I was very excited to try out the latest instance of the Mercedes AMG Driving Academy this year with the first availability being held at the Sonoma Raceway in California!

It has been a few years for me since my latest training down at Laguna Seca, but as you can see from my blog posting, there are always an amazing experience to achieve!

So what was new this year compared to previous years?

This year they have off-road training with the G63!

But of course, I should mention that we have to get training and safety briefings before headed out from some famous race car drivers and professionals.

It was lightweight, but clear hands on training with all the dimensions of the G-Wagon’s capabilities to climb, traverse, steep angles, slip, etc. using low gearing and traction capabilities of the military grade SUV!

You know you are successful when you are digging deep in the mud and not getting stuck!

Next, it was time to hit the track!

It is always heart pounding when you hit the gas and take off on to track,

We started with the classic SL63 which is amazing convertible,

You also get to try out the new EQE AMG electric car on the track!

It is amazing how different they feel and handle. The electric car’s speed is out of the world and it is so smooth, it is scary. But at the same time, you just do not “feel” the road and feel as in control as you do with the traditional engine, transmission and gearing.

Tired yet? How about some drag racing?

You get the opportunity to compete side by side between the AMG EQS and the AMG GT63-S type.

This may not be the best little video I took as the competitors did not start at the same time, but it shows how fast the competition unfolds in only a few seconds!

Guess which car won (if the driver was skilled)? Yes, it was the electric car…

If you thought that could be fast excitement, how about some drift training?

I looked all relaxed, but 1 minute of drifting, your heart will be pounding in your chest.

It is amazing the difference between having traction control turned on and what you can do when disabled!

Here is one video (not the best) on showing how people learn to drift by starting with wet pavement.

and was the best music to listen to when drifting? Some Beastie Boys of course!

Conclusion and finale?

Recorded performance with 3 loops on the track in a AMG GT-R!