Marque Madness was a great event except maybe the bottom line on the financial statement. There were four student groups of approximately 16 cars each, and that meant a lot of open track they were spread out along the 3.27 mile full course. Except for a Thursday morning thunderstorm that wiped out several sessions, the weather was very cooperative both days. And the track dried way too fast for my liking after that storm. With two students each, and a break between each one, no instructors were overworked.

Naturally, BMWs outnumbered the other makes, but Mercedes and Audi were well represented. There was a Ferrari 430 Scuderia in the Red (advanced) group, and several very fast Porsche Turbos, including a GT2, in the instructor group. The most interesting (and expensive) car in the instructor group was a Mercedes McLaren SLR 722 that was purpose-built for the Speed World Challenge series. This $1-million car was driven by Rolex Grand-Am racer Spencer Pumpelly and supported by a 5-man crew. It should make its competitve debut at the next World Challenge event July 25-26 at Autobahn Country Club. The Racers Group (TRG) prepared and the car at their Mooresville, NC facility.