How Should an M3 (F80) Owner Capitalize on a 1 Day M School?

[DBACE]

I am pretty excited about recently confirming my participation in a 1 Day M Performance School in Greer, South Carolina.

My questions to the forum members who have gone through this class are:

Are there any actions I can take in the class to capitalize on my model specific car? Does it matter?

Of the major sections covered: Accelerating, Cornering, Drifting and Braking; which did you find to be most to least beneficial and why?

Is there any advice or recommendations on what I should or should not do while at the 1 Day school?

I am traveling to the center the day before and heading back home the day after, so any suggestions to do something or eat somewhere out side of the center's walls, but in the area are appreciated too.

[SD ///M4]

My wife and I attended the 2-day M School at Performance Center East in October 2015. I also won a 1-day M School at Performance Center West (Thermal) and my wife and I attended that in November 2017.

When we did the autocross course at Thermal, I won a medal for fastest time, but I've got a lot of autocross and track experience. One of the "tricks" I used, which I noticed that no one else did, was when waiting for the "go" signal, take your foot off the brake and position it on the gas pedal. The brake hold feature will hold the car in place and you've saved a few fractions of a second that you'd waste moving your foot from the brake to the accelerator. Also, you want to accelerate unless you're braking and when you're braking, brake HARD!

The same goes for the track, you want to brake HARD, way harder than you'd normally brake on the street (threshold braking). You're either accelerating or braking. Sometimes you're maintaining throttle, but you never have your foot off the accelerator unless it's on the brake. There's no "coasting" when on the track!

The skid pad is very, very tricky. Go slow and build speed and technique. Don't try to accelerate unless the car is absolutely straight and don't brake unless the car is absolutely straight. Drifting is not the fastest way around the skid pad although it is the most fun. Oh yeah, I won the rat race contest too!

Try and get shotgun for the hot laps with the instructors! Way better than being in the back seat.

Greenville is a beautiful town, make sure that you visit Falls Park and take in the bridge and the falls. The river runs through the middle of town with the older section on one side and the newer section on the other side. Great architecture on both sides and along the river! Bacon Bros. is a great place to eat!

The BMW Zentrum has been closed for remodeling but will open on April 11. Definitely recommended! The factory tours are still closed.

The BMW CCA Foundation (with the largest BMW museum outside of Munich!) is literally right next to the Performance Center. Highly recommended!

Enjoy your trip!

[MN2///M]

Second on Bacon Brothers; pimento bacon jam app is great.

Also second Old Town/Falls Park.

Of the major sections covered; in my preference from most important to least:

Braking
Brake hard and very late as compared to street driving. My instructors stated that if you were not engaging the ABS every time, you were braking too early and not hard enough. Why important: When done right, you maintain speed into the corner for longer shaving time. Don't just jab and let off the brakes; smooth is fast and fast is smooth. Employ the brakes like pulling a trigger on a firearm and let off smoothly as you transition to throttle. Why:
jerky/sudden inputs can unsettle the car resulting in you having to apply correction.

Cornering
Proper cornering maintains optimal line so precise turn in and roll out all shave time and provide for a smoother, faster run.

Accelerating
For the autocross sections, you will be driving in MDM for the F8X and I think DSC-ON in the M2 if I remember, but regardless of the DSC mode, you need to manage throttle to maintain traction, so roll onto the throttle when accelerating from still and when getting back on the throttle so as not to unsettle the chassis, but roll as quickly as traction and chassis will allow you. You'll get a feel for the edge if you have not driven yours this way.

Drifting
Fun, but useless if you want to go fast. I think they cover it on the skidpad more for car control and recovery than to turn you into a drift racer.

Most of all....have fun, push yourself and the car as hard as you can. No matter what your skill level, you will come out of this as a better driver.

[uniqueMR]

[nicknaz]

My $0.02, apply it as an upgrade to a multi day school

[drroc]

You don't really get to really drift. You just drive on a wet skid pad that has very smooth concrete. Its like doing donuts on ice.

The autocross at Thermal is a bit weird as you have to stop inside a box. If you go past the boundary of the box, you lose. This is quite different to other autocross events that I have attended. I've managed to get a 25.6, but somebody else in the group squeezed out a 25.1. It all came down how you approached and braked for the box.

[Hachima]

I was able to drift at Thermal on the skid pad when it was dry. It was not the normal itinerary though and we totally destroyed the tires in 30 min.

[///M4ster Yoda]

My only recommendation is to do the 2 day ///M school. 1 is not enough and just a tease.

[maniz]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

My $0.02, apply it as an upgrade to a multi day school

This. 100%. OP, I booked my 1-day M School back in December by combining the BMW free voucher for the car control school plus the holiday discount. Would've been FAR better to use both towards the 2-day school. It's the best deal in the world. I was kicking myself for that minutes after arriving at Thermal for 1-day school and it's my only regret. Wish I had done the research you're doing.

[Throttleblip]

Originally Posted by maniz

This. 100%. OP, I booked my 1-day M School back in December by combining the BMW free voucher for the car control school plus the holiday discount. Would've been FAR better to use both towards the 2-day school. It's the best deal in the world. I was kicking myself for that minutes after arriving at Thermal for 1-day school and it's my only regret. Wish I had done the research you're doing.

I did the 2 day M school a while back. I would say learn as much about weight transfer and traction as possible. And, find and feel comfortable with the limits of the car... something dangerous to do on public roads. Hope this helps

[jmg]

Upgrade to the 2 Day School! I did it this past December. One thing I found is that my times went down immediately as soon as I really started to concentrate on where I was looking. Look ahead into and past the corners.

[clutchdj]

Originally Posted by DBACE

I am pretty excited about recently confirming my participation in a 1 Day M Performance School in Greer, South Carolina.

My questions to the forum members who have gone through this class are:

Are there any actions I can take in the class to capitalize on my model specific car? Does it matter?

Of the major sections covered: Accelerating, Cornering, Drifting and Braking; which did you find to be most to least beneficial and why?

Is there any advice or recommendations on what I should or should not do while at the 1 Day school?

I am traveling to the center the day before and heading back home the day after, so any suggestions to do something or eat somewhere out side of the center's walls, but in the area are appreciated too.

Try to get plenty of rest the night before. it will be tough because of the excitement. Braking was most beneficial for me. Lifting off the brakes too quickly will upset the car before corner entry but you will not really notice it because you’ll have mdm ON. If you get seat time with Don Isley or the drift king Johan, pay attend to their braking skills especially when they lift off. Try to squeeze on and squeeze off with progressive pressure. The key is to not engage abs (unless the track is wet) for smooth braking. Easier said than done.
Listen Listen Listen to the instructors and keep your eyes up. Take as many notes as possible in your lil ///M book.
At first class might seem like “WTF, I want to drive” but lessons on the friction circle are very important. Like others have said. 2 day M school is so worth it

[jmg]

Originally Posted by clutchdj

Try to get plenty of rest the night before. it will be tough because of the excitement. Braking was most beneficial for me. Lifting off the brakes too quickly will upset the car before corner entry but you will not really notice it because youÂ’ll have mdm ON. If you get seat time with Don Isley or the drift king Johan, pay attend to their braking skills especially when they lift off. Try to squeeze on and squeeze off with progressive pressure. The key is to not engage abs (unless the track is wet) for smooth braking. Easier said than done.
Listen Listen Listen to the instructors and keep your eyes up. Take as many notes as possible in your lil ///M book.
At first class might seem like “WTF, I want to drive” but lessons on the friction circle are very important. Like others have said. 2 day M school is so worth it

The 2 Day is worth it mostly because of the big track, at least at Thermal. That's where everything you learned comes together.

[DBACE]

I appreciate the replies, especially with all the unique and individual details. While it would appear the number one thing to do: is to upgrade to the 2-day school, it simply is not in the cards for me, since I am going up with my local CCA. The price is right and the people are good.

I am not sure how well rested I will be since we will be leaving the night before (I live around 7 hours away). Hopefully we leave super early. We shouldn't get there too late, but seven hours is a long enough drive, if traffic sucks, a 7 hour drive can easily turn into 10-13.

I can function pretty well on 4-6 hours if I get plenty of rest the days before. Otherwise my plan is to go into this with an open mind and ear. I will do my best to adhere to the instructors directions, push myself and the car (within due bounds of instruction) and come out at the end of the day, better than when I started.

Also, did any of you purchase merchandise at the center. I know I will buy something as a memento. I think I get a shirt, and as mentioned a notebook.

[Hachima]

Originally Posted by DBACE

I appreciate the replies, especially with all the unique and individual details. While it would appear the number one thing to do: is to upgrade to the 2-day school, it simply is not in the cards for me, since I am going up with my local CCA. The price is right and the people are good.

I am not sure how well rested I will be since we will be leaving the night before (I live around 7 hours away). Hopefully we leave super early. We shouldn't get there too late, but seven hours is a long enough drive, if traffic sucks, a 7 hour drive can easily turn into 10-13.

I can function pretty well on 4-6 hours if I get plenty of rest the days before. Otherwise my plan is to go into this with an open mind and ear. I will do my best to adhere to the instructors directions, push myself and the car (within due bounds of instruction) and come out at the end of the day, better than when I started.

Also, did any of you purchase merchandise at the center. I know I will buy something as a memento. I think I get a shirt, and as mentioned a notebook.

If you do want to get merchandise I would wait until the very end. I was going to buy a coffee canteen but ended up getting a free one. It may vary by what program you sign up for but at the end of a 2 day program I received a swag bag with a tshirt, baseball cap, BMW coffee canteen and a few other trinkets. The notebook was also included at the start of the program.

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by DBACE

Also, did any of you purchase merchandise at the center. I know I will buy something as a memento. I think I get a shirt, and as mentioned a notebook.

They have lots of cool SWAG in the gift shop. If you make it out with only a shirt you'll be lucky!

[ljzimm]

I feel like a lot of us have been repeating one another so sorry if any of this is a duplicate:

- Try to absorb everything the instructors tell you. I had a few moments of just being so overwhelmed and excited that everything they were telling me just skated right between my ears and I probably missed some really great pointers. I regret not being able to be more focused.
- Don't assume you know everything. I'm no expert by any means but there were a few things that they instructed where I had the gut 'yeah okay but it'd be better if I did it this way' and after trying both ways realized I was wrong and they were right. Nothing wrong with swallowing your pride in the company of these professionals. Great example was the autox course. First pass I did it my way and thought I did excellently. Did it their way the second time and shaved nearly 2 seconds off my time. Third pass shaved off another 1.2 with a few additional pointers. Nothing wrong with trying it your way but can almost guarantee that taking what they say to heart will benefit you.
- Watch your peers. I had a few great drivers in my group and watching some of their techniques was almost as helpfully as working with the instructors. Hopefully you have a good group as well and can take advantage in that way as well when the instructors are busy.
- Swag. I had a jacket in my hand a few times that I loved but it was pricey. Ended up buying it thinking I'd regret it if I didn't and DAMN if I wasn't right. I wear that thing almost every day. Great investment and memory of one of the best days of my life

[nicknaz]

hi, can't you stay on another day solo? And fly there instead of driving.

I personally think it's foolish to do a track day with that little down time,

Edit: and to take on a long drive when it's an "arrive and drive" track day

[E92 M Sport]

Don't leave anything on the table. Push as hard, because if you're not pushing the limits, you're not learning as much as you can about your car. As others have said, vision is important and so is 9&3 hand position so you can get the most movement of the steering wheel. I did the two day last year. I would have preferred some time with all the electronic nannies fully off to better get a feel for the limits, that's my only suggestion they change with the program. Have fun!

[nicknaz]

^ not everyone is used to no electronic assist in a 420whp rwd car. It could go badly if someone tried to push the pace without the experience in that type of car.

Makes sense for Bmw to insist on mdm mode or dsc on to keep owners/fans in one piece.....

[jmg]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

^ not everyone is used to no electronic assist in a 420whp rwd car. It could go badly if someone tried to push the pace without the experience in that type of car.

Makes sense for Bmw to insist on mdm mode or dsc on to keep owners/fans in one piece.....

Agreed, it's baby steps. Why learn how to drive just beyond the limits before you learn how to drive within the limits? People think that the nannies are holding them back but it's actually our driving abilities that hold us back.

If I remember correctly, we were on MDM on the Thermal track day 2. I'm guessing students might turn DSC off sometime during the Advanced M School outside of the skid pad.

[E92 M Sport]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

^ not everyone is used to no electronic assist in a 420whp rwd car. It could go badly if someone tried to push the pace without the experience in that type of car.

Makes sense for Bmw to insist on mdm mode or dsc on to keep owners/fans in one piece.....

No doubt. I was just looking for a feel, rather than relying on the assists letting you mash the gas, etc. They even said they don't use M5's anymore cause they are just too much to handle even with all safety nets fully turned on. I was hoping with a little taste, you'd be better able to appreciate / understand the help the safety net gives you.