[CaliGuy]

What an experience! I landed a Silver Medal on the timed Autocross course.

First, thanks to Brian Shin of Orange County BMW Owners Club and Bimmerpost for making this all possible. Soon after joining these forums, I came across a post from Brian that offered space to the event he had set up. I live in the Bay Area, but when the opportunity arose for only $355, I easily convinced 3 friends to join in. We made the approx 9 hour drive to our Palm Springs AirBNB for the weekend. I've done trackday's before, but part of the reason this offer was so tempting was 1, we get to use and beat on their cars, and 2, it allows us some access to the ultra private Thermal Club.

On Sunday 12/18, we arrived at 8:15am to check in. All the cars were parked out front, we had time to go shopping at the merch store (most items were 50% off) and then at about 8:30am we started the school portion of the day. The school portion lasted for approximately 30 minutes. The entire staff was extremely helpful, professional, and enjoyable. (bonus* they had free water that makes you go faster! lol...)

The day consisted of 5 events:
• Rat Race: 340i
• Lead Follow: M4 Comp
• Drag Race: M Mix (M8, M2, X3M, etc..)
• Performance Drive: Z4, M2, M850i, X3M, X6M
• Timed Autocross: M240i

The Rat Race was the first event my group did. It was a group favorite. The skid pad was polished and basically had next to zero traction. I have more traction in the rain. It consisted of 2 cars going in an oval to try to catch the other while drifting. My brother now wants to build a skid pad at his home. lol...

The Lead Follow was our second event. My personal favorite. There is something to be said when you get to hit 134 down the back straight right before jamming on the brakes for the sharp left turn. I love the track and it's the reason I purchased my M240i, to eventually build it into my track car.

The Drag Race portion was our next event. Though it was nice to experience different cars, it didn't give me the rush and enjoyment the first 2 events supplied. The interesting part of this event was it was not a regular drag race, there is a red box at the end, and you must stop in the red box before the other car to win. Now that I look back at it, this helped me prepare for the Timed Autocross, because that also had a box you must stop in at the end of the lap.

The Performance Drive was our 4th event. I was impressed with the Z4 and X3M, they both handled great. This was great in the sense it allowed us to get into the groove for our next event. The track is small and basically like a mini Autocross course.

The Timed Autocross was our last event. We saved this for last. This is the only event that is timed and recorded. My thought was going last would give me a benchmark on what time I need to win. Part of my reasoning on going to this event was, at the time, I still haven't received my M240i, and I wanted to drive one. By the time this day came, I had approx 1000 miles on my M240i so it felt comfortable in the car. On a side note, the iD8 makes the M240i feel MUCH more modern and luxurious. When we arrived at this event, we were told if you want to get on the podium, we would need a time in the low 23's... My cousin was my passenger and got to watch how I drove the course and what lines I took. We were each given 3 laps. On my first lap, I recieved a time in the low 23's. But was that enough? My second lap same thing. I had to push it just a little more. On my 3rd lap, I landed a 22.426! I had to land a winning spot, and that was confirmed when I was asked for my name upon exit of the car. The m240i is a VERY capable car. The xDrive makes it handle on rails and with little mods, it could be a track beast. My cousin and I then switched seats, and he put down a 22.469 after his 3 laps. He was asked for his name and we proceeded to hang out for 15/20 minutes until the day came to an end.

We went back to the Performance Center and filed into the classroom. What a great day! I later received the silver medal for my time on the Autocross course and my cousin received bronze. This is my first sports medal i've ever received that I care about. lol... The street cred!!!

What a great time! I would highly recommend this experience if you ever have the chance, and I will be doing it again. Not all the pics below were taken by me. Cheers!

[Cwatt79]

Very cool, thanks for the review!
I live 90 minutes from the BMW Spartanburg campus, so it was a no-brainer to take advantage of the free New Owner's Track Drive. It was only two hours long and consisted of an off-road course in a X5 M50i, 3 laps each in the Z4 M40i, M4, M5 Comp, and X3 M, and a hot-lap ride in an M3. It was an awesome experience and certainly makes me want to go back for more!