The AMG Driving Academy 2012 / 2013: Experiencing the thrill of superlative automotive performance

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The AMG Driving Academy 2012 / 2013: Experiencing the thrill of superlative automotive performance

Thursday, 15. 03. 2012 - 10:22, Daniel Mandzi

The AMG Driving Academy has a dazzling new agenda lined up for the 2012 / 2013 season. The varied programme is designed to meet the most diverse requirements and aspirations and stands for thrills and excitement galore. The events on offer span pleasure-oriented EMOTION trips, special winter training courses in Sweden's Lapland region and thrilling excursions to legendary race circuits such as the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Hockenheimring or Zandvoort.

A special highlight is the MASTERS programme, in which participants take to the wheel of the SLS AMG GT3, the racing version of the gullwing model. A common feature of all the AMG Driving Academy events is the unique, electrifying first-hand experience of superlative performance which brings the AMG brand claim of "Driving Performance" to life for participants. A world first without parallel among the competition comes in the shape of carbon-neutral driving dynamics events which are absolutely exclusive to the AMG Driving Academy.

In this way, the AMG Driving Academy, which was established in 2007, demonstrates that driving enjoyment and concern for the environment are perfectly reconcilable. The principle of carbon neutrality is based on three pillars which are now applied at all AMG Driving Academy events:

1. avoidance of the unnecessary wasting of resources.

2. implementation of efficiency-enhancing measures, such as deployment of the latest AMG high-performance vehicles. Example: the new SLK 55 AMG with cylinder shut-off system consumes 30 percent less fuel than the previous model.

3. AMG determines the CO₂ emissions generated at a Driving Academy event on the basis of the so-called "carbon footprint" and balances out this volume of emissions through its involvement in climate protection projects.

Enhancing active driving safety

The new programme from the AMG Driving Academy comprises professionally designed training measures which will enable ambitious sports car enthusiasts to improve their individual control of their vehicles and enhance their active driving safety. All events staged by the AMG Driving Academy feature advanced training methods which guarantee a swift grounding in the basics of driving dynamics. Acquainting drivers with both their own limitations and their vehicles' limits in a totally safe manner is also on the agenda. Another key focus is on thrilling driving experiences with exciting high-performance vehicles such as the SLS AMG, C 63 AMG Coupé Black Series or SLK 55 AMG.

A major difference to last year's programme is the reduced size of groups
for selected events, to allow even greater concentration on the respective participants' individual skills. In addition, individual taxi trips with the
SLS AMG GT3 can now be booked at a price of 350 euros.

Erstwhile Formula 1 driver Karl Wendlinger new instructor

Karl Wendlinger (Austria) is a new addition to our team of professional instructors. From 1990 to 1991 the 43 year-old racing driver was a member of the Mercedes junior team competing in the World Sportscar Championship along with Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. In 1991 he switched to Formula 1. In 1994, Wendlinger raced for the Sauber-Mercedes team alongside Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Karl Wendlinger will be teaming up at the AMG Driving Academy with DTM driver Susie Wolff and DTM championship record holder Bernd Schneider, who belong to the AMG Driving Academy's core team along with Bernd Mayländer (driver of the Official F1^TM Safety Car). Racing driver Reinhold Renger remains in the post of chief instructor. In all, the AMG Driving Academy has 30 instructors on its roster.

The AMG Driving Academy is not only active in Europe. In response to the great demand, the programme is undergoing systematic expansion: training measures have been held in America since 2009, and in China since 2010 - at the Laguna Seca Raceway (California) or the Shanghai International Circuit, for example. A totally new development is the AMG Driving Academy's involvement in India: A kick-off event took place at the Buddh International Circuit against the backdrop of the Auto Expo in New Delhi in January 2012.