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      01-26-2012, 07:42 PM   #1
Blue92
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M School Preparation?

Guys/Gals, I am going to Greer for the 2 day school Feb 8-9th. I was looking for any helpful suggestions from the group. I am not a track hound yet and have only one school - SRT Track Experience w/ Skip Barber at TMS - under my belt. I expect to have a blast but want to make the most of the experience. Any gems?
Thanks in advance!
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      01-26-2012, 09:32 PM   #2
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Go with an open mind and willingness to learn. It is a lot of fun, with a group of very good instructors providing the best in demonstrating the BMW cars.
vz
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      01-26-2012, 10:09 PM   #3
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Thanks vz. Unfortunately the CCA school the week-end before sold out in a matter of weeks. I really would like to get some seat time in a 1M... I suspect I will have quite a bit of "unlearning" to do as well!
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      01-27-2012, 07:36 AM   #4
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Try to sign up for a club event at a track near you. BMWCCA clubs hold very good events, as do PCA, Audi, and others. These clubs tailor their event to help drivers such as you. A good learning opportunity, and a fun way to introduce your car to you.
Good luck.
vz
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      02-02-2012, 12:18 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue92
Guys/Gals, I am going to Greer for the 2 day school Feb 8-9th. I was looking for any helpful suggestions from the group. I am not a track hound yet and have only one school - SRT Track Experience w/ Skip Barber at TMS - under my belt. I expect to have a blast but want to make the most of the experience. Any gems?
Thanks in advance!
Sleep! If you're tired, you drive worse, you learn less, and you might even get nauseous. Have a good breakfast. Go and be a sponge. A fun-loving sponge.

Okay that didn't come out as cool as I meant it.

Have fun! And report back here so we can enjoy it vicariously!
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      02-02-2012, 12:47 AM   #6
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No alcohol on Sundays!!!

But, I was a better driver on Monday!!!
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      02-03-2012, 06:51 PM   #7
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Thanks all! Needless to say I'm getting more & more "anxious". So far it looks like good weather (don't care if it rains a little at 50*f). I have to make a fairly close connection at DFW so good weather is a plus for that. The sleep suggestion may be a little tough the night before day#1 but I will be getting up fairly early to make my flight. I know that there are posts detailing the experience and I'll try to fill in any updates that aren't already out there. I also have a few questions for the instructors about specifics to my car. Hopefully I don't come off as too much of a <car nerd> I like the sponge analogy AND no Sunday involved for me!
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      02-05-2012, 01:56 AM   #8
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I did 1-day M-School in Greer. Awesome experience. Don't worry about weather. Even if it rains, there's plenty of fun to be had. It rained the night before our event, and the track dried up by event time. It rained during lunch/classroom time. The track dried up again before we went back out there. Some events happen on wetted down pavement anyway, so rain really isn't too much of a problem.

Regarding food: I say just eat something simple that's enough to get you going. You'll be tossing your body around those tight corners.....don't want to "decorate" the interior of their M's. My cousin was out there too and he had to step out of the car a few times because his stomach was---shall we say---unhappy.

I agree about getting as much sleep as you can. It's hard to absorb all the instruction when your eyes are bleary. And there's a lot of [really great and patient] instruction. (When I was on the wetted down skid pad, I had never drifted before, so the concept was totally new to me. I kept spinning the M5 into the grass at first. I did some lovely gardening work for them that day! It was no problem for them. We kept at it, and sure enough, I started to get a decent drift going around the ring.)

As far as being too much of a car nerd-----impossible. Those people live, breathe, eat, sleep, dream BMWs and performance driving/racing. They're happy to talk about anything that has to do with pushing cars to the limit!

Just go out there and have fun. The awesome thing is that no matter how hard you push the cars, they encourage you to push harder!

Cheers.
-dogbone
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      02-05-2012, 03:00 PM   #9
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Dogbone - My stomach is cast iron... almost. Although I dream of a ride in an F-15 that would probably be my undoing!!! Getting closer now and the weather is actually looking pretty good. I figure that if you can get a handle on the car "in the wet", dry pavement will be that much easier. I appreciate everyone's input and am looking forward to the next week's events.
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      02-12-2012, 02:04 PM   #10
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WOW... We had an absolute blast! The weather couldn't have been better. Mid 50's and mostly sunny. Our class wasn't "full", so we had 2 groups of 4 and one group of 3 cars (max is 15). Nobody died , nobody went offroad, and nobody hurled... The instructors were extremely patient and professional.
I promised to pass on any secrets earlier in the post, here's the biggest surprise to me - We drove the M5, M3 & <<<<<<<< 1M >>>>>>>>>>>>!!!!!
The 1 was used for the wet oval & figure 8 sessions as well as training for the lower part of the track (new section). "Heel & toe" training is back .
The other surprise is that the memory stick provided for video on the 2nd day is already formatted for use on any PC. That means you take it with you (no waiting for a DVD in the mail!). Unfortunately, I didn't clam any top honors, but wasn't sucking hind %*@ either. I started 1st in our group and presented a target for the others to match/better. When .003 seconds determines the winner it's all good! All of the students were car enthusiasts 1st and cheering on the "slower" guys in the group was the rule for both days. All I can say to those who haven't visited the PDC is, DO IT! Jim, Jim, Tommy, Johan, Allison & Mike were very helpful toward everyone. They seemed to know when to make constructive "hints" and when to just let you drive. They do take safety very seriously yet also realize that there is only so much you can absorb when the adrenaline is flowing. After watching my full track videos it's very obvious where I gave up time and where I was getting everything just right. Now comes my <cough, cough> admission... I am a 6MT guy BUT, the DCT in the M3's we used for the track sessions was flawless. In my mind the scales are definately more balanced than before. The other comment I have is this; After being chauffered around for the last several days it was a pleasure to get back in my own car. It really does seem that everything is now moving in slow motion. That is a good thing. The appreciation for what our cars are actually capable of (driver being the limiting factor) and how to make the most of their abilities is what makes this class "priceless". Let's see, when is the next open session... Yes, I will most likely go back for Round 2!
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      02-14-2012, 08:09 AM   #11
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Yay! Glad to hear it went well!

How did you like the 1M compared to the others?
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      02-14-2012, 09:25 AM   #12
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It sounds like they changed video systems. I'm glad. The previous one was pathetic. Two trips to the 2-Day M School and I got no M3 video both times. Drove me nuts.
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      02-14-2012, 04:48 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dogbone View Post
Yay! Glad to hear it went well!

How did you like the 1M compared to the others?
The 1 was a very capable car. It doesn't have the same feel as the 3 or 5 but is super "tossable" with good response. It also seems slightly less stable at higher speeds. The 1 would absolutely be the pick for autocross events! Johan pulled about 5 or 6 consecutive full-out-drift figure 8's without breaking a sweat. The school has 8 of the 1M's (about 1% of the total in the US). I would have a hard time parting with my 3 if I could only pick one of the two...
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      02-14-2012, 04:52 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M Rakete View Post
It sounds like they changed video systems. I'm glad. The previous one was pathetic. Two trips to the 2-Day M School and I got no M3 video both times. Drove me nuts.
Yes! The are using Race-Keeper software. I don't know what the previous version was. You have front and cabin cameras, as well as tach, speedo & track position displayed.
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      02-16-2012, 09:48 AM   #15
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Sounds awesome man! I'm heading there myself on 4/12 - 4/14 and I can't wait! I experienced some of it when my GF got her X5 M delivered at the Performance Center and after that experience....I knew I had to do the 2 Day M School.

Anyway, I will post up pics and thoughts when I get back
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