The BMW driving experience

Picture your favorite band finally coming over for an extremely rare live performance, but instead of instruments, this roadshow uses engines. Instead of speakers, they have exhausts, instead of singers, they have the only Filipino M certified instructor in the world. And, the best part of it all, is he lets you jam with him and his team. All. Day. Long.

Welcome to the “BMW M Driving Experience.” This is the ultimate circus for the seriously disturbed BMW M fan. I mean where else on earth can you get a chance to try out the company’s entire line up in one venue without taking out a second mortgage on your unborn children. Yet there they were.  The entire line up represented, like toys scattered across a floor, begging to be played with.

JP Tuason, the only Filipino given M certification, had the daunting task of not just reigning in almost 10,000 horsepower, but worse, about 20 automotive journalists. Then there were the karaoke sessions after, which were even more dangerous, but let’s not digress.

The idea of the roadshow is to give BMW customers, both current and future, a chance to appreciate the incredible technology poured into each M vehicle and experience the true performance of their cars in a safe and controlled environment, and the best part is that it is a program that BMW is looking into bringing into the Philippines regularly.

The day started out with a briefing, then a quick demonstration on sitting positions, braking and swerving exercises, a slalom, and then it was every man for himself, as it all climaxes with a very challenging, dynamic slalom through turns one, two and three at the Clark International Speedway in the ridiculously fun 1M series.

I piled on the revs, flicked my foot off the brake and the 1M lunged forward like a woman scorned — yet as impressive as it was, it is how it transfers weight that is completely insane. The steering was so direct, the balance and weight distribution so neutral, that it changed direction faster than a politician’s loyalty.

We’re given one practice run, followed by two timed runs. Now there may have only been a BMW cap up for grabs for the fastest time, but you would think that it was the car they were giving away judging by the near foaming –at-the-mouth type of driving that was going on, yet the M cars barely broke a sweat.

One by one, both the VIPs and the motoring media took turns at raping the 1M, each coming back with smiles wider than the rubber on those gorgeous 19-inch wheels.  There were some close calls, but in the end, there were all cheers and no tears.

And as a bonus for keeping everything “shiny side up” BMW were crazy, err, gracious enough to allow us full lapping sessions on the short course of Clark driving the almighty M5. It may have been a follow-the-leader type of thing, but when your leader happens to be a champion racecar driver in a hurry to get home after spending the last five days away from his kids, the thrills come on nice and thick. We reached speeds of around 170 kph, which may not seem all that impressive, but the time that it took to reach it as well as washing it all away are what will really take your breath away.

We ended the day with an awards ceremony in the newly christened TRS suite in clark, which saw the Philippine STAR bag the fastest driver award, ahem, plus a taxi ride in the M5 driven by none other than JP Tuason himself and a much more sedate ride in the back of a Seven series all the way back home to Manila — giving the term “best time of the day” a double meaning.