My AMG Driving Academy Experience at Road Atlanta 5/18
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 474
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From: Bar
☐ Rekt ☑ Not Rekt
My AMG Driving Academy Experience at Road Atlanta 5/18
I posted the following at the AMG PL, but I thought I would ask post a slightly shorter version here as it is very much GTR related
------------------------------------------------------
Hi,
I just returned from four days at Road Atlanta attending the Advanced and Pro courses at the AMG Driving Academy and wanted to note my thoughts whilst they are still fresh in my mind.
For those that don’t want the tldr version, the easiest way to sum up the four days is to says that it was the best on track experience of my life! So much so that I believe that I need grin removal surgery because I still can stop smiling and I'm getting even funnier looks than normal.
To begin with, the organization and logistics are impeccably executed. I don’t think there was a single moment where I didn’t know what was happening, where I needed to be, what was expected of me, and most importantly when I didn’t feel safety was the most important thing. The cars were always at the ready and in A+ condition, the temporary facilities were attractive, functional, and clean, the food and drink service at the track was plentiful and delicious, I honestly cannot think of a single thing I would ask improvement on.
As great as all that was it pales in comparison to the quality of all the people that work there. That to be honest was the biggest and most pleasant surprise of all. Not that I was expecting anyone to be less than professional and courteous, I just didn’t expect to be treated with such generosity of time and information, in many cases to the point of friendship. It all starts with Reinhold who is a fountain of information that is always available to anyone who asks, this is the same with all the other instructors. There’s no, ‘speak to your group’s instructor if you want info,’ it’s everyone is always available to make the participants better, safer, faster, and most of all happier. This attitude trickles to the entire staff be they instructors, mechanics, hospitality staff, basically everyone is helpful and does so with the greatest disposition. For what it is worth it should also be noted than in my four days that energy also characterized all my fellow participants … I did not run across a single person with a negative attitude or sour disposition. It is my belief that the latter is possible because of the former … the whole AMG team and the experience they provide just doesn’t leave much room for poopieheads.
Then there were the dinners/receptions. Again, all the instructors are there with a smile on their face ready and happy to impart more information regarding the day’s events. There are stories being told, just about some of the funniest and most interesting stories you will ever hear. I can’t say any more for this is a family forum and what happens at AMGDA satays at AMGDA, but let’s just say it was awesome to be there and take all that in.
. It was also fantastic to get to know both the pros and my fellow participants on a personal level.
As for the driving … well that was the best part of all. Getting to drive all these cars in different structures/exercises and taking them on track was so special … but honestly, anyone would have guessed that before getting there. Seat time was maximized at every opportunity and so were the smiles.
I hope I didn’t leave anything or anyone out … bottom line I would recommend these courses to anyone I know or asks me. That would go for novice drivers or very experienced ones. No one is left out, no one is made to feel like they don't belong or that their driving is poor, everyone is supported, everyone is given patience, and everyone is just made better. I don’t think I can say anything more substantive than that.
For my part I was in an awesome Pro group which included the autocross winner and Data Comp winner … so just being around them made me better.
It was my first time at RA and there was sporadic rain, so pretty steep learning curve for me. My skill level can best be described as being on the cusp between intermediate and advanced at most HPDE, depending on how familiar I am with the track.
As far as the Data Comp, it is a combination of best autocross time and three timed laps. As some of you may know the objective of the timed laps is not fastest lap time, but consistent lapping. So I figured I'd go to about 8/10 effort to achieve said consistency. It worked because all three lap times were at 1:40.xx.
(Delta indicates the benchmark lap time by an instructor)
Anyhoot, much to my surprise I came in 3rd place overall, which is really more of a matter of luck than anything else as I was nowhere near the third best driver there. I guess if I had a little more seat time in the GTR, a few more laps at RA, and went all out I'd shave a few seconds off of my times. I'm not that concerned about it honestly … I had an awesome time and I and the cars I drove came back in one piece, so that's the win.
Here are the laps if anyone is interested:
In closing, a HUGE thank you to everyone at the AMG Driving School who enabled my uunforgettable memories, and I can’t wait to see you all at a Pro+ course some time later this year.
Cheers!
Serge
------------------------------------------------------
Hi,
I just returned from four days at Road Atlanta attending the Advanced and Pro courses at the AMG Driving Academy and wanted to note my thoughts whilst they are still fresh in my mind.
For those that don’t want the tldr version, the easiest way to sum up the four days is to says that it was the best on track experience of my life! So much so that I believe that I need grin removal surgery because I still can stop smiling and I'm getting even funnier looks than normal.
To begin with, the organization and logistics are impeccably executed. I don’t think there was a single moment where I didn’t know what was happening, where I needed to be, what was expected of me, and most importantly when I didn’t feel safety was the most important thing. The cars were always at the ready and in A+ condition, the temporary facilities were attractive, functional, and clean, the food and drink service at the track was plentiful and delicious, I honestly cannot think of a single thing I would ask improvement on.
As great as all that was it pales in comparison to the quality of all the people that work there. That to be honest was the biggest and most pleasant surprise of all. Not that I was expecting anyone to be less than professional and courteous, I just didn’t expect to be treated with such generosity of time and information, in many cases to the point of friendship. It all starts with Reinhold who is a fountain of information that is always available to anyone who asks, this is the same with all the other instructors. There’s no, ‘speak to your group’s instructor if you want info,’ it’s everyone is always available to make the participants better, safer, faster, and most of all happier. This attitude trickles to the entire staff be they instructors, mechanics, hospitality staff, basically everyone is helpful and does so with the greatest disposition. For what it is worth it should also be noted than in my four days that energy also characterized all my fellow participants … I did not run across a single person with a negative attitude or sour disposition. It is my belief that the latter is possible because of the former … the whole AMG team and the experience they provide just doesn’t leave much room for poopieheads.
Then there were the dinners/receptions. Again, all the instructors are there with a smile on their face ready and happy to impart more information regarding the day’s events. There are stories being told, just about some of the funniest and most interesting stories you will ever hear. I can’t say any more for this is a family forum and what happens at AMGDA satays at AMGDA, but let’s just say it was awesome to be there and take all that in.
. It was also fantastic to get to know both the pros and my fellow participants on a personal level.As for the driving … well that was the best part of all. Getting to drive all these cars in different structures/exercises and taking them on track was so special … but honestly, anyone would have guessed that before getting there. Seat time was maximized at every opportunity and so were the smiles.
I hope I didn’t leave anything or anyone out … bottom line I would recommend these courses to anyone I know or asks me. That would go for novice drivers or very experienced ones. No one is left out, no one is made to feel like they don't belong or that their driving is poor, everyone is supported, everyone is given patience, and everyone is just made better. I don’t think I can say anything more substantive than that.
For my part I was in an awesome Pro group which included the autocross winner and Data Comp winner … so just being around them made me better.
It was my first time at RA and there was sporadic rain, so pretty steep learning curve for me. My skill level can best be described as being on the cusp between intermediate and advanced at most HPDE, depending on how familiar I am with the track.
As far as the Data Comp, it is a combination of best autocross time and three timed laps. As some of you may know the objective of the timed laps is not fastest lap time, but consistent lapping. So I figured I'd go to about 8/10 effort to achieve said consistency. It worked because all three lap times were at 1:40.xx.
(Delta indicates the benchmark lap time by an instructor)
Anyhoot, much to my surprise I came in 3rd place overall, which is really more of a matter of luck than anything else as I was nowhere near the third best driver there. I guess if I had a little more seat time in the GTR, a few more laps at RA, and went all out I'd shave a few seconds off of my times. I'm not that concerned about it honestly … I had an awesome time and I and the cars I drove came back in one piece, so that's the win.
Here are the laps if anyone is interested:
In closing, a HUGE thank you to everyone at the AMG Driving School who enabled my uunforgettable memories, and I can’t wait to see you all at a Pro+ course some time later this year.
Cheers!
Serge
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Joined: Mar 2006
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From: ATLANTA
R Nine T
Thx for sharing. You must be wore out after a hot day at that track.
Glad to hear cars held up. Your driving was very good. You could have had 160 on that back straight, but you didn’t trust brakes. The more I pushed the GTR, I found its limits were way beyond my skills, but you have to stay on throttle and trust the car. The GT was a good 5-7mph slower when I drove there.
Glad and you had a great track day.
Glad to hear cars held up. Your driving was very good. You could have had 160 on that back straight, but you didn’t trust brakes. The more I pushed the GTR, I found its limits were way beyond my skills, but you have to stay on throttle and trust the car. The GT was a good 5-7mph slower when I drove there.
Glad and you had a great track day.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,925
Likes: 170
From: Naples FL
2021 Porsche TTS
Thanks for sharing. We really had the same experience lol. Last year it rained as well and by the luck of the draw I also finished third. I was top 10% on the smaller slalom course with the SLK but way slower and on the non-pro group on the track (first time at Road Atlanta). I am going to check my videos to see how much slower I was and I will blame it on the fact I drove a GTS and you had the GTR
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,171
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From: Irvine, California
2022 AMG SL63
Great reporting! I feel the same way in all respects although my experience has been at Laguna Seca - twice. Same groups as you. Track time, staff, general atmosphere, food, vibe - everything is as you say. Now I'm going to say something heretical - but please don't show up at my front door with torches and pitchforks....
My background in racing - albeit many years ago - left me disappointed with the cars. No...not with the awesome preparation and track time...but I was used to having been on a race course for many years in a small, light, purpose built race car...driving these street cars is like driving a barge! For me anyway...a bit like trying to drive a Suburban around a track. But that's only because of my background and I didn't adjust as well as I'd hoped. If all I'd known would have been street cars or modified production cars as are found in so many levels of racing, it would have been different. But these cars we drive are heavy! And ponderous! My weight spec for my class of racing was 1,320 pounds with the driver in the car. Most of us ran ballast to get to that spec. That being said, AMG does a fantastic job of combining safety and performance. I currently drive a GTC A and had a GTS before and I am thoroughly impressed with what they've delivered in a street car. Perhaps some of my response is age as well
At any rate I enthusiastically endorse the Driving Academy. Totally professional, accessible, safety-first oriented, max track time - everything intended to make you more comfortable and confident at higher and higher speeds and car control.
Now please, stow the pitchforks and criticism! I realize this is me - and others from a similar background might have a different experience.
My background in racing - albeit many years ago - left me disappointed with the cars. No...not with the awesome preparation and track time...but I was used to having been on a race course for many years in a small, light, purpose built race car...driving these street cars is like driving a barge! For me anyway...a bit like trying to drive a Suburban around a track. But that's only because of my background and I didn't adjust as well as I'd hoped. If all I'd known would have been street cars or modified production cars as are found in so many levels of racing, it would have been different. But these cars we drive are heavy! And ponderous! My weight spec for my class of racing was 1,320 pounds with the driver in the car. Most of us ran ballast to get to that spec. That being said, AMG does a fantastic job of combining safety and performance. I currently drive a GTC A and had a GTS before and I am thoroughly impressed with what they've delivered in a street car. Perhaps some of my response is age as well
At any rate I enthusiastically endorse the Driving Academy. Totally professional, accessible, safety-first oriented, max track time - everything intended to make you more comfortable and confident at higher and higher speeds and car control.
Now please, stow the pitchforks and criticism! I realize this is me - and others from a similar background might have a different experience.
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 4
From: Cincinnati
s 550, AMG GTC, E400wagon
Second the thanks to the op for a great report. The courses sound somewhat similar, in terms of organization, instruction, lodging and facilities to the Porsche schools I attended at Barber in Alabama. I’m toying with the idea of attending a few courses in a couple months mostly for fun, but also to gain some model specific insight into maximizing the performance of my gtc on a track. Whereas I’ve read a number of complaints about the lead format used by both the Porsche and AMG driving schools, I actually prefer being able to get behind a professional driver who paces into and out of corners.
I took a few very slow laps of my gtc on a road course last week. I’m still breaking in the engine and mostly went out to bed the brakes. The car is heavy, but I was impressed at how fast I could roll it through most corners without losing grip. About the only thing I was able to conclude from my short session was that the gtc is an entirely different animal than my previous two cars, a 488 and a 911 gt3 rs. The gtc felt much more like a 2012 911 turbo s which I used to own. It will be interesting to see how the car does when I can finally open it up.
I do have a question for anyone who has attended AMG Performance driving courses. Do you end up driving the gts during for the on track sessions? It looks like you do based on the pictures on their website, but I couldn’t quite tell.
I took a few very slow laps of my gtc on a road course last week. I’m still breaking in the engine and mostly went out to bed the brakes. The car is heavy, but I was impressed at how fast I could roll it through most corners without losing grip. About the only thing I was able to conclude from my short session was that the gtc is an entirely different animal than my previous two cars, a 488 and a 911 gt3 rs. The gtc felt much more like a 2012 911 turbo s which I used to own. It will be interesting to see how the car does when I can finally open it up.
I do have a question for anyone who has attended AMG Performance driving courses. Do you end up driving the gts during for the on track sessions? It looks like you do based on the pictures on their website, but I couldn’t quite tell.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,527
Likes: 1,009
From: Overland Park, KS
‘24 BMW iX M60
Serge thanks for a fantastic report on the Academy and so glad you had that much fun. I’m hoping to get to LS in October.
Do you have any idea which camera and data acquisition system they are using?
Bish
Do you have any idea which camera and data acquisition system they are using?
Bish
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 474
Likes: 379
From: Bar
☐ Rekt ☑ Not Rekt
They use Racelogic (vbo files).
I’m happy to send you some of the instructor benchmark lap data files if you want to compare them to yours.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,171
Likes: 415
From: Irvine, California
2022 AMG SL63
Second the thanks to the op for a great report. The courses sound somewhat similar, in terms of organization, instruction, lodging and facilities to the Porsche schools I attended at Barber in Alabama. I’m toying with the idea of attending a few courses in a couple months mostly for fun, but also to gain some model specific insight into maximizing the performance of my gtc on a track. Whereas I’ve read a number of complaints about the lead format used by both the Porsche and AMG driving schools, I actually prefer being able to get behind a professional driver who paces into and out of corners.
I took a few very slow laps of my gtc on a road course last week. I’m still breaking in the engine and mostly went out to bed the brakes. The car is heavy, but I was impressed at how fast I could roll it through most corners without losing grip. About the only thing I was able to conclude from my short session was that the gtc is an entirely different animal than my previous two cars, a 488 and a 911 gt3 rs. The gtc felt much more like a 2012 911 turbo s which I used to own. It will be interesting to see how the car does when I can finally open it up.
I do have a question for anyone who has attended AMG Performance driving courses. Do you end up driving the gts during for the on track sessions? It looks like you do based on the pictures on their website, but I couldn’t quite tell.
I took a few very slow laps of my gtc on a road course last week. I’m still breaking in the engine and mostly went out to bed the brakes. The car is heavy, but I was impressed at how fast I could roll it through most corners without losing grip. About the only thing I was able to conclude from my short session was that the gtc is an entirely different animal than my previous two cars, a 488 and a 911 gt3 rs. The gtc felt much more like a 2012 911 turbo s which I used to own. It will be interesting to see how the car does when I can finally open it up.
I do have a question for anyone who has attended AMG Performance driving courses. Do you end up driving the gts during for the on track sessions? It looks like you do based on the pictures on their website, but I couldn’t quite tell.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,171
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From: Irvine, California
2022 AMG SL63
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 474
Likes: 379
From: Bar
☐ Rekt ☑ Not Rekt
Every level has a different type of competition, but yes, usually 1st gets the helmet, 2nd gets an AMG travel bag, and 3rd get a box of Meguiar's car care products (which is what I got).
