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Although I've been a member of the Motor Press Guild (a California-based society of auto-industry Media, PR and Marketing types) for the last four years, it wasn't until this year (2008) that I finally had an opportunity to attend the organization's annual "Track Day." What in the world is "Track Day," you ask? I'll tell you all about it after the jump... MPG's Track Day is actually a 2-day event, held on the 1.4-mile infield road course (and surrounding streets and freeways) of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The event gives participants a chance to drive all sorts of cars (nearly 100 brand-new, high-performance/luxury/economy/sport-utility/etc vehicles were provided by manufacturers such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Brand X, Mitsubishi, Honda, Mazda, Chrysler, Infiniti, Lotus, Acura and many more) at very high speed, on the track, as well as in real-world, 15-mile, road-test loops to evaluate and photograph (interiors/exteriors, etc) vehicles, for reports that appear in all sorts of enthusiasts' magazines and on automotive Web sites. I thoroughly enjoyed the event, and I'm really sorry that after four years, this was the first time I attended Track Day. I had a chance to meet and hobnob with some very cool people from all areas of the industry (the banquet and open-bar after party in the hotel bar were great), I got to drive and ride in some awesome cars (Audi's R8 is absolutely super-car ridiculous, and the company's S5 is my sleeper sports car...Of course, my love for Fords would put me in a Shelby GT500 first and foremost, but, I have to admit that I'd go outside the Ford fam and take an S5 in a New York minute if the opportunity ever came about!), and I also got to show off our Project T-top Coupe in the event's "Show-and-Shine" area of vehicles that MPG members own. Our Editor-at-Large, Tom Wilson, has been a member of MPG for several years. Tom is a road racer, and I spent a good portion of my time at Track Day, riding along with Tom as he put high-speed exotics (the AMG Mercedes cars, Jaguars) through their paces on the track. I admit, I'm a straightliner and prefer driving fast on the dragstrip. However, Tom's tips on how to get around a road course were very helpful, and after a while, I was hitting my apex marks...and had enough confidence to actually look down and see the needle on the speedometer as it passed the 110 mph mark, without worrying about making it through an upcoming turn and not totaling the car I was driving! Here's a look at Tom W doing his thing, behind the wheel of a Honda Accord V6 coupe. Since it was a Honda, you know my instructions for Tom were to "wear this piece of $&^#* OUT!" I can't wait 'til next year!
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