Mercedes SLS AMG GT3. Driven. Yas Marina. UAE

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As we leave the pits and hit the track I’m immediately struck by two things: the incredible amount of grip the SLS has and how unbelievably hard Schneider is pushing for a man that has had all of 10 minutes to learn the extremely technical Yas circuit. How do I know he’s pushing? Well, the first give away is that the car has a few degrees of oversteer out of just about every corner on the track and the second is that we actually run wide under braking at the end of the second long straight. When we approach the 100 metre board and he is still accelerating hard I’m pretty sure we’re not going to make it. Even pressing my invisible brake pedal doesn’t seem to help. Minor mishap aside, Schneider’s car control is stunning and quickly reminds me why I’m still an amateur racer.

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Now it’s my turn. As we pull back into the pits the anticipation of getting behind the wheel of this awesome machine is getting the better of me and I begin to get a major case of the butterflies. Thankfully Bernd is not a fan of being a passenger so I’ll be out on track by myself, which is a big relief as the pressure of having someone like him sat alongside me would have done nothing to calm my nerves.

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My entry into the driver’s seat is nowhere near as graceful as Bernd’s. Navigating the wide sill and the jungle gym of metal that is the SLS’s roll cage is more difficult than it looks. Once I have finally lowered myself in, the first order of business is to adjust the position of the pedals and steering wheel. I’m amazed at how much space there is in here and curse every other racecar I’ve driven for making things unnecessarily uncomfortable. Once the mechanics are done strapping me in the door is pulled down and slammed shut.

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It’s all on me now. I flick the ignition switch to on, push the starter button and the big 6.3-litre V8 erupts to life with a roar like that of a startled lion. Vibrations fill the cabin as the AMG motor idles noisily. Depress the surprisingly light clutch, pull the right paddle and first gear engages with a clunk. I feed in a few revs and gently release the clutch, the torque of the engine pulls the SLS away cleanly accompanied by lots of chuntering and whining from the drivetrain. At the end of the pit lane I release the speed-limiter button and dip into the darkness of the pit-lane exit tunnel. I’ve got the whole track to myself so don’t bother checking my mirrors as I merge on. I gently push the throttle and the SLS reacts with smooth and linear acceleration accompanied by a soundtrack that sounds like The Hulk gargling with metal. The SLS may be made in Germany but its soundtrack is pure American muscle.

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As I approach my first corner on-track I go for the brakes and to my amazement very little happens. Thankfully I’m not going very quickly and there’s plenty of run-off on which to recover, but I very quickly realize that I’m going to have to work the brake pedal much harder if I want them to work properly. As I accelerate down the first of Yas circuits long straights my foot is flat to the floor and several deliberate pulls of the stiff right hand paddle later I’m approaching the first chicane at around 250kph in sixth.

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This time I stamp on the brakes with all my force and the SLS slows down like its hit a wall, but it does so in a composed and stable manner with minimal pitch from the front or wiggle from the rear. I’m back down to first gear for the tight off-camber left and the nose of the car darts to the apex. I allow the car to settle for the second part of the chicane and gingerly get on the throttle. The SLS simply hooks up and rockets out with minimal drama. It’s obvious that the SLS has a lot more grip than I’m using at the moment. As the lap develops I quickly gain confidence in both the chassis and the brakes. My nervousness was unfounded; this is easily the best sorted GT racing car I’ve ever driven.

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The steering feels surprisingly light but gives plenty of feedback as to what is happening at the end of the impossibly long bonnet that dominates my forward view. The front end of the car is electric, going precisely where you point it, which is very impressive considering the front-engine configuration. A sharp front end usually means a nervous back end, but that isn’t the case here as the rear obediently follows. When the SLS does break into oversteer it gives you plenty of warning as the rear-loaded tyre rolls over itself before it goes into an easily collectible slide. As the laps countdown I am feeling very comfortable behind the wheel of the SLS GT3 and am braking at roughly the same points as Schneider was. I don’t think I’m that much slower on the throttle either. I am very curious to know how close I get to his lap time, but there is no timing beacon today.

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At the end of my fifth allotted lap I’m being waved back into the pits, and while I’m tempted to ignore the instruction I peel into the pit-lane, brake for the speed limit line and coast back towards my pit box. With a flick of the ignition I kill the engine and just like that my time with the incredible SLS GT3 is all over.

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*ORIGINAL POST DATE: June 2012