Riding a Storm

At the Mercedes JPSI driving academy at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida,feel like a Formula One driver as you zip around in an AMG.

Bernd Maylander,a former successful touring car racer,is Formula Ones safety car driver. So when he talks,even Formula One drivers listen. Unlike the drivers on the Formula One grid,however,the drivers at AMGs driving school are a mixed bag. So hes made a few groups. We can go easier with some groups and have more fun with others, he says with a smile,as he gets ready to lead a bunch of AMG cars around the Buddh International Circuit. Safety is most important. Keep a gap of four or five car lengths to the car in front of you,dont ride any of the kerbs hard and the track is even dustier than it was on race day,so stay on the racing line, he instructs sternly.

The format is simple. He takes us for a few really hard laps in his car and then we follow at a more sedate pace in ours. I dive straight into the passenger seat. The lap starts with a burnout in pit lane just to warm things up, he says cheerfully. Once out on the track,I quickly understand what he means by dusty. The C63 AMG,not a car that lacks grip in any shape or form,is sliding all over the place; stopping the car is taking longer than anticipated and our lap one ends up being a bit untidy and loose.

Things are considerably better on lap two. Maylander has got his trajectory just right,exiting corners on the throttle. The C-class pirouettes smoothly like a ballerina,and you can tell from his relaxed and fluid movements behind the wheel that this guy isnt even using 50 per cent of his driving skills.

Our convoy of three cars starts slow,but soon were up to speed as all three cars seem to be running at the same pace. The car Im driving,the C63 AMG,isnt just one of my favourite AMGs,its one of my favourite Mercs. Tight,compact and quick,this 457bhp V8-powered Merc is an absolute riot. Despite fumbling through the corner that leads onto the main straight,acceleration is so strong that we cross 225kph on the back straight.

Handling the back part of the circuit,with its twists,turns,switchbacks and elevation changes,is just magic behind the wheel of this car. This is easily the best steering on a Merc this side of an SLS. Setting up this car for a corner happens almost naturally carry enough speed into the corner and the C63 all but urges you to steer through on the throttle. If you are neat,the Sport setting allows you some amount of slip and Im soon wearing a wide grin. Still,getting the tricky back part of the circuit right is a big challenge as you often need to drive two and even three corners at a time. And you really need to pay attention to braking points,apexes,lines and look ahead,or you trip over your own mistakes. Soon we run out of time. Of course,this feels too brief,and it is,but what a car and what a track!

The best bit is that you can experience all this for yourself. The recently constituted Mercedes JPSI driving academy will carry out a blend of AMGs basic and advanced training programmes over the span of a day. To be held on four separate days in the year,this exclusive driver training programme is limited to only 16 participants a day. So if you want to experience one of the best drivers cars in the world on one of the best tracks,instructed by some of the best and most experienced drivers,give Merc a shout. The program includes basic driver training as well as more advanced driving techniques. The course will teach you how to handle a sliding car,both for understeer when the front wheels run out of grip first and the car wants to carry on straight,and oversteer when the rear wheels run out of grip first and the rear of the car wants to overtake you in a corner. The course will teach drivers how to extract the maximum performance from their cars,how to carry through a slalom,how to maximise the braking potential of your car and even the best way to avoid a collision. Okay,it isnt cheap at Rs 50,000 a pop introductory offer,but its a fair step up from the local Good Luck motor training school.