Hey guys, over the weekend I attended the BMW M track day in Miami at Homestead. It was FANTASTIC and well worth every penny of admission. Drove the M4 and M2 on the track, the M3 on the autocross and the M550i, X6, M6 and M6 Vert on the drag.
I'm happy to report I had the 3rd fastest auto time of the day (out of 103 people) and I believe I placed top 15-20 overall with all 900 people who did it over the 5 days.
The best part of the even for me, was driving the M2 full bore behind the instructor, it was in my opinion, a more fun car than the M4. We also go a special ride along with the pro/instructors for a full balls-to-the-wall lap, which was other worldly. I would TOTALLY recommend you do this event!
Hopefully I can load some pictures up here soon.
Nice. Sounds like a blast. I agree the M2 is the best drivers car in he lineup.
Were the brakes on the M6 vert total shit for you? I did the event last month and that thing cooked the brakes terribly.
Quote from: r0tor on June 15, 2017, 05:19:23 AM
Were the brakes on the M6 vert total shit for you? I did the event last month and that thing cooked the brakes terribly.
Nope, no problems with the brakes on that one...but that car and the X6M should not even have an M badge.
So why is it always so hard for you to upload pictures?
Quote from: Char on June 15, 2017, 08:42:29 PM
Nope, no problems with the brakes on that one...but that car and the X6M should not even have an M badge.
Really? I like the elephant Ms. I mean, once they crossed the taboo of doing an M SUV, they did it right IMO. Total beasts.
Quote from: Char on June 15, 2017, 08:42:29 PM
Nope, no problems with the brakes on that one...but that car and the X6M should not even have an M badge.
Wasn't there a video of an X6 M outclassing a Mercedes CLS63 AMG on the track?
I am not the biggest fan of SUVs, but that's pretty impressive and deserves respect.
Quote from: MexicoCityM3 on June 16, 2017, 07:26:51 AM
Really? I like the elephant Ms. I mean, once they crossed the taboo of doing an M SUV, they did it right IMO. Total beasts.
It was the beginning of the end for M. Now you can get a 118i M-Sport to go along with your 5,000 pound "sports car" SUV that's shit as an SUV, shit as a coupe, and shit as a sports car.
X5M has massive braking performance and damn good acceleration... Have to give it some props
Quote from: GoCougs on June 15, 2017, 11:43:51 PM
So why is it always so hard for you to upload pictures?
I didn't really take any, waiting for a friend to send me them.
Quote from: r0tor on June 16, 2017, 04:33:18 PM
X5M has massive braking performance and damn good acceleration... Have to give it some props
Sure does, and the interior js steller. But doesn't deserve an M badge.
Quote from: Raza on June 16, 2017, 02:59:53 PM
It was the beginning of the end for M. Now you can get a 118i M-Sport to go along with your 5,000 pound "sports car" SUV that's shit as an SUV, shit as a coupe, and shit as a sports car.
If you drove one you'd get it. Maybe.
Quote from: MexicoCityM3 on June 17, 2017, 10:27:36 AM
If you drove one you'd get it. Maybe.
They (the X5 and X6) aren't in the spirit of the "M" brand. Do you know why BMW never made M versions of the 7 or 8 series (though the 850CSi was technically produced by M division)? Because the cars were deemed too large and heavy to be worthy of M treatment because they weren't the sort of vehicles that would be taken to a track and used in motorsport (which is what "M" stands for).. The M treatment was deemed a poor fit for a full sized, flagship luxury sedan or a large luxury GT. Yet BMW of today is more than happy to flush H&H equity in the name of more cash flow. The X5 and X6 should have never gotten full M badging. They aren't suited for motorsport (I suspect that their taller stature would actually disqualify them from competing in many series). That's not to say they shouldn't have built higher performance versions, because there's something pretty awesome about a tank that can haul ass like those things can, but they shouldn't have been branded as "M" cars.
Quote from: MX793 on June 17, 2017, 04:08:49 PM
Do you know why BMW never made M versions of the 7 or 8 series (though the 850CSi was technically produced by M division)? shouldn't have been branded as "M" cars.
The 850CSI is an M8 according to german vehicle papers. BMW stated M8 in the type certification process, and when they made the change to 850CSI they did not want to redo the paper work.
(http://www.e31.net/pics/Fahrzeugschein.jpg)
Quote from: Galaxy on June 18, 2017, 03:43:24 AM
The 850CSI is an M8 according to german vehicle papers. BMW stated M8 in the type certification process, and when they made the change to 850CSI they did not want to redo the paper work.
(http://www.e31.net/pics/Fahrzeugschein.jpg)
It was built by M division, but last minute or not, BMW opted to not brand it as such. They should have done the same with the X cars.
MCM is contractually obligated to praise all things BMW.... forgive him :lol:
I get the appeal of a 600 HP SUV that can handle, but lol @ slapping an ///M badge on it. It's like a Cayenne GT3.
Quote from: MX793 on June 18, 2017, 05:25:41 AM
It was built by M division, but last minute or not, BMW opted to not brand it as such. They should have done the same with the X cars.
+1000000% this.
They should run them in Dakar and the Baja.
Quote from: MX793 on June 18, 2017, 05:25:41 AM
It was built by M division, but last minute or not, BMW opted to not brand it as such. They should have done the same with the X cars.
BMW would actually have an avenue to sell none M Performance cars. Alpina. They are sold through official BMW dealers, so I guess BMW itself gets a cut of the profit.
Quote from: Galaxy on June 29, 2017, 05:27:07 AM
BMW would actually have an avenue to sell none M Performance cars. Alpina. They are sold through official BMW dealers, so I guess BMW itself gets a cut of the profit.
Alpina is a separate company, though. Like Roush tuned Mustangs, which you can purchase at select Ford dealership.
Quote from: MexicoCityM3 on June 17, 2017, 10:27:36 AM
If you drove one you'd get it. Maybe.
I suppose the only way to be around an X6 is to get in so you don't have to look at the exterior.
Quote from: 12,000 RPM on June 18, 2017, 08:53:23 AM
MCM is contractually obligated to praise all things BMW.... forgive him :lol:
I get the appeal of a 600 HP SUV that can handle, but lol @ slapping an ///M badge on it. It's like a Cayenne GT3.
Honda Odyssey Type R!
I'm fine with fast versions of the SUVs. I can't possibly see how they'd be engaging or fun to drive beyond the wow factor of going so fast in a three ton skyscraper, but that's not the point. It's the M badging (as MX pointed out) to which I object.
Quote from: Raza on June 29, 2017, 08:42:03 AM
Honda Odyssey Type R!
I'm fine with fast versions of the SUVs. I can't possibly see how they'd be engaging or fun to drive beyond the wow factor of going so fast in a three ton skyscraper, but that's not the point. It's the M badging (as MX pointed out) to which I object.
That wow factor is really really wowzy. Bigly. The branding, well, yeah it was unfortunate. It seems now the real ///M cars will be the small ones (M2) and the GTS/CS branded ones that sit now above the "regular" ones.
i liked the M X-cars or driven :huh:
If a rich cat who doesn't give a shit about motorsports wants to
spend his hedge fund bonus on a badass car but also wants the increased space, imposing mass, and better sight lines of an SUV he's going to cross-shop Mercedes, BMW, among a few others. He's going to see all these Mercedes SUVs in AMG guise and wonder why no M guise BMW SUVs. He'll ask the salesman, Where are the "M" BMW SUVs? The salesman will explain that "M" is reserved for BMW models that are built with the racetrack in mind. So the Fat Cat will decline to test drive any BMW high performance SUVs and plop down his 100,000 dollars or whatever at the next door Mercedes dealership who will be all
Too happy to sell him an AMG SUV.
It's a small price to pay for BMW. Annoy a few History and Heritage enthusiasts (for which this annoyance will hardly negatatively affect sales) and court a bunch of rich cats who would otherwise have AMG Mercedes SUVs in their driveways/parking garage space.
Just did the track day at Ridge Motorsport Park. Wonderful event. You could tell that this event was heavily subsidized by marketing budget, resulting in tremendous value for the dollar.
My favorite event was the follow-the-leader road race on the track with the M4. M4 was my favorite car of the lot. It felt as fast as the M3, but the seats offered better lateral support (GREAT shape), the AT programming was more responsive (IMO), and the car as a whole just seemed easier to drive smoothly. The M3 seemed a little oversteer-happy.
My time on the M2 autocross wasn't so hot, my best attempt ranked at #38 out of 110. I'm not used to paddle shifters and I noticed that the best times came from the folks that were using them heavily.
I was undefeated on the luxobarge drag race (X5M, M6, 760, X6M). Was praised for being "cool as a cucumber" with my braking approaches.
The dinner afterward was decent catered fare. Great branded swag too. I was looking for a hat to use in my Miata and the M hat swag fits the bill (har) nicely.
I will DEFINITELY do this next year. I think the best thing about this event is that it actually broke through some of my husband's mental blocks WRT motorsports. (The car accident in my NA Miata really messed up his confidence.) He was really psyched out about the event before it started, but he became a lot more comfortable after just 4 turns on the road course in the M4. He said the event was a total blast and he's open to doing more track days with me in the future. :rockon:
Thoughts on the M2/M4?
I added my thoughts on the M4. I liked it a lot.
M2 was sweet too but TBH I didn't get a lot of time to focus on the car. It was used for the autocross portion and all of my focus was on the cones, not the car. :lol:
It's a shame I couldn't spend more time in the 760. The V12 (wow, smooth torque) and the red brothel interior were very intriguing.
Great. I think maybe the M4 had the competition package and the M3 didn't? The difference that makes is very noticeable otherwise I've found M3 vs M4 almost identical. IMO the m3/4 with the competition pack is the best M car available today. Even slightly better than the M2.
Did you find the big barges fun? I like them precisely because they are ludicrous.
I need to find a way to turn this event into a family trip. Glad you enjoyed it
I wish I could have used an M2 for the autocross portion of my local event. An M4 just wasn't a good match for a (literal) go-kart track. Lol
I so hope to do one of these again next year... and I love the hat as well!
I missed be event this year - I had a work trip planned and would be out of town during the event. At the last minute the trip was cancelled, but all the spots were already filled. I REALLY want to drive the M2 comp, but I doubt they had it there.