BMW recently held its “M Track Day” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where fans and customers could go and not only see some of the coolest M cars on track but drive them. It was very similar to some of BMW’s Ultimate Driving Events and M Fests, but it was focused mostly on M cars. Though, there were a couple of non-M cars on hand, such as the BMW iX. Ultimately, it was a great way for customers to learn about and experience some of BMW’s newest cars.
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What’s great about the M Track Day was that fans and potential customers could get a taste of M cars they’d never really get to otherwise. Even if you go to a dealership to test some of these cars, they’ll never let you drive them hard enough to see what they can really do. However, at the BMW M Track Day, fans had the chance to not only drive most of BMW M’s latest and greatest but actually drive them hard on track.
Several Driving Events
There were a few different events for fans to partake in. They had the usual on-road test drives, drag races, full-on track sessions behind instructors, and even autocross laps. Each event had different cars, which allowed fans to sample cars the way they were meant to be driven. For instance, the BMW M3 and M4 were used for track sessions, while the shorter wheelbase BMW M240i was used for autocross, and the BMW M5 and M8 were used in the drag races. That allowed customers to focus on each car’s strengths.
On display, there were also some iconic classics, cars like the BMW M1 and V12 LMR, which almost no one will ever see outside of such an event. However, there were modern classics on hand, too, such as the BMW M5 CS and the Jeff Koons-painted M850i Gran Coupe art car. Interestingly, BMW even brought the highly-exclusive BMW M4 CSL to the event, for fans to see in person. Obviously, no one was allowed to drive it, though.
If you’re a die-hard BMW fan, track day events such as these are among the best ways to truly get an idea of what the brand is about. As car journalists, we’re spoiled in that we get invited to events like these all the time, so we forget that, for the most part, fans don’t really know how most of these cars drive. If you’d like to change that, make it a priority to check out a BMW M Track Day.
[Photos provided by Lucas Scarfone instagram.com/scarfonephoto and BMW USA]
