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"China is also a fast-growing
market for AMG. And not only are our AMG high-performance
vehicles in ever greater demand, but our Chinese customers are
also increasingly asking for racetrack training courses. I am
proud that we can now also offer Chinese AMG fans a unique
product and brand experience with the AMG Driving Academy", says
Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
Success story: AMG Driving
Academy
The AMG Driving Academy is a
success story. Since it was set up at the start of 2007, over
12,000 customers have taken part in the different events – with
numbers growing all the time. In addition to the varied
programmes on European racetracks, US customers have also been
able to take part in exhilarating racetrack training courses
since the end of 2009, for example on the Laguna Seca Raceway in
California and in Road Atlanta in Georgia. Winter Sporting in
Lapland, Sweden, with participants able to put the AMG
high-performance vehicles with spiked tyres through their paces
on a cordoned-off frozen ice lake, is a particular highlight.
The varied line-up of the AMG
Driving Academy consists of five levels: EMOTION, BASIC,
ADVANCED, PRO and MASTERS. These offer everything from
lifestyle-oriented events and courses which take the
participants through their first experience of driving at the
limit, all the way to intensive racetrack training with a
competitive edge. The level of difficulty is tailored to the
participants’ individual requirements. In the AMG MASTERS Sports
Trophy, participants who are resident in Germany have the
opportunity to acquire a national Level A DMSB (German Motor
Sport Federation) driver’s licence. Prices for the AMG Driving
Academy programmes start from as little as 290 euros.
Successful racing drivers as
high-profile instructors
The AMG Driving Academy employs a
total of 21 instructors. The permanent team around chief
instructor Reinhold Renger (42) includes high-profile racing
drivers: Bernd Schneider (46) with five DTM Championships under
his belt, plus an ITC and FIA GT Championship title for good
measure, ranks as one of Germany's most successful racing
drivers. At present, Schneider is heavily involved in the
development and testing programmes for the new SLS AMG GT3 –
partnered by his instructor colleague Thomas Jäger (33), 2009
Champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and long-time
DTM driver for Mercedes-Benz.
Bernd Mayländer (39) drove for
Mercedes-Benz for eight years in the DTM and FIA GT
Championships, and has been the permanent driver in the Official
F1™ Safety Car since 2000 – in his SLS AMG he is helping to
ensure the best possible driver safety throughout this year's
Formula 1 season. Susie Stoddart (27, GB) joined the team of
experienced instructors in 2009. The Scottish DTM driver is the
first woman to score points in the "new" DTM.
Photo: AMG
(Nov 15, 2010)
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