[Wild Blue]

Daily report: Next day after PCD

I chose to stay an extra night at the Marriott, which was convenient, not having to check out before the PCD. For those that do check out, BMW holds your bags for you during the day, and then even loads them into your car for you. But with my car in the shop for a week, I had plenty of spare time.

Early in planning, I found that the Performance Center was also offering an instructional “Performance Driving Class” the day after my PCD, so I signed up. Discount as a BMWCCA member. The Performance Center offers various classes, currently a few days throughout the month. This course was a light 2-hour class, and they offer other fare, up to 2-day full racing instructional classes. Although the PCD is only offered In SC, classes are actually offered at the Performance Centers on both USA coasts.





They didn’t have to, but the great Marriott people gave me another free ride in an X5 over to the center in the morning, where I met our instructor Derek, who is also the Performance Center lead instructor. We were a fairly small class of 6. Four people were family couples, and one other guy and I were there as singles. For COVID, Derek kept us singles by ourselves. This was HUGE, as it meant every time we did a driver swap with the couples and re-accomplished an exercise, I got to stay behind the wheel in my car by myself, and got twice as much track time. Double my money’s worth, double the fun!





First, we grabbed X5’s and another instructor Raphael took us through the off-road course twice—once for each driver, taking slightly different routes. This part was a direct duplicate of the same portion in the previous day’s PCD, which meant by myself and nobody to driver swap, I actually did three run-throughs of the course over the two days. This was fine, as it was fun, and I tried slightly different course lines affecting vehicle performance but it did get a little old the 3rd run. I had politely asked Derek again if I could take an X7, and he did think it over, but then had to give the same answer I got the previous day, that unfortunately it had to be only the X5’s.

A few pictures different from yesterday’s write-up. I got a so-so video of the point balancing on two wheels, rocking my body back and forth to make the car rock between the wheels up in the air. That was fun. A testament to BMW’s perpetual 50/50 weight distribution design.

The biggest vehicle lean I got a picture of at 23 degrees, and the biggest I saw of the day was 25 degrees. I think Raphael said the course can get up to 27-28 degrees. Felt significant.




Then we did an hour of autocross, using a larger part of the track than the previous day.








For this exercise, we were taken to a group of four M cars. I instantly keyed in on the last car in line, a beautiful M8 Competition. Moving up the line, there was an X3M Competition, M4, and brand new Z4 M40i convertible. Each of us were put in one of the cars, and I went straight into the M8. This turned out to be a timing mistake, as we rotated through each of the cars, and I started with the best. It only went down from there in performance. Had I known, I would have tried to do the M8 last.





The hardest part of the whole exercise was just to figure out the differences in shifters, buttons, and parking brakes between the 4 cars. Three of them had electronic parking brakes in different places, and the M4 still had a traditional parking brake lever. Before heading out to the track, we started the cars, and Derek walked down the line, putting each car into optimal sport modes, making each one as he said “extra spicy”.





Derek hopped in his M5C, and led us in a caravan around the course twice, emphasizing proper lines, techniques, and pointing out cone symbols. Just as yesterday, he spoke to us through walkie-talkies in each of our cars. Then we lined up in the pit, me in the rear with the M8C, and he released us one at a time onto the course with good spacing.

Ho..
Ly…
Crap…

That M8C was a BEAST! I warmed up for a lap, getting acquainted with her, and then beat her to a pulp, screaming expletives of joy, alone by myself in the car, of the kind of performance she provided.

The course started with the straight away out of the pits, then hard on the brakes to dump speed before turn 1. Standing on the brakes, she rocked straight to a stop, and I quickly learned I could brake later and later with her, keeping up my speed before the turns, getting into the 90 mph’s on the straight away. One early lap, still dialing it in, I braked too late and overshot the turn 1 cones. Derek noticed and rightfully called me out. I was easily able to correct on future laps.

Very quickly, I was coming up on the vehicle in front of me, and had to ease off the last couple laps. No passing on the course, and I wasn’t about to put $100k+ vehicles in any chance of collision. Of course, we came into the pits for driver swaps, and being by myself, I got another full round with the M8C. She easily did everything I demanded of her.





Next, I moved forward to the X3M Competition. Fantastic car, but it just wasn’t anywhere remotely fair going to her straight from the M8C. Totally different class of car, and it was immediately apparent that yes, I should have done the M8C last. I was cautious so as to not expect the same performance in the X3M and do something stupid, then brought her right back to her limits. Two rounds in the X3MC.





Next, I moved forward and did two rounds of laps in the M4. Wow! Definitely a true track car. She performed great on the track, a strong second to the M8C, with great power, braking, and handling. I had her squealing her tires in joy, again coming up on the vehicle in front of me.





Last, I drove the Z4 M40i convertible. What a fun little car, zipping around the track, but behind the M4 and M8C in pure track performance.

After the last lap rounds, Derek led us back to the schoolhouse, and it was time to cap it off with another instructor hot lap. I had been kicking myself the previous day that I didn’t try to video the hot lap from inside the car, so I did this time. Please excuse the mediocre filming here, as I’m bouncing around the car, hand-holding my phone. Proper video would have used a stationary mount. But you can get a sense of how Derek blew the doors off his M5 Competition with us. Great driver, great car, and tons and tons of fun. The second video just shows the last portion of other hot laps we were able to see from the schoolhouse parking lot after our turn in the car.

And that was it, the 2 hours gone in a flash. Being such great people, Raphael even then went above and beyond, giving me a personal ride to the airport in a PC X5. Granted, the airport is literally only like 8 minutes away, but it was still a really nice gesture.

And I appreciate some more positive feedback Raphael gave me on my autocross driving. He had been a safety observer during that portion, watching from the side of the track.





Again, how better to cap off a day of fast car and jets, than a tasty meal? To many of you, Chick Fil-A is probably no big deal, but being that we don’t have any in Alaska, it’s a super yummy treat that just can’t be passed up.





As a teaser here, I got a couple in-process pics from Extreme Colors of them working on my vehicle. I love every bit.





I also was playing with the BMW Connected app, which I haven’t had use of before, and checked out the car 360 surround camera view, remotely uploaded. Being that the car is in Extreme’s shop, I got some hilarious sneaky pics from the car body cameras as they were actively attending to my baby.











I intentionally started this thread a few days after my actual PCD, so as to not have a week-long gap while she was being wrapped and protected. So tomorrow is actually the pickup day from Extreme Colors and the start of the road trip.

I think I’m probably just as excited for tomorrow as I was for the PCD, knowing that after more patient waiting, I’m about to pick up a kick-butt car that’s even better now, and finally get some time driving her. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to post tomorrow night. From here on, I’ll give updates as I can of the car and interesting things throughout the trip.

Hope people are finding this interesting!