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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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!
