I hear all the time from my customers that “there’s nowhere around here to really drive my car to its full potential!” While there are some areas in northern Indiana where you can go for a spirited drive (at or below the posted speed limit, of course), it is tough to find track events that don’t require you to be an experienced racer. Fear not; we’ve found an event for drivers of all experience levels!
I recently attended the Driving Experience put on by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. This event was hosted the weekend of July 14–16 at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan, and it was designed for drivers of any experience level. Participants took their own vehicles out on the open track for two full days of driving and pushed their cars, as well as their driving skills, to the limit. The event kicked off with a classroom-style training session led by the professional drivers who work for the track. They went over a variety of helpful information, like understanding the flag system, knowing what the markings on the track mean, entering and exiting the track, etc. This was awesome for me, because I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I am NO race car driver. They then took all the attendees out on the track for a lead-follow session with one of their track-prepped Dodge Vipers. They did a great job of demonstrating the ideal lines of the track and helping us get comfortable with the track surroundings. The final step was an open track, and we got to have at it! The professional drivers were available throughout the weekend for coaching and even offered rides in their track cars.
What I really appreciated about this opportunity was that it was not a race, but a driving experience! There were cars and drivers of all levels, including Corvettes, Mustangs, Ferraris, Porsches, Mitsubishi Evos, Nissan GT-Rs, even a Mercedes sedan! It gave us a great opportunity to develop driving skills, learn the car, and connect with other like-minded car enthusiasts from our area.
Although this event, hosted back in July, is unfortunately behind us now, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum is hosting another one! The next event will be at GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, Michigan, September 15–17. Your registration for the event gets you two days on the track, as well as a hotel stay and lunches while at the track. It really is all-around a very enjoyable event and a great way to support the ACD Museum while getting in your race-car-driver fix.
You can get more information about the event by giving the museum a call at (260) 925-1444 or visiting their website at AutomobileMuseum.org
Even if you are hesitant about putting your car on the track, I would encourage you to look into this opportunity. I got out of my driving comfort zone and enjoyed every minute of it, and I know you will too!
Until next time, happy motoring!
