BMW Track Drive Thermal CA

[B_Hxn]

Hey all.

I haven't seen too much written about this on the forums, so I wanted to share my experience.

Yesterday I attended the BMW Track Drive on the Thermal track in CA. My (incredible) wife bought it as a birthday present to me.

We live in Los Angeles, so the drive was pretty swift (esp in my F80 M3 )

We got there early, so perused the merch shop a bit - some pretty cool stuff to buy if you're into that, and a lot of it exclusive to the BMW Performance Centre, so you can't buy it online.

Everyone turned up and there were 6 of us driving.
The instructors quickly introduced themselves and made us feel super welcome, and then we each picked a brand new (G82) M4 competition and followed across the compound and into the pit lane.

We split into groups of 3 and got into the instructor's cars, so they could take us round the track for a drive around.
The first lap was extremely conservative as they talked us through how they approached each corner and what to look out for, then the second and third laps they fully gave it the BEANS…
This was a brand new experience to me. I've never done anything like it. The sheer speed at which they pummelled down the straight, full throttle, leaving as little time to break as possible so he mashed on the gas pedal, lurching us all forward with an insane amount of G force…well, it was just awesome.

And with that, and our stomachs in our mouths, we got back into our cars and prepared to follow them. We were supposed to have 6 laps, but I would say they gave us almost double.

We followed in formation, keeping 3-5 cars distance between us.
The first lap was very conservative, reaching a top speed of 75 as we followed and they explained over the radio what to look for, and which markers to break at.
Second lap we increased to 85, third to 95, then the rest, the minute we were on a straight we were implored to mash the gas and send it as hard as we could.

It was just *excellent*. We had all safety, traction etc turned off, and I have to say, it's given me so much more confidence in my car. The sheer amount you can throw at these cars, and how much they glue to the road, is absolutely insane. I felt it in my own, but I've just never had the opportunity to drive it this aggressively.
The cars were bone stock, by the way. Even the instructor's cars.

It was an absolutely wonderful day, that If you are inclined, and have the money, I couldn't recommend more.
I'm definitely going to go back and do some of the longer courses that they offer.

It also gave me an opportunity to drive the G82 and compare it to my F80 M3.
My initial thoughts were that the interior, although somewhat more "fancy", felt plastic-y to me. I don't like the centre console anymore, the steering wheel didn't feel as good, and as for the digital tach….
It didn't sound as throaty as my M3, even with the valves open.
It has about 50 more horsepower than my M3 comp, I believe, but I couldn't really feel it. The torque was SO slow to come on, I didn't really get any idea of it until I was higher in the Rev range than I would have to be in my car.
The steering, even in sport+ just did not compare. Very hard to get an idea of where you were at. It felt completely disconnected, in comparison.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good car, and a very fun car to drive, but I was really interested after getting in a good 130 mile drive in my car, how it would compare, and wanted to share my experience .

Attached a few pics.

All in all, incredible day, and highly recommend!

[TTM0TION]

That sounds like an amazing time. I need to look into this. Thanks for posting!