Fellow Abarth owners, don't forget to register for the Abarth track day. https://www.abarthexperience.com/event/register.action
Thanks Yuliya. Has anyone heard if this is continued in 2013, and if so, when the schedule will be out. My dealer had no info and I bought after the track days closest to my area had already passed. I'm not opposed to flying out to do it somewhere else, but would prefer to not have to spend a ton to do this. Mark
No way to know for certain, but I suspect they will continue as a special Abarth perk to differentiate it from regular 500s.
Cool, I didn't know about this perk. I wonder if they have the Pothole Avoider Experience for us lowly Sport owners.
The track experience is still good for 2013, but no dates are on the website yet. My 2013 is on a train in Texas, arrives this month, and the track experience is even listed on the window sticker that is already on the dealer's website-- http://www.fiatusa.com/hostc/getWindowStickerPdf.do?vin=3C3CFFFH8DT512162
I inquired directly to the folks at the Abarth Experience and was told that this perk will be offered to buyers of 2013 Abarths- expect new dates/venues to be announced in January.
You either forgot a smiley face or decided to mark your budding Fchat career by trolling. Careful lest it suddenly gets cut short
you're so subtle ...oh, and some abarth content, funny to see jay drive like a hoon in the opening! [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywmtrrFf4xo&feature=channel&list=UL[/ame]
I conserve energy. Second punch is rarely necessary. Definition of trolling - posting in a thread for owners making fun of the car, no useful, helpful, or otherwise substantive contribution to the thread topic, post count 69 (hehe), conclusion: sole purpose - stir ****. Bannable offense per TOS. And this is my exact car, 17" wheels included.
I am on the schedule for 10/11 at TMS. Has anyone here actually gone through this yet? Looks like fun, I can't wait!
I am signed up for TMS as well but, even though it's my day off, looks like I'll have to cancel because of work conflict. Bummer. Tell us how it goes!
Wonder if they'll use the little infield course or will let you guys run the oval. Last time I rode the motorcycle there, it was on the infield course and I remember it being pretty tiny..
The Abarth Experience at Texas Motor Speedway on Thursday was well attended, well organized and a lot of fun. FIAT must have brought 20 Abarths for us to drive, so broken machinery never an issue. Most of the 36 attendees were local, but there were a few from other states as well. One couple drove their Abarth 2400 miles from Portland, OR to attend! Enthusiasm was also never an issue. The modules were Autocross, Drag Racing, and Road Racing. We started with breakfast and a briefing, then were split up into two groups of 18 for the rest of the day. As one group went through one module, the other group was doing a different module at another part of the track. The two groups competed for fastest Autocross time. My group won that competition and received an additional little door prize for our efforts. The Drag Race was head to head between two cars within the same group. The course included a twist at the end which demanded a full stop in a box drawn out in paint on the road at the end of the short strip, then a short Autocross segment and another full stop in a box at the end. The two cars we were using were replaced mid-way through the module due to overheated clutches. The Road Race module took place on the small infield track. It was a good mix of right and left hand turns and short straights. We were always with an instructor in the right seat. I have some time trail experience so in my case the instructor was very informative and did help me effectively drive the line fast. As a free event for Abarth owners, this was well worth burning a vacation day from work. If the Abarth Experience is offered as a paid event, I would consider doing it again. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
glenV6 thanks for the report and the photos! I'm planning on doing a day in 2013 once they release the schedule in January. What was your take on drag racing the Abarth?
Well, I forgot to mention that they didn't allow ESP to be turned off or Sport Mode to be turned on during any of the modules. Despite all that, the car got off the line well and charged down the lane with authority. The hill hold was useful to prevent redlighting once the staging lights went out and the yellows started running down the tree. It was fairly easy to control wheel spin using the clutch off the line, and the car pulled strongly right up until I slammed on the brakes to skid to a complete stop in the box at the end of the short run. I think the Abarth would make a competitive and reliable 1/8 mile drag car if setup properly. Hope that helps! Glen
Glen, glad you had fun! Sorry I couldn't join you. Did they allow people to run their personal Fiats? I was going to drive mine up from Houston.
Hi Yuliya - You should definitely sign up for one of these, it was really good... We didn't have the opportunity to drive our cars, and that's a good thing. I would not have driven my car as hard as I drove theirs! We had lots of seat time in their cars.
I did it at Englishtown Raceway in NJ back in August. Highly recommended....it's amazing how much they let you beat on their machines, especially during the drag race event!
