Klout Influencers treated to Stunt Driving School by Chevrolet Canada

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Around a dozen participants from Toronto and Montreal were chosen by social media metrics service Klout last week to partake in a half-day stunt driving school with Chevrolet Canada’s Sonic RS Turbo sub compact.

I received my invitation through Klout, which aggregates user’s social media influence by following their activity on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other channels.

After I signed up online and indicated my interest to participate, I received a box in the mail with a Totem bag, various Klout goodies (wristband, button, and keychain) as well as Chevy swag consisting of a water bottle, some energy gel and water as well as an agenda of what was to take place on the Stunt School day.

Participants congregated at Maple Leaf Square where a party limo was waiting, complete with breakfast and a live Twitter feed keyed in to the #SonicRSDrive hashtag streaming on a screen. Most of the other participants were leaders in marketing, SEO, public relations as well as bloggers.

Our ride took us to the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Collingwood, Ontario. After freshening up and donning our blue race shirts, we were briefed by the drivers and instructors who would put us behind the wheel and teach us the rudiments of stunt driving.

Chevrolet Canada went all out for this event. Aside from turning the raceway into their own private racetrack, they provided lots of food a buffet of candies and treats and even had a DJ spinning throughout the day so music was blasting on the racetrack as well. The objective was to familiarize us with the features and performance of the Sonic RS as well as to give us each the opportunity to master some technical driving stunts.

A highly-coordinated and well planned affair, our hosts had to make sure we got enough driving and dining done in time for us to take the bus back after the second group arrived. There were camera crews, various photographers covering each driver as well as dozens of GoPro cameras installed in each car.

Up first was the daunting Park and Slide maneuver, which entails getting a car to run at 35 Kph and after slightly swerving left and right to gain momentum, quickly steering into the space while violently yanking on the handbrake.

This is a very sudden and very time critical maneuver and one can be jarring, specially for rear passengers who feel every bit of movement.

If done right, popping the handbrake and steering into the space will result in an accurately parked car, but the road needs to be slick enough to help guide the vehicle along. We attempted to complete this trick a few times before we needed a water truck to come and wet the road.

Aside from the challenge of driving a car in an entirely unfamiliar fashion (we’re used to handbrakes for parking, not much else), there was also the added difficulty of jumping into an unfamiliar vehicle and not having any time to ‘get a feel’ of it. Our instructor put us at ease and guided us through the challenge.

Most of the participants managed to complete a somewhat decent Park and Slide maneuver, I got as close to completing it on mmy fifth try and this left me with an adrenaline rush like I’ve never experienced before.

After the Park and Slide, the J-Turn was the next stunt we were set to complete. For the J-turn, you drive the car in reverse until it hits around 35-40 KPh and then you suddenly throw the steering wheel all the way to either the left or the right.

This results in a 180’ turn while the car is in motion. The next part, which was the tricky bit, was to quickly transfer from reverse to second gear without missing a beat and continue driving the car forward at the opposite direction from where you came from.

Very few drivers are comfortable driving in Reverse for extended periods of time and the J-Turn maneuver is undeniably technical but, like with most other maneuvers in driving, momentum and flow are important.

I was lucky to have completed the J-Turn after around four tries and felt fine to sit on the sidelines watching other drivers have a go at it. The sun was shining brightly now and it was a lot of fun to see all the action taking place in multiple parts of this large and world class racetrack.

The next activity was to learn how to race. We first each sat shotgun as an experienced driver whipped through a short course complete with bends, turns, chicanes and straightaways. We were all wearing  heart rate monitors to track our reaction to the intense and fast driving. Our cars were going around 130 kph and driving really closely together which intensified the entire experience.

We then switched places with the drivers and then were asked to run a course and taught when and where to speed-up, brake, downshift, turn and even how best to approach the various features of the track.

This prepared us for our final run, a timed challenge where every split-second decision would factor into our overall score and time.  I learned that with driving, one need to think two or even three steps ahead. Don’t dwell on mistakes or errors, just power through the next challenge and always keep your eyes on what’s coming around the bend because there's always something coming.

Exhilarating, tense and cathartic, driving around the track is about speed but more about control. After this last bit of intense driving, we were treated to a sumptuous trackside barbecue complete with steak, salad, sausages and a variety of sides.

Participants were still clearly reeling for their experience and were comparing notes on what they experienced. As for the Sonic RS itself, most agreed that it was a really fun and responsive car to drive.

Before we were sent off, Chevrolet Canada’s representatives graciously gave some awards as well as framed plaques of participation for every participant.

We were also all scheduled for a chance to test drive the same Sonic RS cars we just drove for a few days, to get a better feel for what it has to offer in normal day-to day conditions.

As my first Klout perk, the Chevy Stunt School experience was everything I expected and so much more, not only did I get to try out a peppy new sport compact, I also got to put it through its paces in a world class track as well as learn some new tricks. Look out for my upcoming full review of the Sonic RS as I spend a weekend testing it out on the road.