Would you say ‘no’ if you were offered a drive in the Mercedes-Benz AMG range on the acclaimed Buddh International Circuit? Neither did we
We all dream of driving highly expensive and powerful sport cars, but there are only a handful who actually succeed in doing so. In India the list of new super car buyers has sky-rocketed in the recent past, much to the pleasure of the premium car manufacturers. However, buying a super car is the easier part, the bigger challenge being to possess the skills to squeeze the maximum out of these power-machines. The recipe for it rather simple. All you need is a tempting race track, some insightful advice from trained instructors, obviously a sport car and a will to go faster and faster.
One such premium car maker has now introduced the concept of performance driving academy in India. Finally. Mercedes-Benz invited Car India to get a first-hand experience of things as it launched the JPSI-AMG Performance Driving Academy in collaboration with Jaypee Sports International at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC). The AMG Driving Academy was originally started some five years ago in Europe and the one inaugurated here is the third such institute outside Europe. The other two are in the US and China.
The Indian edition was inaugurated on a foggy January morning by Peter Honegg, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India. However, the highlight of the event was Bernd Maylander, former Mercedes-Benz DTM driver and the official Formula One World Championship safety car driver since the year 2000. Another man of importance was Reinhold Renger, the chief instructor at the AMG Driving Academy, who told us about all the dos and don’ts, to which everyone listened quite intently since no one wanted to kiss the side-walls driving in a Mercedes-Benz AMG.
That brings me to the machines of the day – C 63 AMG, E 63 AMG, SL 63 AMG and SLS AMG. It was an enthusiast’s dream line-up, so I got hold of the man of the moment, Ola Käellenius, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. He was excited to see the response and said that AMGs enjoy huge popularity and that the company was delighted that India would get an opportunity to experience the AMG range in its full glory at the globally acclaimed BIC. AMG will get their expert instructors, who will help the participants sharpen their skills even further and, at the same time, will ensure the highest standards of safety for all.
Initially just a certificate course for the BASIC-Training will be offered in India, though one can opt for ADVANCED, PRO and MASTERS levels (that take place in Europe) once the aspirant clears this level. If you own a Mercedes-Benz, then all you need is a Rs 50,000 cheque to get in. Even if you don’t drive a three-pointed star, you can still participate by paying extra Rs 25,000.
The BASIC course is where one learns about an AMG Mercedes, its features and how one can put them to better use. After the theory bits, participants get to do the real thing: driving the AMG on the race-track. Here the instructors show how to exploit one’s driving potential to the fullest and the same for the car. Käellenius was certain that many Indian AMG fans would be keen on enrolling in the advance level courses as well and he is definitely looking forward to welcoming them.
This also gave me the opportunity to drive on the internationally acclaimed BIC. And, boy, was I proud! Off to the slalom course then. The AMGs flaunted their engineering mastery by offering sharp handling, precise steering and great road grip, which, in turn, made my winding drive around the plastic cone pretty quick. My instructor constantly advised me through the walkie-talkie, which improved my technique even further.
After having my share of fun on the slalom it was time to head for the next part of the course, which was to drive around the circuit. Following the SLS AMG, I got to understand the racing line, when to slow down and how one should approach a turn. The way the AMG pins the driver down during the 1,060 metres of the main straights, which is one of the longest in F1, is a thing to be experienced.
At the end of the day, I felt that I was more aware of the common mistakes that I made during driving, felt mature as a driver and was better informed about how to treat the AMGs. Another proud moment was when I was handed a glass certificate, which said, ‘Personally trained by Bernd Maylander’. A big boost to my driving confidence.
By the way, this was a driving academy, not to be mistaken as an F1 training school. One gets to hone one’s driving skills, but it doesn’t come with a promises that you will be able to overtake Schumacher on the Nürburgring. So, for now the German F1 driver is safe.
In Conversation With Bernd Maylander
He has been leading the way for all the Formula One cars for over a decade now, but still hasn’t won a single F1 race himself. That’s the official Safety Car Driver, Bernd Maylander
Maylander began his motor racing journey way back in 1980s with karting sport. In the following years the German participated in several renowned motor sport events and one of the achievements was in 2000, when he won the 24-hour Nürburgring and later that year he drove for Mercedes-Benz in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series.
Currently, Maylander’s job is to drive ahead of all the participating Formula One race cars in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG as the Safety Car Driver. It’s no easy task, he says, as sometimes he has to drive the SLS to the limit just to keep up with the extremely fast F1 machines. In case of an incident or accident, Maylander has to reach the spot quickly and inform the marshals over the walkie-talkie about the situation, so that they can act accordingly. He ended on a lighter note saying,“By the way, it is a nice feeling to have all the F1 drivers drive behind me.”
In the recent past, Maylander said, last year’s Montreal, Canadian F1 race was quite challenging as it was one of the longest races where the drivers had to drive behind him for 28 laps. The winner, Jenson Button, led only half of the last lap. It might be challenging, but Maylander likes his job, as he gets to visit new countries because of his job which is a special experience.
Talking about some of his scariest moments on the F1 track, he mentioned Schumacher’s crash at Indianapolis race in 2007. He said, “When the driver after a crash doesn’t come out or move, it is very scary.” Massa’s devastating crash last year also left a scar on his mind.
Coming to a more pleasant topic, I asked him how it was being an instructor with the AMG Driving Academy? He said, “It is nice to see the transformation in the customer before and after the event. Am sure we’ll have the same smiling faces in India.” He is certain that the AMG Academy will be a hit in India, because, over the years, he has seen people from as far away as Australia come for the winter programme that is held in Sweden to be able to drive on ice and snow.
So how was it driving on India’s first F1 track? The German said, “The Buddh Circuit is a fantastic race track with good safety measures. Good location and place to start in India.” This made all the Indians in the room beam with pride. But if there was something that needed improvement, what would it be? Without a moment’s hesitation he said, “Apex 6,7,8,9, where Massa broke the front wing of his race car, should be little bit different. But it has one of the longest straights with some fast and some slow corners, which makes it overall a good track.” Yes, we were beaming again.
On this happy note, we called it a day for now, though we hope to bump into this straight talking Safety Car Driver again to talk about his F1 adventures.
Story: Sarmad Kadiri
Photography: Mercedes-Benz
