Fiat has announced the 2015 Abarth Track Experience, a one-day driving session where Fiat owners will learn the ins and outs of proper circuit motoring from professional instructors.
Held exclusively for owners of the Fiat 500 Abarth, the track day’s registration fee is included with the price of the car. So if you’ve already got the Italian hot hatchback in your garage, provide your VIN on the registration form and you’re good to go.
Trust us, there are worse ways to spend a Monday.
Non-owners are welcome as well, but they must be invited by an owner and pay a $500 fee. A fee of $100 is applicable for non-driving guests.
Participants can expect a full day of motoring madness, as a fleet of Abarths will be provided for autocross races, head-to-head challenges, driving dynamics courses, and a performance drive. The event will be capped off by riding alongside pro drivers as they “push the track-tuned Abarth vehicles to the limit.”
Day one will be held at California’s Laguna Seca racetrack on Monday, February 16th, with stops in Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Michigan, and Illinois coming later in the year.
Would-be Abarth racers can register for the event at the link here.
The experience will be an educational one, but it will also serve as a showcase for the 500 Abarth’s new six-speed automatic transmission. Mated to a 1.4-liter turbo that produces 157 horsepower and 183 pound-feet of torque, the gearbox is enhanced with fuel-cut upshifts, rev-matching downshifts, and even corner gear hold.
Learn more about the sporty transmission in the video below from Allison Singer, the car’s Vehicle Integration Engineer.