS at his disposal. He describes the section training as between 5/10s and 8/10s. Too bad he had to keep it slow for saps like me in 55s doing 9/10s. But I'm happy he could open it up more later on in the event.

Mark Bauerle gave me a lift in his CLK 63 BS at one point. It's a nervous car in low speed driving - not like most AMGs - but certainly it comes into its own on the track.

SoCalCLK

Nice pics of the W209 CLK55 in action! If you've got more, please post them too!

MJ50

pic says thousand words...

neilbo75

Yes ... I love your avatar.

More pics are coming....

Peterclk55

Okay. Here are some more. Some from the Nurburgring and some from other track stuff here in England and one from Le Mans. The CLK55s are sure great cars!

Peterclk55

Here are some more pics....

Kirby

awesome pictures peter. what size wheels do you have? 18's?

SoCalCLK

Thanks for the cool pics, Peter! Nice to see the CLK55 is potent on the track.

Peterclk55

Thanks.

I was running 19s but the ride to too hard. Now I am back to 18s (x 8.5 at the front and 9.5 at the rear) on with 265/35 tyres at the rear and 235/40 at the front.

Some more pics....(the first one when the car was running 19s - the last two on 18s)

peppernick

Ahhhh, the Nurburgring .......... one of my favourite playgrounds

Not a 55, but here are some pics of my CLK350 on the Nordschleife

Kirby

Cool thanks. Once again, great pics.

AMGOODNESS

pretty ballsy to run at 155!

neilbo75

Avatar? Tnis was Day 0 - an afternoon of humility at the FSZ safety training center near the 'ring.

If the water wasn't enough, an operator could shift a plate going into the skid zone - everyone spun at least once.

neilbo75

A few more at the FSZ -

Beyond the two Black Series cars, notice the yellow plates that induce a spin.

And next to my car that's Uwe, the instructor for our Black Group.

The gorgeous DTM got "totaled" in a high speed crash on Day 2. Fortunately the driver was released from the hospital in time to make the awards dinner - still smiling!

All photos courtesy AMG.

Peterclk55

fantastic pictures neilbo75 - keep them coming!

neilbo75

OK, here's a few more.

1. An enthusiast dons the head sock supplied by AMG along with the mandatory helmet. A label in the sock warns that it is not made out of fire retardant material. I think of Niki Lauda's horrific crash on this track.

2. The castle, visible from several points on the 'ring.

3. Black Group (Group Six) pulls over for coaching from Uwe. My car takes up the rear. I love the compactness of the 208s.

4. "Das Engleboot" taken from behind.

5. Start of Day 2. Very foggy. This plus the overnight rain make for a dangerous track ....