[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

Mind sharing with us what the trick was with respect to keeping racing line, along those tight corners, as per Bert ?

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Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

I need to ask you one thing, at the end of the day, did you or someone ask him about his opinions on urs and others drivings?

Just to be clear, Bernd didn't instruct us at all. He was busy giving taxi rides around the circuit the whole time!

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Driving along side Bernd unbelievable.

Well, if you consider "driving along-side" as being lapped by him while we were pottering along during the follow-the-leader excercise, and he was hot-lapping, yep

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

You didnt say anything about the debriefing. can you debrief once more for us?

Well, there was no debriefing for us! Like i mentioned, we just got a sampler of the actual course -- not the full course. We didn't get any driving feedback from Bernd, though Norman and Reinhold gave us a few quick inputs if they saw us doing something drastically wrong. (There were way more of us on track this day than the group of 8 (max) they will have on the actual academy days).

Originally Posted by ghostrider

The interesting thing about the E63 (drove the burgundy one in Bombay... do they even have any other colors on offer?) was despite the brute power and the raw speed, the drive felt a little un-involving.

Y'know, its quite likely that its the exact same car. I stayed away from the E-Class, simply because i think its too big, and i've spent a good week with an E55 AMG (Here's a picture) in California. Found it too weird of a mix between luxury / elegance and power! With an average rating in terms of handling.

I thought the C63 would be tighter, smaller, more chuckable and fun -- so i picked that.

Also, it turns out the E63 AMG had a traction control failure while on track, as well as reports of a gearbox issue when someone else was driving.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

I remember driving my friend's E46 M3 on Highway-1 in California and that experience felt so much more involving that it leads me to believe the M5 would be a much more rewarding drive than an E63.

I'd agree (even though i've not driven the F10 M5.... yet )

cya
R

[premjit]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

Rehaan, if someone from my house calls you and yells at you blaming you for influencing me to throw a good chunk of my bonus this year at something so 'crazy', don't be surprised !


I remember being one of the few lucky ones who were chosen off a raffle draw about 10 years ago for a hot lap in a Rally car beside Ahamed Bin Sulayem in his winning Ford Focus. Ever since, performance driving in a closed circuit has always enthralled me. And now, yours being on one of the BEST tracks of the sport, I can almost feel what you did and what I'm missing. But, it sure won't be long for me!


Mind sharing with us what the trick was with respect to keeping racing line, along those tight corners, as per Bert ?

Darn ! I'd have loved a job of this sort, and wouldn't have mind even if they didn't pay me for it.

Rehaan, fantastic review and the phots and the video do part justice to the experience that it must have been. Btw: How detailed is the pre-track briefing? Also, i for have 0 track experience () so a bit concerned about even planning for it.

Memphes: Sure agree with you. My bonus number has magically shrunk and i've stashed some away. Year's not been good you see....

[neo007]

Wow! super! thanks for sharing
Have they already launched the C63 here in India?Any idea's on the pricing? How would rate the new C63 Would it be the pick of the lot in this price range??
Cheers

[S350L-E240]

Hello,

Yes C63 was launched a long back, sadly Mercedes India never gave it it's own event or much of an importance which is long due not just for the C but various AMG models officially in India and some at times even in stock, the C is about 70 ex-showroom, best thing about Mercedes India is they have a price list of most cars on their Indian website,

Www.mercedes-Benz.co.in

In the menu, go to passenger cars and select the price list and then select your region and city

Regards,

Originally Posted by neo007

Wow! super! thanks for sharing
Have they already launched the C63 here in India?Any idea's on the pricing? How would rate the new C63 Would it be the pick of the lot in this price range??
Cheers

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

+
Y'know, its quite likely that its the exact same car. I stayed away from the E-Class, simply because i think its too big, and i've spent a good week with an E55 AMG in California. Found it too weird of a mix between luxury / elegance and power! With an average rating in terms of handling.

My thoughts exactly. Something about it just doesn't feel right... I had a hard time reconciling the odd blend of elegance and brutishness. What really turned me off though was the incessant traction control light on the dash... it was going crazy.
Also, like you said the handling - it feels vague and a little lifeless, especially the steering. It just didn't seem like the car that would make me grin like a lunatic when I drove it.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

+
I thought the C63 would be tighter, smaller, more chuckable and fun -- so i picked that.

I'm betting you were right. Shorter wheelbase for the win!!

Originally Posted by Rehaan

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Also, it turns out the E63 AMG had a traction control failure while on track, as well as reports of a gearbox issue when someone else was driving.

If it really is the same car I drove in Bombay then I'm not surprised. I really hope theyre using that particular vehicle as a demonstrator because it's been driven like it's been stolen by a bunch of people now!

Originally Posted by Rehaan

+
I'd agree (even though i've not driven the F10 M5.... yet )
cya
R

Give me the E60 any day.
I won't for a minute dispute the F10 is probably a better car but the E60 awakens something primordial in me. I mean, just look at it. It looks nasty even standing still. I'm one of the few that fell in love with the Bangle 5 the moment I clapped eyes on it.

[Kartik Krishnan]

Woah! Now that the drooling has finally stopped I can put down a few words!

Firstly, brilliant report of the entire experience!
And congratulations on being one of the luckiest chaps here. I'm sure you'll have some more stories from the whole event.
Yes, the name of the thread pretty much sums it up, but still, if we mere mortals can be given some more juice, would be much appreciated!

[noopster]

Wow what a fantastic experience for you Rehaan! Nicely captured too.

I recently demoed the new C class and the guys are now chasing me for a TD It's rekindled my interest in the 3 point star: for a long while I fancied myself a Bavarian fanboi!

It does seem as if Mercedes Benz is aggressively taking on BMW in India and the recent models have been, like to like, superior to what BMW offers, in my opinion.

It would be great to have a full-fledged review of the entire programme. Hope somebody does this soon!

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by premjit

Btw: How detailed is the pre-track briefing? Also, i for have 0 track experience () so a bit concerned about even planning for it.

I don't know how detailed the actual course's pre-track briefing will be. Ours was about 10 minutes of basic info.

No prior experience required. However, you should at least be a confident driver - else the course wont really be worth it for you.

Originally Posted by neo007

C63 Would it be the pick of the lot in this price range??

To be honest, the brute of the C63 never really appealed to me... I would have picked the M3 over it any day. However, after driving it, i do have a newfound appreciation for it. And boy, i love the sound.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

My thoughts exactly. Something about it just doesn't feel right...

Not to mention the 30L price difference!!

Originally Posted by ghostrider

If it really is the same car I drove in Bombay then I'm not surprised. I really hope theyre using that particular vehicle as a demonstrator because it's been driven like it's been stolen by a bunch of people now!

Yep, i'm sure they are. It was at the supercar rally last weekend too.

Originally Posted by Kartik Krishnan

I'm sure you'll have some more stories from the whole event.

I included everything i could think of in the report! Well, here are some videos from the MB USA channel :

Line Technique: AMG Driving Academy Performance Series Episode 5 - YouTube

Slalom Driving: AMG Driving Academy Performance Series Episode 3 - YouTube

Check out the other ones too.

cya
R

[Kartik Krishnan]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I included everything i could think of in the report! Well, here are some videos from the MB USA channel :
cya
R

Thanks Rehaan!
I'm waiting to see videos from the BIC and the academy in India, couldn't really find much on YouTube right now.

Cheers!

[niks_devil666]

Is it just me who thinks 75k is grossly expensive?

In 2008 , I had paid £240 for driving exp in a F-360 modena , 911 GT3, Impreza WRX-Sti,Lotus Elise. That had sounded much more reasonable to me.

[Rehaan]

If you just want to throw some nice cars around a track, this is probably on the pricey side. Add to that, with the AMG course you don't really get to drive anything that "exotic" either. However, this course is more about the learning experience. (Also there aren't really any other options in India).

But if you compare the same course in India and abroad, its a lot cheaper here (especially if you own a MB).

Found this on the USA site (gives a rough idea of what the exact day schedule might be too :



cya
R

[neo007]

Why do the the C & S class still use the 6.3L M156 engine instead of the new 5.5L M157 engine? In fact, i read on Wiki, that the M156 is more suited for smaller cars like the c class? Any rumors on the 5.5 coming to the c in the near future?
TIA

[rekhiv]

The pricing is not bad at all, esp with all the theory thrown in. I've done similar track days in the UK through a website called redletterdays which puts you behind the wheels of a supercar (I had a murcielago on one occasion and a Ferrari 599 GTB on another) for a lot less (about 300-500 quid) but without any of the instructions - just push the pedals and let em rip!!

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by neo007

Why do the the C & S class still use the 6.3L M156 engine instead of the new 5.5L M157 engine? In fact, i read on Wiki, that the M156 is more suited for smaller cars like the c class?

Sorry i'm not clued in on this. Maybe someone else can chip in.

Originally Posted by rekhiv

(I had a murcielago on one occasion and a Ferrari 599 GTB on another) for a lot less (about 300-500 quid) but without any of the instructions - just push the pedals and let em rip!!

I came across this on facebook! Don't have any details though. No idea if it was a one-time thing, or what :


Source

cya
R

[Sparkiplug]

I came across this on facebook! Don't have any details though. No idea if it was a one-time thing, or what :

This was an Event organized by Shreyans - Ferrari for prospective buyers on Wednesday. They had a few 458 Italias and a FF on the Buddh International Circuit. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend due to other commitments . But I heard it was an insane experience for those who attended with top speeds touching 270 km/hr.