MPG Track Days 2009
Just back from two days at the Motor Press Guild Track Days at Auto Club Speedway in Ontario, California.MPG Track Days is an annual event put on by the professional automotive journalists' organization on the West Coast, the Motor Press Guild, of which I am a proud member. The MPG arranges with the vehicle manufacturers to bring out as many of their new vehicles -- cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs -- as possible, and we journalists drive them on the track and on the street in a concentrated fashion. It's a great opportunity for me to get acquainted with the new models, get reacquainted with some old ones, and get a little bit of track time, which is always fun.
This year there was even a team autocross competition and a reverse gymkhana, using only backup cameras for navigation -- a great all-SUV competition.
I drove some exciting new SUVs, and made arrangements for some review loans in the near future. So, not only was it a fun event, it will turn out to be quite productive on these pages.
Photo © Jason Fogelson
Comments
Did you participate in the backwards driving? How did you do?
I did participate in the reverse driving competition. I didn’t do well enough to rank. The winning driver, a Korean journalist who goes by the name of “Mel,” drove an unbeatable time of 1:18 with no errors. My time was closer to 2:00 with three cones down. The significant result wasn’t who won or lost, it was which vehicle did the best. It was the Ford Flex, by quite a margin. Journalists chose it 2 to 1 over the rest of the field as “Best Backup Camera.”