My BMW Experience

Never in my dreams would I imagine myself driving a brand new BMW M3 around a racetrack at the age of 19. But recently that dream came true.

I arrived at Woking racetrack not knowing what I was about to experience. At first I thought I was going to watch a race of some kind, which would have still been a great pleasure. But no, I was given the chance to go one step further. I was asked to step into the passenger seat of a brand new 2009 BMW M3 Coupé Edition. I have always been a fan of the M3 since a young age, and to sit inside one was a dream come true. But it was an even better dream come true when a race driver sat in the driver’s seat, faced me and said “Shall we take it for a spin?” Many different types of emotions rushed over me, I was still thinking to myself whether this was real or not as I tried pinching myself. I felt like a small boy again.

Sitting on the start line he brought the revs up to 8000 with his left foot on the brake. Removing his foot off the brake sending the rear wheels into a frenzy of smoke, we were away as I was forced deep into the seat. We hit 60mph in 4.2 seconds, and I definitely knew about it. I had never felt anything like it. This was my first experience of being driven round a racetrack at full speed, and every single second was an overwhelming experience.

We arrived at the first corner and he was reaching speeds of 130mph. The first corner was definitely one not to take at high speed, but he was determined to do it. I sat upright as he did not seem to put his foot anywhere near the brake. For a moment I was genuinely scared, but at the very last second possible he stamped on the brake pedal. “You didn’t think I was going to slow down did you?” he said after we exited the corner. It was like this all the way around the 2.4km track.

When I finally managed to ease into the speed and knowing his was leaving it last second to brake, we pulled over. As he was pushing the car to its limits, we had to wait for new tires to be fitted. This gave me a chance to look around the £53,000 fourth generation M3. Looking at the specification sheet made me realise how much power was sat under the bonnet, a 4.0 litre V8 producing 420hp. Different from the previous M3, which contained a straight-six. But don’t go thinking that the new M3 has been turned into a lazy muscle car, because it hasn’t. It revs at 8300rpm and is noticeably faster than the previous M3. It is more forgiving and lighter, but also smarter thanks to the new revised iDrive. While you can change many different aspects of the car such as the levels of grip and performance via the small knob that sits centre of the control panel, the M Differential is busy at the rear of the car making sure the power is send to the right places at the right time.

Not only has the whole mechanical and performance side had a revamp, so has the exterior and interior. It has been given a carbon fiber roof, the same one used on the recent M6 coupé. It acts to cut out unnecessary weight and lowers the car’s centre of gravity, allowing it to be more agile around corners. The whole driver’s console has had a facelift. There is a lot more gadgets and buttons to press and play around with, a slip of the finger could send a nuclear missile out of the boot and end all humanity. Most noticeably is that the iDrive system has had a thorough going over. It is a lot clearer and easier to use than previous systems.

After the new tires were fitted we were ready to go. But there was a twist, which I was not expecting. I was asked if I wanted to take the car for a spin. Without having to think about it I shouted “YES!” as I jumped into the driver’s seat. As my hands gripped the leather steering wheel, I had fallen even deeper in love with the car. The seat was very comfortable, helped by the heated seats. But the main thought running through my mind was how I was going to handle the car. I have been used to driving a small Peugeot 106, to step into a M3 was a complete shock.

I bit my tongue and put it into first gear. It felt strange as I did not have to use the clutch, but instead the ‘flappy panels.’ I put my left foot on the brake, took off the handbrake, brought the revs up to 8000, the noise bellowing from the exhaust made me weak at the knees. My legs began to shake due to the excitement, either that or the nerves were getting to me, either way it was a good feeling. Holding the revs I let the brake go. 10 meters down the road, looking in my rear view mirror all I could see was a cloud of smoke. Arriving at the first corner I applied the brakes very early and took it slow, as I was still getting used to the sheer performance under the aluminum bonnet. When turning corners I was told not to take my hands of the steering wheel and instead use the movement from my arms. It took a good few laps for me to feel comfortable, but still at the back of my mind was not to crash the £53,000 machine. Lap by lap I pushed the accelerator further to the floor, raising the revs and pushing it more around the corners.

My heart rate hit a new high when a few laps in I applied the throttle too early when coming out of a corner sending it into a spin. I felt both embarrassed but also full of adrenaline. But this moment lead to greater things, the race driver sitting beside me asked “Do you want to learn how to do donuts?” He told me the techniques and I put them into practice. It took me a lot of tries to get it right. I would either not be turning enough, not applying enough acceleration or not being quick enough on the throttle. I finally did my first donut after my 100^th try, and it left me speechless.

It was getting late into the day and before I left I was set a challenge. The race driver who had accompanied me all day would set a timed lap, I then had to set my own time but be within 10 seconds of his. This was a challenge I could not refuse. I sat and watched him fly around the track and set a time of 1min 47 sec. This was an astonishing time as he was pushing the car to its limits and set a very high bar for me. It was then my turn. I was kited out in the full race uniform and sat in the driver’s seat. I felt like the Stig. The nerves got the best of me and my legs began to shake again. I was determined to overcome the feeling and set a respectable lap time. I left the start line and was making good progress through the lap, I was pushing as hard as I could and felt very proud. But every cloud has a silver lining. I again over estimated the power and was sent into another spin. It knocked my confidence as it was the same corner I had previously done it on. But I was given another chance and I was determined to make the car stick around the corner and leave facing the right way.

The corner arrived again and I was focused intently on conquering it. I hit the brake, threw the steering wheel into the corner and hoped for the best…I had done it. I was very proud and then set focus on getting to the end of the lap.

When I finished my lap, I left the car to see the time I had set. It had to be within 1min 57. I received the time sheet and looked down. I had butterflies in my stomach and rightly so. I had set a time of 1min 52. I burst out with excitement and was congratulated by the team that worked at the racetrack. This was one of my proudest moments.

I left and headed home with a huge achievement on a piece of paper. It will definitely be a fond memory for many years.