M School - CALIFORNIA

[VMRWheels]

Not too excited about the price increase, but stoked it's now local! (relatively)

[Bimmed Out]

Originally Posted by kscarrol

Just a tip I found helpful. Bring some dramamine! I took some as a precaution before my two day M school and had no issues but several members of my class felt ill and had to borrow some of my dramamine...

A lot of guys get motion sickness from the driving? It's that rough?

[da jemster]

Originally Posted by kscarrol

Just a tip I found helpful. Bring some dramamine! I took some as a precaution before my two day M school and had no issues but several members of my class felt ill and had to borrow some of my dramamine...

Originally Posted by kepler

A lot of guys get motion sickness from the driving? It's that rough?

If you get ill from your own performance driving, then you shouldn't even ask for an instructor-lap-around - you will be looking out the drivers side window at the turns.

[kscarrol]

Originally Posted by kepler

A lot of guys get motion sickness from the driving? It's that rough?

It was a suggestion made to me before I went so I played it safe and got some. I personally never had an issue but I had taken the Dramamine. Several members of my class in SC did feel queasy and asked for some of my Dramamine... One guy did stop driving for a while because of it.

At least in SC, the track has a number of tight turns and elevation changes that apparently did cause some issues for folks. You're obviously driving fast and getting tossed around in the car as you snap through some tight turns.

Bottom line is does happen and simply taking the pill is cheap insurance against feeling ill and ruining you're day.

[quadpipes]

Of course every body is different, but I did have a slight motion sickness problem at a recent ///M skool in SC - but its genesis was mostly from riding in the back seat of the instructor's cars during hot laps or on the drift pad. I never had a problem while I was driving - even in the short oval/wet track "rat race" - unless I drove right after riding an instructor hot lap.

In hindsight, I wish I had taken a pill as insurance.

[lorinzo]

Day 1 is in the books. Day 2 starts tomorrow.

Spent the day in new M6, M3 and M4!

Apparently the motion sickness is a real thing... the instructors mentioned it a couple of times. Nobody in our class seemed to have an issue. I could see it if you ride in the back during the wet track events. Especially if you rode with me since I spun, spun and spun.

Hotel accommodations and food are top notch!

[kscarrol]

Nice! No M5's? Guess they are show-casing the new M's... Get some pics posted!

[Shredicus]

My local dealership has been servicing a lot of these cars in the interrim until they get their trackside service bay operational. One of the techs was telling me they have been getting a lot of M5s with destroyed rotors from the M school. Said the same about the E8x CCBs mainly due to the stock pads.

[lorinzo]

Day 2 was spent working on the North Palm Circuit... 2 sections we were able to get the M3 and M4 up to around 110-115 MPH!

Also took the M6 out for wet figure 8.

Finished the day with a ride along with an instructor in the M3 to demonstrate how the North Palm Circuit can be done with an expert driver behind the wheel. WOW!

Overall, the experience was amazing!

Proud to say that I was in the very first M School held at the BMW West Coast Performance Center. I hope to get out there again when the facilities are fully completed.

[kscarrol]

Nice! No pictures??

[lorinzo]

Here are a few pictures. I am working to see if I can get some video up.

My car parked at the La Quinta Resort:



Our line up of cars:





This is my view from the M4 waiting to get out on the North Palm Circuit:

[lorinzo]

Got an "invite" to attend the first Advanced M School at Thermal in late November.

Sounds good. . . , however, it's a bit pricey.

Anyone going to go?

[aus]

For anyone interested in this, the San Diego CCA Chapter had a couple one day events at the school and it was only $200. I get an email from they saying they're planning on doing another day in January/Feb for a little more than the $200. I did a write up here somewhere.

Originally Posted by Longboarder

There is a member of the forums (DrakeKemper) here who can do a private day with you at The Thermal Club for a couple hundred bucks. I did some checking and other instructors say he is very good.

M-school sounds awesome though. I would like to try it.

In general, people are afraid to take their own cars out on the track; I tell my friends, you'd have to essentially drive off the track when you're a newb with traction control on but they're still scared.

Then they say they'd have to get track pads or get new tires because they read the forums and think it's required; in reality, the car stock is WAY more capable than any newb driver on track. The CCA is a great way to get started on tracking because every car has an instructor. In general, if you're tracked before, it's totally not worth the money to do the M school... unless you want to spend that much doing skid pad, autocross and a since session on track doing follow the leader where you can only go as fast as the person in front of you until you get a turn behind the instructor, who will drive as fast as you can keep up for 1-2 laps, then you fall back and let the next person get a turn behind the instructor. It's really for people who aren't willing to take their own cars out on track.

Originally Posted by kepler

A lot of guys get motion sickness from the driving? It's that rough?

People at the M school get sick because you're a passenger while another student is driving... who's usually never been on track and not smooth at all. I don't know how in car instructors don't get sick.
.

[lorinzo]

Excited to return to Thermal this weekend for the BMW M Track day event.

Interested to see how construction of the BMW facilities has progressed since my last visit in March 2015.

[mreed]

I'm going on Tuesday! Looking forward to it.

[loveskiing]

Wow...only $4k to attend but we do have to provide our own dramamine? Sounds like a deal at half the price!

[roastbeef]

just got my confirmation email for the 29th at thermal. see you guys there.

[Crazy8.M3]

Set up for the 2 day school in September, can't wait!

[cae93]

Originally Posted by NorCal24

Set up for the 2 day school in September, can't wait!

I have a few questions for anyone that has done the CA school previously:

How long after booking (or before attending) did you get your hotel confirmation? (the person on the line when I booked the course just said "they will contact you nearer the time).

Is there a shuttle from the hotel to/from the facility each day? Is there a shuttle to/from the airport (PSP)?

How nice is the hotel? worth arriving early to use the facilities?

Thanks

[Crazy8.M3]

I had the hotel info a couple of week prior to the class but my wife was the one that booked it for me (bday gift).

No shuttle from the airport but there is a shuttle that takes you to the track and brings you back each day.

The hotel is pretty nice, no complaints. There's a restaurant inside, breakfast is included with the stay there too. If I were to do it again I would want to get there a day earlier but just to relax and check out the area. It's a long day of excitement and heat at the school so by the time you get back, you're pretty worn out.