Neilbo deflowers the AMG Lodge!
01-16-2009, 06:30 PM
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2002 CLK 55 AMG Coupé
Neilbo deflowers the AMG Lodge!
First, for those of you waiting for me to finish up my Nurburgring post, apologies. The press of work and family time has kept me away from my favorite forum. What a shame - the AMG Driving Academy "Pro Training" happened back in September, and here it's January already.
Hell, I haven't even finished Day One and there were two glorious track days...
.... But Hell has definitely frozen over. I write this from Room No. 1 of the AMG Lodge ... on the very first night the Lodge has been open for business!
Move over, Private Lounge. This ain't cyber-space. It's a real hotel with forty rooms -- just for AMG. In Arjeplog, Sweden. Me and a few dozen others are here for the kick-off event of this year's season of Driving Academy winter training. Details about winter training are on the AMG site. Basically it's a crash course (pun intended) on how to drive without good traction.
This afternoon, shortly after the sun set (at 3:00 pm) on the frozen surface of a lake, driving new C63s with studded snow tires but with ESP turned off completely, our "red group" (ten people sharing five cars) got its first lesson in the fine art of drifting - from none other than .... (drumroll) .... Bernd Maylander! For those of you who don't know, Bernd drives the safety car at F1 races. In fact, he drove the 208 CLK 55 AMG F1 Safety Car back in '99.
After the lesson, it was back to the lodge for an aperitif in a real igloo, followed by a delicious dinner featuring roasted reindeer. Neilbo's lucky streak continued, as I shared a table with Bernd, a reporter from FMH magazine and a pretty young woman form AMG's press department.
Now that's an AMG experience. More to follow!
Hell, I haven't even finished Day One and there were two glorious track days...
.... But Hell has definitely frozen over. I write this from Room No. 1 of the AMG Lodge ... on the very first night the Lodge has been open for business!
Move over, Private Lounge. This ain't cyber-space. It's a real hotel with forty rooms -- just for AMG. In Arjeplog, Sweden. Me and a few dozen others are here for the kick-off event of this year's season of Driving Academy winter training. Details about winter training are on the AMG site. Basically it's a crash course (pun intended) on how to drive without good traction.
This afternoon, shortly after the sun set (at 3:00 pm) on the frozen surface of a lake, driving new C63s with studded snow tires but with ESP turned off completely, our "red group" (ten people sharing five cars) got its first lesson in the fine art of drifting - from none other than .... (drumroll) .... Bernd Maylander! For those of you who don't know, Bernd drives the safety car at F1 races. In fact, he drove the 208 CLK 55 AMG F1 Safety Car back in '99.
After the lesson, it was back to the lodge for an aperitif in a real igloo, followed by a delicious dinner featuring roasted reindeer. Neilbo's lucky streak continued, as I shared a table with Bernd, a reporter from FMH magazine and a pretty young woman form AMG's press department.
Now that's an AMG experience. More to follow!
01-17-2009, 12:42 PM
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Will do. But he can barely remember the 208. Race drivers live in the moment. He has told of some cool things having to do with the current F1 Safety Car (an SL 63), like that they run it on super grip race tires that wear out in just 100 km.
As you know, he has to drive the Safety Car hard when he's on the track. But it's worth it - he's the fatest driver in Forumula 1 history. No one has ever passed him.
As you know, he has to drive the Safety Car hard when he's on the track. But it's worth it - he's the fatest driver in Forumula 1 history. No one has ever passed him.
Last edited by neilbo75; 01-17-2009 at 04:37 PM.
01-19-2009, 07:11 AM
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