M Track Day at COTA

[P1]

Originally Posted by pheerlx

Random question but how did the cloth seats look? I imagine the seats get a lot of wear from people getting in and out. How did they look like they were holding up?

Also interesting all the comp packs are wearing the 20"s. At previous events they all wore the 19"s.

The cars take a beating more from the outside vs. the inside. The interiors were mint, but then again, we were only the second group to ever drive the LCIs. Plenty of cars with dents etc. already. The cars are covered with rubber and chunks of tire.

It does make me wonder what they eventually do with these cars. Maybe some should take pics of the VINs and follow them as they are phased out.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by P1et

The cars take a beating more from the outside vs. the inside. The interiors were mint, but then again, we were only the second group to ever drive the LCIs. Plenty of cars with dents etc. already. The cars are covered with rubber and chunks of tire.

It does make me wonder what they eventually do with these cars. Maybe some should take pics of the VINs and follow them as they are phased out.

They resell them

[335pilot]

I'll be there Sunday. So no driving of your own car at all? Thought I read that somewhere.

[atxsk8r]

Originally Posted by 335pilot

I'll be there Sunday. So no driving of your own car at all? Thought I read that somewhere.

Well you do get to drive your own car to the event LOL kidding nope, get to only thrash their cars which is totally worth it to me for $250

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Oh any incentive coupons for future purchases by any chance?

[atxsk8r]

Originally Posted by pheerlx

Oh any incentive coupons for future purchases by any chance?

They stated deals on signing up for their normal track day school events they host but it was only for BMWCCA members, 20% off.

[P1]

Originally Posted by pheerlx

Oh any incentive coupons for future purchases by any chance?

25% a GoPro...

[IntegraXTR]

Awesome pics! I was there in January for the 5 series launch...the track is super nice! Amazing to drive on the track where F1 is at

[N54MPower]

OP - Thank you for reminding me about this!

I completely forgot to register when I first got the email. It looks like the only choice is have is the WA event in September which is right after my ED trip so it should be fun.

Thank goodness for frequent flyer miles!

[hlothery]

I was there Thursday also. It was fantastic, first time I had driven on track. The instructor lead/follow was challenging enough, in my opinion. Had to work hard to keep up most of the time, and the instructor would go as fast as the group could go. I was in a group which caught the group in front, and they moved over in the back stretch and let my group through. We did hit 138mph several times, which didn't seem very fast at all. What fantastically capable and stable cars. The worst was how slow 85mph seemed on highway 130 on the way home!

[SanchoDivine]

Originally Posted by atxsk8r

They stated deals on signing up for their normal track day school events they host but it was only for BMWCCA members, 20% off.

The discount is not only for BMWCCA, the discount is a special offer for attending the track day event and the offer was meant to be available if you signed up that day. However, if you have the free 1 day, you can apply it as credit for the 2 day course and the 20% discount will be applied to the remaining amount. I think they mention BMWCCA to compare that discount to the special discount they were offering that day or they said you might be able to get a BMWCCA discount in addition to the discount they were offering.

You will have to work with BMW corporate via phone for that offer as they could not do it there and this gives you additional time to utilize the discount as long as you have your track day confirmation info and sign up while the offer is valid to you.

That was what they told me when I inquired about using my free day as credit and if I could still have the 20% discount.

The 25% GoPro discount is good until October.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by SanchoDivine

Only the M3 and M4 were on the COTA track. The M2 was used for a small autocross course. The M550, M6, and X6M were used for a drag strip competition between drivers. Everyone gets to drive every car. It was a really great event.

I think OP was referring to aesthetics and personal preference on which car he was more in love with. They had cars on display

//Marketing the bread and butter vehicles.. The M2 is marketed is not readily available to order.. hence autocross only.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by 335pilot

I'll be there Sunday. So no driving of your own car at all? Thought I read that somewhere.

in order to drive your own vehicle at COTA.. one must attend an HPDE such as those that are run by BMW CCA chapters in TX

highly recommended..

[ginginha]

Nice! I'll be there Monday afternoon. So pumped. Thanks for the preview.

[atxsk8r]

Originally Posted by hlothery

The worst was how slow 85mph seemed on highway 130 on the way home!

Truth! Felt super weird going from getting into a car each time and flooring it, then leaving the track and driving all normal, lame

[Motivate]

Originally Posted by P1et

I drove three laps in that blue M3 with all the M Performance bits on it, and six laps in the blue M4 with all the M Performance bits on it. Hands down the best part of the event. The M2 was only for the autocross event, and it just felt rather slow and basic on the inside. I cannot comment how it would have handled on the track itself, although I would have loved to be able to compare it. Between the M3 and the M4, I felt the M3 was more to my liking.



Yes, plenty of space for a guest to hang out. It's just incredibly hot out there. It was 107F when I was there.



You get to drive every single M car they have, but only the M3/M4 on the actual track. You are in the car either by yourself, or with a buddy. Each time I was on the track, it was one instructor in the car in front of me, and one car behind me. He made sure the track was always available so we could go all out and never get caught behind a slower group.



Yes, 145mph was about as fast I got the car to go on the straights.

Sounds like a fun day. Does the price include insurance just in case?

[MilehighM3]

I'm going Tuesday morning. Thanks for sharing a preview of what's to come. I can't wait!

[macastel1]

How do you sign up for next year?
I read about an invitation email?

[Fugly M3]

ugh, really regretting i didn't sign up for one of these...Nurburgring 2 day school at labor day will have to suffice

[Go Horns!]

I went to the afternoon session today. I had a lot of fun. It was my second time on a track. I drove the M4 on the track first, then the M2, then the drag race, and then the M3 on the track.

When I drove the M4, I could keep up with the instructor and did not light up the DSC when getting on the gas. But by the end of the day, you could tell that the tires had taken a beating. If you were not careful when getting on the gas, the car would get squirrly.

The instructor hot lap was a blast. I was in a group of three cars that were all driving within a few feet of each other. Seemed like inches at time.

[Gig 'em]

The autocross and drag races were both fun, but my buddy and I came for the track time. We were worried the lead follow was going to be a glorified parade route... NOPE!!! We were squealing tires in the braking zones and corners, consistently hitting 140MPH on the main straight, and even passing slower groups. It never felt like the instructors were holding us back or keeping us from going faster than we could handle. We were really surprised they'd let "novice drivers" drive like that, because it felt like they were letting us push the cars to the absolute limit.

And then the instructors took us for a hot lap...

It only took about two or three corners with a pro to put us firmly back in our place and realize we were barely tapping into these car's full capabilities!!! Overall, it was an amazing day and well worth $250.

[RalphT5]

Great shots. I'm driving the same event on Tuesday morning. Now I know what I have to look forward to!