The AMG Driving Academy announced that Tommy Kendall will be the inaugural celebrity driving instructor and Master of Ceremonies for the AMG Driving Academy. Here’s the press release from Mercedes-AMG:

Tommy Kendall is best-known for his dominating SCCA Trans-Am Series career where he won four championships in the 1990’s, including a near perfect season in 1997 where he won nearly every race on the schedule. Tommy is a successful television broadcaster and analyst today, and is currently hosting the Speed Test Drive on SpeedTV.

“I’m very excited about being a part of this incredible program with Mercedes-Benz and AMG says Tommy Kendall. I’ve had a great relationship with Mercedes-Benz and the AMG Challenge for many years, but as a racer, you are always looking to push the performance envelope to the limits of both yourself and your equipment.”

“People always tell me that I have the greatest job in the world on ‘Test Drive’ because I get to push incredible vehicles to the limit on great race tracks, and then evaluate how they perform. The AMG Driving Academy gives people the chance to do just that by really picking up the pace from where the Challenge leaves off, and push participants and AMG vehicles to the limit at three of my favorite tracks in the U.S. Graduates can then advance through higher levels of the AMG Academy systems both here in the U.S. and in Europe, which is another great benefit of this program.”

You can join Tommy Kendall at the U.S.-debut of this world-renowned high performance driver training program this Fall, continuing the global expansion of the AMG Driving Academy founded by AMG in Affalterbach.

We are privileged to offer you the exciting opportunity to be one of the first participants here in the United States. Experience the true performance capabilities of a selection of the latest AMG vehicles ­by getting behind the wheel, on a racetrack, and receiving coaching from world-class professional racers and instructors at three legendary racetracks: Laguna Seca Raceway (CA), Lime Rock Park (CT), and Palm Beach International Raceway (FL).Only a limited number of seats are still available for a discount of 20% at Palm Beach International Raceway and Lime Rock Park if you enroll by August 31, 2009.

AMG Driving Academy Registration Center phone: 800-217-6916
For program info, including dates and track details, visit the
AMG Driving Academy Website.

MBUSA has officially announced the AMG Driving Academy details for three upcoming venues this fall.

And, you can be one of the lucky few to drive the all-new 2011 SLS AMG, which is being offered at the Stage I Programs at Laguna Seca Raceway only. The 2011 SLS AMG is one of the most technologically advanced AMG Mercedes ever.

Here is an excerpt of the email notice received this morning from MBUSA:

AMG Driving Academy in the U.S.

This world-renowned driver training program arrives in the United States this Fall, continuing the global expansion of the AMG Driving Academy founded by AMG in Affalterbach.

We are privileged to offer you the exciting opportunity to be one of the first participants here in the United States. This highly exclusive program will be offered at three legendary racetracks: Laguna Seca Raceway (CA), Lime Rock Park (CT), and Palm Beach International Raceway (FL).

Experience the true performance capabilities of a selection of the latest AMG vehicles by getting behind the wheel, on a racetrack, and receiving coaching from professional racers and instructors.

A limited number of seats are available at an early registration DISCOUNT of 20% if you enroll by Friday June 19, 2009.

Please call the AMG Driving Academy registration center at 1-800-217-6916 to learn more and register today. For additional program information, including dates and track details, please click here.

The fast-paced combination of in-car and classroom training on the country’s premier racetracks will create an experience that you’ll cherish for life.

Fine print: MBUSA, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to terminate the AMG Driving Academy Program entirely and/or to modify, change, alter and/or delete any and all terms, conditions and rules regarding: 1) the AMG Driving Academy Program in general; 2) customer participation in the AMG Driving Academy Program; and 3) the nature, level, value, frequency and amount of any individual prizes and awards to be given to any program participants, at any time before and/or during the course of the AMG Driving Academy Program without notice.

Again, note that the all-new 2011 SLS AMG will join the Stage I Programs at Laguna Seca Raceway only.

Program Highlights

• Choose from three internationally respected racetracks in the U.S.
• Receive intense, high-quality training from the world’s best professional racers and instructors
• Engage in custom-designed exercises that showcase AMG vehicles’ extraordinary dynamic driving capabilities in an authentic environment
• Get behind the wheel of several AMG models, to appreciate the dynamic nuances of each
• Experience greater in-depth instruction, driver development and seat time than  offered in the former AMG Challenge
• Enjoy an exclusive dinner reception and introductory briefing the evening  before your program

Choose from a

Continue reading » »

UPDATE (June 9, 2009): MBUSA has officially announced the AMG Driving Academy details for the United States; three upcoming venues this fall – PRICING AND COMPLETE UPDATE HERE.

This week alone, several people inquired about the AMG Challenge event dates for 2009. The answer, there are none – AMG Challenge has been discontinued! But hold on now. The world-renowned driver-training program from Mercedes-AMG arrives in the USA this September (2009); the AMG Driving Academy.

The “AMG Driving Academy” has replaced the AMG Challenge events for 2009. The new driving program is a major departure from the AMG Challenge in that there will be additional emphasis on driver training versus the experience of a test drive at speed. You can read a press release for the overall AMG Driving Academy here.

The following dates and venues have been released by Mercedes-AMG (stay tuned for pricing and registration info): Continue reading » »