A ROADTRIP LIKE NO OTHER BMW PERFORMANCE DRIVING SCHOOL IS ULTIMATE BEHIND-THE-WHEEL EXPERIENCE

Story by Kim Reiner

Most drivers don’t realize their car’s performance capabilities until it’s almost too late. They hit an icy patch or suddenly need to avoid debris in the roadway, for example, and only narrowly avert an accident at the last nanosecond.

Imagine knowing in advance exactly how your vehicle will respond in an emergency. More specifically, imagine knowing how you, as a trained driver, will handle any given unanticipated situation.

Roxy Garate, a client advisor with ONYX Automotive, typically spends her time in the passenger seat while potential new patrons test drive BMWs. Whether cruising down Interstate 80 or Dodge Street, the exploratory drive is fairly straightforward. She explains what the car is capable of accomplishing, but there really is no planned opportunity to experience the car’s handling on an Omaha road—especially if the client special orders an M Series car for particular performance enhancements.

For that, her clients can opt for the BMW Performance Driving School.

The specially designed instruction time is designed to place everyday drivers into situations that most people only read about or see on television or movie screens. What does it feel like to approach 140 mph? What’s it like the moment you activate a car’s anti-lock brake system? These are details you might read about in a car manual or discuss when you take a BMW for a test drive.

The driving school, however, is handson learning in the safety of a closed course and under the supervision of instructors, who educate drivers regarding the true performance of a vehicle in its different modes.

The schools are located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Thermal, California, and Indianapolis, Indiana. Garate traveled to Indianapolis to learn more about the performance driving school. Her experience on the legendary Indy Motor Speedway included hitting 125 mph while maneuvering on a wet track. It’s the kind of experience impossible to duplicate in the real world without having to worry about real world outcomes.

“You get to learn more about vehicles,” she said, from the intricacies of the engine to the feel of the car hitting a slick track. “Being hands-on is a much more unique experience.”

BMW’s M Models are intended for performance-obsessed drivers, ones who select each detail of their car for a reason. The $2,500 BMW Performance Driving School is open to people who’ve built a special order M car. They can bring their new car to one of the tracks and put it to the ultimate test or put other models through the paces.

It’s a full day’s worth of driving and testing out top-of-the-line cars and their capabilities when drivers are presented with various challenges. They are learning as they go, experiencing what a car manual can only describe.

Even if customers don’t purchase a customized M Model BMW, they still have the option of getting a two-hour experience on a track. Mark Deegan, also an ONYX client advisor, visited the BMW Performance Center West in California and now frequently recommends the experience to his customers.

According to Deegan, it doesn’t matter what kind of car the client purchases. “It gives you a whole other level of respect for the brand and what the cars are capable of doing. Until you get to go experience it, you don’t understand,” he observed with a laugh.

At the California track, drivers learn about hard braking and the racing line on the autocross course. It’s one thing to read about a car’s anti-lock brake system. It’s another to feel it activate as you attack a curve and adjust accordingly. There’s a walkie-talkie in the car so students can receive real-time directions from their instructor watching from the sideline.

On a slick track, drivers develop a better understanding of the car’s performance capabilities when they’re on the verge of losing control as they learn to adjust to over- or understeering. It’s empowering for drivers to know that they’re able to handle extreme situations like the feeling of having a car slide on a slick surface without warning. ›››

For example, Deegan and fellow drivers drove BMW SUVs, including the S5, on an off-road track. They traversed nearly knee-high water and then climbed a small hill. On the way down, drivers tested out the vehicle’s “hill descent control” feature, which enables a driver to have a safe crawl downhill.

Elizabeth Blackstock has written about her experience at the California track for A Girl’s Guide To Cars how she gained driving confidence and appreciation for her own abilities. She marveled at how the extreme driv ing school taught her how to handle a vehicle with a lot of power.

“Even if you’re riddled with anxiety about traveling at high speeds like me,” Blackstock recalled, “you’re going to feel so confident that you’ve conquered a fear, pushed your boundaries, and come out on the other side a more competent driver.”

For more information on BMW’s Performance Driving School, visit onyxautomotive.com

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