Lamborghini Driving Academy: Great Event - But unfortunately no Regional Office to promote it

Yesterday I was watching an episode of BBC’s Top Gear show, in which Jeremy Clarkson was testing (and obviously enjoying very much) a Lamborghini Murci?©lago on the Top-Gear testing circuit. The joy you could see on Jeremy’s face and hear in his voice reminded me instantly with the same joy I had nine years ago in summer 2000 on the Catalunya F1 Racing Circuit in Barcelona, when Lamborghini Italy invited me and my colleague Samer to their first Lamborghini Driving Academy training.

After spending the first night in a lavish suite at the luxurious Arts hotel in Barcelona, we were supposed to take the helicopter from the hotel’s roof to the racing circuit. Unfortunately the weather conditions that day weren’t that good which forced us to go to the circuit in an Audi Allroad.

Although I participated in almost every driving-training offered nowadays by most car companies, it is surely no surprise that the one I enjoyed most was the Lamborghini Driving Training.

So, after I finished watching the Top Gear episode I googled �Lamborghini Driving Academy’ and found out that Lamborghini has re-launched its elite driving courses again, by announcing its new Lamborghini Academy dates for 2009.

With courses open to all sports car enthusiasts as well as Lamborghini owners, the track driving schools provide an extraordinary opportunity to experience the full potential of Lamborghini cars, alongside the Italian super sports car manufacturer’s professional instructors. The Track Academy course provides an entry into the Lamborghini Academy world. Held at various European race tracks from Spring 2009 onwards, participants’ driving skills are improved alongside a professional driver instructor, while exploring the full potential of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4.

The Advanced Academy is the top level programme, and concentrates on optimum control and performance on the race track, fully supported by a professional invehicle telemetry system. Driving is undertaken in the Gallardo LP 560-4 and the Murci?©lago LP 640: the fastest and most extreme super sports car in its class. All classes include technical and safety briefings, followed by handling and performance exercises, with instruction on how to get the â€?ultimate kick’ from race track driving!

Participants can improve their handling and feel of Lamborghini’s permanent four-wheel drive cars, learn to manage understeer and oversteer, practice manoeuvres with and without ABS and ESP, master �controlled drifting’ and, of course, find the ideal �racing line’ on track.

As a reminiscence of this experience each individual participant gets his own in-car-video with footage of the whole driving day as well as a photo CD of all the action of the day on the race track. Lucky them. When I participated in the first Lamborghini Driving Academy there were no such in-car-videos or photo CDs for the participants. But fortunately I managed to get some footage of the first Lamborghini Driving Academy, and which was broadcasted on Auto Arabia TV. (click here to watch the first Lamborghini Driving Academy Training: http://www.tv.middleeastauto.net/wmv/5h.htm )

Lamborghini Academy courses start from 3,900.00 euro, including accommodation, cars at the race track and all driving instruction, but excluding travel expenses.

It is a pity that Lamborghini does not have a regional office in Middle East or North Africa yet, because with the right marketing and promoting of such an exclusive and interesting event in the local and pan-Arabic media, I am sure that hundreds of sports-car owners and Lamborghini owners would book such a course immediately.

Mohamed Sheta