ANDOn a very special day such as National Pilot Day in honor of the birth of Juan Manuel Fangio, Stellantis presented to the press Abarth Racer’s Academyin an area that could not be otherwise, such as the Autódromo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.
If we go back to 1949, Carlo Abarth, a car racing enthusiast, created the racing company and team known today as the Scorpion brand, recognized for its sportiness, performance and unique driving experience. Abarth offers Fiat vehicles with preparation focused on high performance, seeking to generate customers a transformation from ordinary driving to extraordinary.
Inspired by this legacy, the brand promotes Abarth Racer’s Academya program designed to offer owners of Abarth vehicles, including classics as well, the opportunity to improve their driving skills in a controlled environment such as a racetrack.
Abarth Racer’s Academy It has experienced professional instructors and pilots who guide participants through various driving techniques. Today we were part of that program having the opportunity to drive the Pulse Abarth and the Fastback Abarth.
One of the fundamental pillars of the program is to teach and reinforce the importance of driving safety, and what these models are capable of doing in the event of events that may occur on streets or routes.
Owners of Abarth vehicles receive a special invitation or also through the “Scorpionship” Club, an exclusive circle for Abarth users and customers that serves as relationship, activation and communication; with brand news, discounts and promotions and upcoming events; with national reach.
Two editions have already been held (on June 13 and 14), a new one was held today with the press and two more will be held soon; one in August and another in October. The idea is not only to do it in this area but also to tour the country so that all Abarth owners can do it.
The event that we are holding today and that will be extended to all editions includes two axes: Safe Driving and Sports Driving:
In Safe Driving It allows customers to know how to manage the power of their cars, what the limit of the cars is, what the electronic assistance of the cars is, its operation and measure it, being able to make a mistake in this area and then correct the error in different situations that arise. They can be presented to us on the road or in the urban environment. We carry out these tests on Circuit No. 9 of the Autodromo.
a.- The first test we carried out was the Emergency Braking Maneuver; which consisted of driving at 120/130 km/h on the Ascari curve and at one point applying the brakes strongly (as we say we literally stood on the brake pedal) checking how in this case the Pulse Abarth stayed in its lane ; despite being on a curve.
b.- The second Wet Track test; It was at 90 km/h and we reached a point where we applied the brakes on wet ground and made a dodge, keeping our foot on the brake, as if something had crossed our path, stopping in the opposite lane; all assistance working perfectly.
c.- The last test on the main straight consisted of the Alce test at 90/95 km/h. It is a dodge test without touching the brake. It is called the Moose test since it associates the moment in which we can cross an animal in our path, crossing to the opposite side and returning to the lane in which we came. The Pulse Abarth performed it perfectly; showing in all of them the virtues and systems of this model.
The Sports Driving which is the second part of the course. Initially we carried out the reconnaissance of Circuit No. 5 with several journalists circulating in the different cars in a caravan behind a car driven by the driver Gustavo Der to learn about the circuit and the ideal turning radii.
Once we completed the track reconnaissance, the timed lap competition began among all the journalists. To do this, all the cars had a sensor on their grid to take those times that were carried out during two laps, not counting the starting lap and one entrance to the pits.
In our competition we were able to reach the third step of the podium, obtaining not only Abarth clothing but also a trophy with the Scorpion and the course certificate.
Once these tests are finished, hot laps are carried out with instructors to learn the full potential of these models.
There were no shortage of two simulators for those who wanted to practice the lap on circuit number 5 of the Autodromo.
Features Pulse Abarth and Fastback Abarth:
Both models are equipped with the same 175 HP T270 1.3 turbo gasoline engine, associated with a 6-speed automatic transmission and systems developed specifically for these models. Among them an engine calibration with greater energy availability, a suspension model for greater stability and steerability, wider tires with greater grip, gearbox calibration to make them faster, resized braking system, more direct progressive steering and precise and an exhaust system with a special sound.
