Chat with us, powered by LiveChat

Paul Charsley Tag

Simraceway Performance Driving Center Hosts Autoweek Magazine

 

IMG_3457In its second year now, the Simraceway Performance Driving Center was proud to host the Autoweek Fantasy Camp where 20 individuals got to live the pampered life of an automotive journalist. 10 cars were invited to the party: the Lexus IS-F, BMW M3, Dodge Charger Hellcat, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet SS, Audi S4, Mercedes Benz C400, Chrysler 300C & Acura TLX. Ganassi Racing’s dynamic duo Scott Pruett & Joey Hand were also there to offer some fun racing stories as well as some wild rides in the Lexus RC-F.

 

IMG_6050Starting with a street drive through the winding hills and valleys of Sonoma/Napa, the “editors for a day” rotated through the cars to get a good feel for each car. They ended up at Simraceway Performance Driving Center at Sonoma Raceway to start the serious business of really putting these cars to the test. Here our instructors went along for the ride, helping with track and driving tips as they drove the cars on our performance Autocross as well as the raceway itself, all the while writing their thoughts on how each one stacked up against each other. Some serious rubber was burned, especially in the Dodge Charger Hellcat as horsepower doesn’t suck, where no one could resist holding that throttle all the way to the floor (and the noise wasn’t half bad either)! This was a unique opportunity that everyone seemed to have a ball being a part of. Even our instructors seemed to find some new cars they’d like to add to their garage. After a fantastic day of endless car talk and fuel burning fun, they headed over to Aston Martin headquarters at our friends TRG’s raceshop & winery. We are already looking forward to next year’s program, so stay tuned to Autoweek to see if you can be one of the lucky ones in 2016!

—Paul Charsley

 

Pictures from the day: