There are times during my laps that the unflappable SL picked up a front wheel mid-corner at 120 mph. I slid through the Fuchsröhre at 130 mph, bottoming out the suspension as the car sagged under 1g of downward force. The automatic roll bar deployed within a few turns each lap, telling me I had just been airborne. I sat pegged at the 155-mph limiter for what felt like an eternity. And the g-forces your body experiences in the insanely banked Karussel are unlike anything else you'll experience on a racetrack.
No, the Nürburgring Nordschleife is not just another track; it's the most insane one-way mountain road you'll ever drive. And the AMG Driving Academy isn't just another school. It's a perfectly organized and meticulously run experience that is the only way to really get your thrills on the Ring without coming home wearing bandages and casts.
Mercedes has just announced that the school is making its U.S. debut this fall. My advice: go to a school on your home turf to get your feet wet, and then sign yourself up for the 'Ring school. We put 435 miles of Nordschleife abuse on our SLs. The tires were cupped and the brake pads were down to their metal backing. The unlikely combination of the Nordschleife's inherent chaos, the Academy's unfaltering attention to detail and faultless organization, and the dynamic brilliance of the SL63 AMG resulted in an experience that, I promise you, cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the world.
For more information on the AMG Driving Academy, visit AMGacademy.com.