Mercedes-AMG C63 S 2019 Track Test

It never ceases to amaze how much more enjoyable it is to drive a car like the Mercedes-AMG C63 S sedan on a racetrack than the road.

No oncoming trucks, no highway patrol coppers keen to fulfill their quota.

Just you, the car, the road and – in this case -- driving instructor Elliott Barbour literally reaching across to yank the steering wheel of the C 63 S left as we crest the back-straight rise at Sandown Raceway.

Oh yeah, that’s the other thing that always hits me at racetracks. What an ordinary driver I really am and how big the safety net is that modern cars provide us with.

It’s a bit of a come-down in a way. But then, I’d rather be hit by that realisation than armco railing…

The purpose of this Friday morning visit to Melbourne’s historic Sandown circuit with Mercedes-AMG was to sample the recently updated C 63 S on-track.

The idea being we could really let its hair down, as opposed to the on-road drive to Bathurst in February which served as the car’s Australian introduction.

You can read our verdict from that drive here, and check out the specifics of Australian price and spec here.

So, there’s lots of info there that you need to know about what’s new and what’s not with this popular 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 rear-wheel drive sports sedan.

What we’re doing here is having a bit of a thrash and learning about the new Track Pace telemetry system, which helps C 63 S owners who want to take their cars to the track figure out whether they are any good at that sort of stuff … or not.

First time out we’re just focussed on driving rather than the new telemetry system. But having said that we’re in Race mode which winds up the drivetrain and chassis to its sharpest and gives you a bit of latitude before stability control steps in to control any slides.

This is also the moment to talk about another new track-oriented feature which is nine-stage traction control. Essentially, if you turn off stability you can then dial the traction from one – where it is at its most controlling of wheelspin -- to nine where it is minimal. This is all achieved via a dial hanging off the steering wheel.

“I want one that goes to 11,” I say to Elliott, doing my best Spinal Tap impersonation.

Elliott just looks at me like I’m cracked. I think he thinks I’m serious. Shut up Bruce and concentrate on the driving.

Roll out of the pits and press the throttle and in race mode the 375kW C 63 S bellows like a NACAR, its V8 beat rebounding off the empty grandstands.

I was sitting up in there when Juan Manuel Fangio did some demo laps in a W196 grand prix racer in 1978. From memory, it sounded pretty cool too.

I’ve selected manual mode and approaching the first turn the nine-speed MCT auto – new for this update -- ka-chung, ka-chungs down through the gears. Left in auto, I later discover, it’s just as aggressive.

This car is running carbon-ceramics and their power is immediately obvious as the pedal is pressed.

Elliott rolls out the lap in a relaxed cadence: “Get a feel for that brake pressure, getting down to our apex, easing on the power off the corner, back across to the left, on the brake, rolling through this little chicane section here, careful of the bumps,” … and so it goes.

It’s all good, clean fun; there’s a couple of slides and a couple of missed apexes but it’s fast enough to be enjoyable but not so fast that either of us are feeling sweaty about it all. Until my final lap, that is.

Over the high-speed crest on the Sandown back straight, the tarmac curves left and it’s important to be as far over that side as you can be. But I’m too late off the throttle, not hard enough on the brake and wandering down the middle.

“Brake, brake, brake, bit more brake, see we’re running wide…,” says Elliott as he grabs the wheel and reefs left. “You’ve got to listen to me,” he admonishes.

To be honest, head inside balaclava and helmet and with all that engine, tyre and wind noise as we surged toward 200km/h up the back straight, I was struggling to hear him.

But I could understand he was a bit annoyed with me. After all it’s the same place where a series of V8 Supercars have been destroyed in big hits over the years … Will Davison, James Golding, Taz Douglas and Todd Hazelwood all know what I’m talking about…

“There were a couple of little mistakes there,” he say as we pull up. “You’ve got to remember you’re driving a big V8 muscle-car.

“Big horsepower, big car. It’s a bit more point and squirt … you really need to wait until you’re at that apex before you get on the gas.”

After that experience it’s no surprise Elliott hands me off to colleague Ben Porter for my second session.

Happily, apart from a bit of a slide up the outside kerb at turn four on my first lap, it’s incident-free. We’re more focussed on Track Pace this time.

There’s a target lap time broken up into three sectors for me to chase and the media screen flashes up green if I am ahead of the time, or red if I am lagging behind.

Happily, I start my first flying lap green, but the further I go the more red I am seeing. Hmmm, Fangio is definitely safe!

Ben goes to work and my lines improve and my throttle and brake applications clean up.

“Notice how you are clawing back time because you got better drive off the corner,” he says as we finally exit turn four nice and straight. “You were slower on entry but overall this is going to give you a better lap.”

As we rush up the back straight I start envisioning a lap record breaking run. Just have to commit over the crest, maybe brake that little later…

Ben reads my mind: “I think we’ll just start backing it off, cool it down and roll back to the pits,” he says, before adding the obligatory “good job”.

But I’ve taken to Track Pace; it is a bit of fun and a handy tool too. Once you get back to the pits you can draw down a heap of data like accelerator and brake pedal pressure and even transfer it to your smartphone for later review.

It’s like having your own personal race engineer in your back pocket.

“We can see in real-time how you are driving compared to the pro who has set the target time,” explains Ben. “It really helps us help you progress toward a faster lap time.”

Track Pace is also standard in the larger Mercedes-AMG E 63 S sedan, the GLC 63 S mid-size SUV and across AMG GT range. It will be included in GT 4-Door Coupe and certain other upcoming AMG models.

Considering the vast majority of AMG owners love taking their cars to the track – AMG driving events are already 90 per cent sold out this year – Track Pace is going to get a workout!

Just to bring me back to reality there’s a chance to do a couple of fliers with five-time world motorcycle GP champion and AMG ambassador Mick Doohan in an E 63 S. Same engine just more power, more weight and all-wheel drive.

Mick drives it like he stole it – mashing the brakes and throttle in all the right places. It’s a hoot and we’re both laughing by the end.

Back in 1988 I remember covering him streeting the field in the opening round of the Australian Superbike championship right here at Sandown in his first outing as a full-time rider for the local Yamaha team – yes folks, he didn’t always ride Hondas!

It’s a nice way to conclude the day. What did I learn? Hmmm, that it’s fun to drive fast and the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S remains a very cool beast.

It’s also reminded me that this venue has played host to some fabulous talents over the years. I’m not one of them, but that hasn’t dulled the experience at all.

And hey, I’m sure Elliott will always remember me!