If you're an AMG fan or just a fan of driving fast cars fast, you're probably aware of the Mercedes AMG Driving Academy. Unfortunately, those of us in the U.S. had to travel to Europe to take advantage of it - until now.

Mercedes is bringing the AMG Driving Academy program, including Stage I, Stage I SLS,and Stage II, to Lime Rock Park, Palm Beach International Raceway and Laguna Seca Raceway. That gives the AMG school coverage of the northeast, southeast and western U.S. Some of the cars students will get to drive include the E63 AMG, SL63 AMG, C63 AMG, SLK55 AMG and the CLK63 AMG Black Series.

Stage I schools are a one-day program designed to teach the fundamentals of performance driving dynamics and car control maneuvers using customized exercises that emphasize the power and handling capabilities of AMG vehicles. Drivers get to test their skills on-track and during a performance course competition. The Stage I program fee is $1,895 per driver.

Mercedes' 2011 SLS AMG

Mercedes' 2011 SLS AMG

The SLS version of the Stage I academy will only be offered at Laguna Seca Raceway November 17-20, and offers a chance to be among the first to drive the all-new 2011 SLS AMG. This special version of Stage I includes a night's stay at the InterContinental Hotel in Monterey, CA and is priced at $2,295.

Finally, Stage II is a two-day program for drivers that have complete Stage I. It provides a deep level of technical driver training both on and off the track. The main changes to Stage I are significantly more track time and use of a computer driver training and evaluation system via on-board diagnostics and in-car cameras. The Stage II fee is $3,495 per student.

If you're interested in getting behind the wheel at one of these events, you'll have several opportunities: Lime Rock Park hosts its event September 9-15, followed by Palm Beach International Raceway September 22-27, and Laguna Seca Raceway with the standard program November 7-8 and the SLS program November 17-20.