Hey everyone,
Got my G82 recently and I have been driving like grandma while breaking in my car (almost there 922 miles). About a month ago, I got an email that I got a complimentary Track Day (2 hours) at the BMW Performance Driving School in Thermal, CA. I had no idea what to expect and I was hoping it would be fun… Below is my review and experience for anyone who hasn’t done it.
My day started at 3am! Had to get up early to beat LA traffic. Still with no traffic it’s a two-hour drive from South Orange County, California to Thermal, CA. After I got ready and consumed 20 gallons of coffee, I hit the road (about 4am). Arrived at the Performance Center by 6am. As I was parking, I thought to myself, no one’s going to be here. What am I going to do for an hour? Also why is this starting at 6:45am??? Well, it gets really hot in Thermal, CA like 100 plus degrees – so starting early is a must to beat the heat. To my surprise, the building was open! I was greeted with friendly staff. They had coffee, pastries, snack, Water bottles (see pic below hehe) and other goodies. Place looked really nice and shiny. I took some wild pics (see below).
A little after 7am the instructor came in and had us sit in a classroom. He like the other instructors are retired race car drivers, which is cool. We reviewed basic safety protocols, blah blah blah. Our session was basically broken down into two: First part off road x5 drive and then driving on a track.
First part was cool. Seeing what the X5 can do. There were times where I thought, ok this is getting sketchy, but the car held its own (see pics below). This was fun but short, low adrenalin.
Second part was AWESOME! There are 5 cars lined up on the track. There are basically enough cars for everyone to ride at the same time. There is no passing. Instructor shows you the course (small course/track). What was really funny was when the instructor came up to us and said, “there is no speed limit”. LOL! So when I got in the car I let it RIP. Exactly how I play in Gran Turismo. I pushed it to the max. I thought I was Charles Leclerc. Taking the turns properly, down shifting. It was so cool. We got to drive 5 cars: i4, M8 Competition, Z4 M package I think, X5 M competition and X6 M competition. You basically get to have 3 laps, then switch with your partner, 3 more laps and then rotate to the next car. I got to drive all the cars except the X6. M8 can RIP! I was impressed. The Z4 handling was excellent. Really enjoyed it.
BONUS: The last part of the session is the instructor taking you for a drive in a G80. LOL. I am laughing because I have never felt speed like this before. Remember that I have not floored my car yet. This guy was pedal to the metal, drifting and then slamming the breaks. It reminded me of all the posts from everyone here saying, just DRIVE THE CAR. It’s built to be driven. Crazier than a roller coaster.
Anyways this experience had a profound impact on me. I would like to track my car someday. Hope anyone who has any doubts about the performance school, considers doing this. Well worth it…