BMW Driver Training Day...

H

Hotride

Active member
 Nth Qld
I have just been invited to attend a BMW driver training day,
just wondering if anyone here has been to one and if you think they are worth while? the cost is $495 so its hard to decide - what do you think? (details below)


Experience the thrill and excitement of driving the latest BMW vehicles on a racetrack whilst learning valuable driving skills from our highly trained instructors, led by Chief Instructor, LeMans 24hr and Bathurst winner, Geoff Brabham at our Brisbane BMW and Westside BMW Driver Training Day.
Based on the BMW Driver Training Intensive Course this intensive program is designed to provide a solid foundation for performance driving. During this half day course you will experience a number of different situations that may be encountered at touring speeds, including slalom, motorkhana, ideal lines and emergency braking.
BMW Driver Training provides one of the best insights into the technology utilised within our current range of vehicles, enabling us to demonstrate safety features such as ABS, DTC and DSC.
Exciting new model line up:
Participants will experience up to four different new and exciting models including: 123d Sports Hatch with M Sport Pack, 125i Sport Coupe, 323i Sedan with M Sport and Innovations Pack, M3 Sedan and Coupe.

Program to include:
• Visually assisted lecture on safe driving techniques.
• Steering technique and seating position.
• Observation and awareness skills.
• Vehicle dynamics including braking exercises on wet tarmac.
• Ideal cornering lines.
• Timed slalom and motorkhana competitions.
• Paced circuit laps and at the end of the day all participants will be taken on a hot lap of the circuit by one of our instructors.
Session dates and times (all held at Lakeside Raceway):
Friday 8 October 2010 9am - 1pm
Friday 8 October 2010 12:25pm - 5pm

Cost:
Brisbane BMW and Westside BMW are offering the program for $495 (usually $1,395). Includes refreshments, lunch and certificate.
 
I've never been on one, and would be concerned that it's an excuse to try and sell you a car.

But Geoff Brabham and everything else sounds reasonable, if you have the cash and the time, go for it. :driving:
 
lol well they can try and sell me something, but im pretty content with my Z for now
i think driving an M3 on a track might be worth it, but only if i get to drive.... might have to call and ask how much drive time i get.

its rare to see other aussie members on here, what area are you from? im up in NQ, and i got the only Z4 in town lol.
 
Several years ago I received one of these invites in the UK (Donnington Park). How nice and considerate I thought that they should reward a loyal BMW customer (and no mention of any cost in the letter). I rang up to confirm and then they asked me for cash - £250. So a few choice words on the telephone - haven't received an invite since :roll:
 
Hotride said:
lol well they can try and sell me something, but im pretty content with my Z for now
i think driving an M3 on a track might be worth it, but only if i get to drive.... might have to call and ask how much drive time i get.

its rare to see other aussie members on here, what area are you from? im up in NQ, and i got the only Z4 in town lol.
Click to expand...


I'm in Adelaide, a long way from NQ. I also don't see to many Z4's in Adelaide, maybe 1 in the past 4 weeks.

Paul
 
Hotride - for $500 you'd be mad not to do it - it's a blast!

I'm in Sydney and I'm trying to wrangle a similar deal but with no joy so far! :(

Have fun!!

Cheers,

Nelson..
 
nelson - your the 1st person that thinks its worth the money, i was rather tempted but i decided against it as i have to fly there and home and it adds up quite a bit in the end. if i lived in Brisbane i may have gone for it!
 
I bought my car from Brisbane BMW just 5 weeks ago and received the same offer. I've been wanting to do a driver training course for a while, especially since I'm now adjusting to the way a rear wheel drive car handles. A boring defensive driver course costs around $275, so I figure the extra money goes towards the opportunity to drive some nice cars including the M3 on a track. I live on the Sunshine Coast (1hr North of Brisbane) so it's no big deal for me to get to - shame I won't have another forum member there!

I don't know who would pay rec. retail for it though....

I also spend a lot of time on the Gold Coast, so I do see a few Zeds around. But mine is the best :P
 
Dredging up an old thread here, but I figure it's better than starting a new one ;)

So Brisbane BMW again had a special offer for an "intensive" version of their driver training, which is basically a half day event. I was too slow to book a spot in it last year but this year I was sitting at my computer when I got the email and booked immediately! I also grabbed a ticket for a friend who was interested (even though he's an Audi driver :roll: ).

What can I say - it was amazing fun!

First up was some motorkhana, doing timed runs in a 125i around a track with cones everywhere. We each got four runs and by the last one everyone had gotten quote aggressive. I swiped a few cones on my last run! The automatic gearbox was frustrating though, mainly because of the shifting delay.

Next we did an ABS breaking exercise, slamming on the brakes at 100km/h and having to manoeuvre under braking. This was actually very educational and taught me a lot about how I was driving. I was tending to look at what I was avoiding rather than looking at the gap through which I would avoid. Actually the experience was a little humbling! This was done in a 123d and honestly it felt like it had better performance than the 125i!

The third event was doing laps around the racetrack, initially in a 323 (felt very heavy after driving the 1 series and my Zed daily so I wasn't that impressed) but then in the moment we all waited for: driving the M3s! Man the M3 experience was amazing! The power! The roar of the engine! The noise the sequential gearbox makes on a downshift! It was proper fun! Speed was set by the instructor car we were following, but we got up to around 180km/h on the straight. Fastest I've ever driven (funny how it doesn't actually feel that fast when you're doing it) and by far the most powerful car I've ever driven.

The experience ended following a hot lap in the M3 with the instructor driving. Now that was fun, although it would have been good to do that before our run in the M3s so that we could experience the lines to take, etc.

All in all a very rewarding experience! And what did I take away from it (other than improving my gaze when driving)? Time to start searching for a Z4MR :D
 
Hmmn I never got the email this year... :evil:

Very jealous :wink:

I think I will defenetly look into this in the future. Glad you had a good time :thumbsup:

I really wanna do some driver improvement training, but can't find anywhere local that offers such a thing... :?
 
Actually funnily enough I didn't get the email either - it was the friend who came with :x

Honestly this kind of "budget"/"intensive" thing is more about having fun driving BMWs than actually being taught how to drive better, so if you were looking to improve your skills it's not something I would recommend. BMW do offer other proper training courses, but they are quite expensive. You can do generic driver training at this track (Lakeside Raceway, just North of Brisbane) with your own car though, which could be fun...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom