What I've learned from a wet day out at Sepang with AMG
18 Jul 2024|1,249 views
Rain is easily the most dreaded thing for those who are headed for a track day event. Rain reduces visibility, while the slick and wet tarmac will be far from optimal for those who are seeking fast lap times or looking to explore the upper limit of their car's performance.
You can imagine my disappointment when I woke up to the pitter patter of rain drops on the morning that I was slated to experience some of Mercedes-Benz and AMG's most exciting cars at Sepang Circuit.
But then I remember that I wasn't at Sepang Circuit to break lap records - the idea was to experience the cars through the activities that were planned for us, and rain might not necessarily be such a bad thing.
Wet tarmac sure isn't the best condition for setting lap times... but what if the agenda isn't to drive as fast as possible?
If you aren't chasing lap times, rain can be beneficial
Just a couple of weeks ago, I was driving Porsches on the same circuit at the Porsche World Road Show, but on a scorching-hot day. The dry tarmac proved to be optimal for maximum grip levels, which would have been excellent if the goal of the day was to set the fastest lap time. However, these aren't time-attack events - the priority is to allow all participants to experience the drive and capabilities of the cars in an environment that isn't too stressful or dangerous.
The rain poured relentlessly on the morning of our Mercedes-Benz Drive Experience day, but that doesn't take away from the experience if you ask me
With a slick and wet surface, the limits of grip are much lower. As a result, everything is dramatically exaggerated - brake a little harder and ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) would come on; understeer and oversteer would also occur much more easily. While these precarious conditions can be dangerous on the roads, the track allows us to explore how a car reacts in such conditions safely. If anything, with the guidance from the instructors, the low grip conditions allowed us to learn much more from the experience.
Wet conditions make it easier for a car to lose traction (and you, to lose control of the car), which allows safety systems to demonstrate their abilities
Perfect conditions to experience driver aids
You don't need to be a car enthusiast to have heard of driver aids such as ABS, traction control and stability control. You see them on the brochures, and the brand representatives explain to you how they improve safety by keeping the car in control.
An overly-spirited drive on a wet track would quickly make you glad that the car has all the safety systems to keep you on the tarmac
But how many would have actually experienced these safety systems doing their job? With high-performance cars such as the AMG models, it might be difficult to drive the car past its limit on a dry track. And that is where a wet track would actually come in handy - with a slick surface, you don't have to go as fast nor brake as hard for these safety systems to kick in. Hence, the rain actually allowed all of us to experience the technology at work at a slower, safer and more comfortable pace. It also made us appreciate the inclusion of driver aids in modern cars.
Trust me, you don't have to be going extremely fast to have an exciting and fun time at the track
You don't always have to go fast to have a great time
Driving a car at full bore is a euphoric experience, and if you have ever done that on a race track, it might be difficult to imagine having a good time driving at a lower pace. But the rain at this Mercedes-Benz Drive Experience has shown me that going fast is not a must to have an engaging and enjoyable time at the track.
The event consisted of several different segments including acceleration and braking with two cars lined up side by side (a drag race of sorts), a brake and swerve activity, a handling segment that consisted of Sepang's turn five and six, as well as a half-track convoy drive.
Drag race in the wet! Launch hard off the line and you'll see the traction light blinking away, with the car doing its job to put power to the ground
Acceleration and braking is a straightforward activity, but the rain added an extra element of challenge - with the high-powered EQE 53, the hard launch resulted in some loss of traction, and the car was even squirming a little! That said, there was no serious danger as the traction and stability control system kept the car going straight, while the ABS minimised stopping distances in the wet.
The goal was to head in at full speed (above 100km/h), slam on the brakes, allow the ABS to do its thing, and make a lane change from the left to the right one without killing any cones
The brake and swerve activity opened my eyes to the technology in Mercedes-Benz cars. The goal of it was to apply full braking and swerve to do a lane change at the last moment. This required the ABS to work overtime to stop the wheels from locking up in order to allow the lane change to happen. You can imagine how challenging a wet, slippery surface would make this - but still, the cars made quick work of it with no issues.
Navigating the challenging curves in the wet exaggerated the tendencies to under or oversteer, making for a great lesson on car control
The handling and half-track convoy drive allowed us to get the car up to speed while navigating through the challenging curves on the track. Once again, the wet surface exaggerated the tendencies for the cars to under or oversteer, adding to the challenge. It also highlighted the importance in taking the correct line, going at the correct speed and driving with adequate inputs to keep the car going where you want it to. These are exercises that can only be safely conducted in an environment such as Sepang Circuit. After the event, I'm sure all of us walked away with more experience and car handling skills.
The rain was a blessing in disguise
Would we have driven faster if the track was dry? Most probably. But the rain and lower speeds hasn't taken away from the experience with the Mercedes-Benz and AMG cars.
In fact, the rain has made the drive far more educational and eye-opening as we had to experience the programme under the unforgiving road conditions. I might even say that it made the entire experience all the more interesting and fun - just imagine sliding a Mercedes-Benz GLA 200 at Sepang Circuit, well, that wouldn't have happened if it was dry!
Rain is easily the most dreaded thing for those who are headed for a track day event. Rain reduces visibility, while the slick and wet tarmac will be far from optimal for those who are seeking fast lap times or looking to explore the upper limit of their car's performance.
You can imagine my disappointment when I woke up to the pitter patter of rain drops on the morning that I was slated to experience some of Mercedes-Benz and AMG's most exciting cars at Sepang Circuit.
But then I remember that I wasn't at Sepang Circuit to break lap records - the idea was to experience the cars through the activities that were planned for us, and rain might not necessarily be such a bad thing.
Wet tarmac sure isn't the best condition for setting lap times... but what if the agenda isn't to drive as fast as possible?
If you aren't chasing lap times, rain can be beneficial
Just a couple of weeks ago, I was driving Porsches on the same circuit at the Porsche World Road Show, but on a scorching-hot day. The dry tarmac proved to be optimal for maximum grip levels, which would have been excellent if the goal of the day was to set the fastest lap time. However, these aren't time-attack events - the priority is to allow all participants to experience the drive and capabilities of the cars in an environment that isn't too stressful or dangerous.
The rain poured relentlessly on the morning of our Mercedes-Benz Drive Experience day, but that doesn't take away from the experience if you ask me
With a slick and wet surface, the limits of grip are much lower. As a result, everything is dramatically exaggerated - brake a little harder and ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) would come on; understeer and oversteer would also occur much more easily. While these precarious conditions can be dangerous on the roads, the track allows us to explore how a car reacts in such conditions safely. If anything, with the guidance from the instructors, the low grip conditions allowed us to learn much more from the experience.
Wet conditions make it easier for a car to lose traction (and you, to lose control of the car), which allows safety systems to demonstrate their abilities
Perfect conditions to experience driver aids
You don't need to be a car enthusiast to have heard of driver aids such as ABS, traction control and stability control. You see them on the brochures, and the brand representatives explain to you how they improve safety by keeping the car in control.
An overly-spirited drive on a wet track would quickly make you glad that the car has all the safety systems to keep you on the tarmac
But how many would have actually experienced these safety systems doing their job? With high-performance cars such as the AMG models, it might be difficult to drive the car past its limit on a dry track. And that is where a wet track would actually come in handy - with a slick surface, you don't have to go as fast nor brake as hard for these safety systems to kick in. Hence, the rain actually allowed all of us to experience the technology at work at a slower, safer and more comfortable pace. It also made us appreciate the inclusion of driver aids in modern cars.
Trust me, you don't have to be going extremely fast to have an exciting and fun time at the track
You don't always have to go fast to have a great time
Driving a car at full bore is a euphoric experience, and if you have ever done that on a race track, it might be difficult to imagine having a good time driving at a lower pace. But the rain at this Mercedes-Benz Drive Experience has shown me that going fast is not a must to have an engaging and enjoyable time at the track.
The event consisted of several different segments including acceleration and braking with two cars lined up side by side (a drag race of sorts), a brake and swerve activity, a handling segment that consisted of Sepang's turn five and six, as well as a half-track convoy drive.
Drag race in the wet! Launch hard off the line and you'll see the traction light blinking away, with the car doing its job to put power to the ground
Acceleration and braking is a straightforward activity, but the rain added an extra element of challenge - with the high-powered EQE 53, the hard launch resulted in some loss of traction, and the car was even squirming a little! That said, there was no serious danger as the traction and stability control system kept the car going straight, while the ABS minimised stopping distances in the wet.
The goal was to head in at full speed (above 100km/h), slam on the brakes, allow the ABS to do its thing, and make a lane change from the left to the right one without killing any cones
The brake and swerve activity opened my eyes to the technology in Mercedes-Benz cars. The goal of it was to apply full braking and swerve to do a lane change at the last moment. This required the ABS to work overtime to stop the wheels from locking up in order to allow the lane change to happen. You can imagine how challenging a wet, slippery surface would make this - but still, the cars made quick work of it with no issues.
Navigating the challenging curves in the wet exaggerated the tendencies to under or oversteer, making for a great lesson on car control
The handling and half-track convoy drive allowed us to get the car up to speed while navigating through the challenging curves on the track. Once again, the wet surface exaggerated the tendencies for the cars to under or oversteer, adding to the challenge. It also highlighted the importance in taking the correct line, going at the correct speed and driving with adequate inputs to keep the car going where you want it to. These are exercises that can only be safely conducted in an environment such as Sepang Circuit. After the event, I'm sure all of us walked away with more experience and car handling skills.
The rain was a blessing in disguise
Would we have driven faster if the track was dry? Most probably. But the rain and lower speeds hasn't taken away from the experience with the Mercedes-Benz and AMG cars.
In fact, the rain has made the drive far more educational and eye-opening as we had to experience the programme under the unforgiving road conditions. I might even say that it made the entire experience all the more interesting and fun - just imagine sliding a Mercedes-Benz GLA 200 at Sepang Circuit, well, that wouldn't have happened if it was dry!
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