M School: A Step Above and A Step Beyond the DE
Got back yesterday from a thrashing at M School with Donnie and the PC gang -- my brain is slowly returning, but I think it will be a couple more days for the rest of the package (and I get to the gym six days a week (I also smoke and overindulge in chocolate, so it evens out I suppose)) ... anyway, my exhaustion shouldn't scare anyone away from M School -- it's ______ (insert favorite superlative and add multiple exclamations).
First, let me say the staff was just perfect. Thanks to our man Donnie "WillWinToday" Walsh, Ben, Mike, Larry, the rest of the crew (sorry, I'm bad with names), and especially Dianne (sp?), who graciously allowed me into this session after I blundered my calendar and missed April's event. The cars alone are worth the price of admission, but tremendous value is added by the instructors, whose people skills are equal to their knowledge of performance driving, and the whole PC staff, which is as professional, accomodating, and pleasant as BMWNA often is not. (Couldn't resist, but they would sell a lot more BMWs if BMWNA took lessons from these people.)
Here's how it went:
Night One
Gather for dinner in a Marriott conference room, meet some staff and the other participants (15), divide up into 3 more or less random run groups, get a 4 hour lecture on rudimentary vehicle dynamics [just kidding, Larry]. Eventually, try to sleep.
Day One
Here's how not to do it: the night before, carefully make sure the alarm's set for 6:15 AM but neglect to notice that some joker has switched PM and AM on the clock time. Come to at 8:40 (half an hour after the bus has left for the PC), dress hurriedly, miss breakfast/coffee, jump in your beast (good thing I had the beast), haul *** (good thing I didn't get a ticket), get to the PC (good thing I knew where to find the PC, cause I'm pretty indifferent to my nav) just at the conclusion of the morning lecture (good thing I had already been to the DE).
See, it's all good ...
Anyway, out back of the PC is one of the most heart-stirring sights a bimmerphile will ever see: row after row of Z8s, M5s, M3s, Z4s, X5s, and 330s. Five M5s, five stick M3s and five SMG M3s, plus a few spares (always nice to have some M in reserve), were ours for the duration. (They used to include M roadsters and coupes until production ceased.)
My group got into the beasts and, for those who have been to the PC, headed to the far right area of the course to work on heel/toe. I've seen Greg's videos and read a couple how-to's but never could quite grasp the concept. After this session, I had the concept down but that was about it. This is not something you're going to pick up in an hour unless you're Fred Astaire, III, but it was nice to have learning time in Someone Else's vehicle.
Next, we obtained some SMG M3s and headed to the opposite end of the course for skid pad training. DSC off. I managed to get into a little bit of a drift for half a circuit, but it was beginner's luck and the feeling was so strange I screwed it up. Worked up a hell of a sweat, though.
Our last morning session was on the middle road course in straight M3s. Mostly in 2nd gear, maybe got into 3rd for a very brief time before trying to break the brakes. (Standard reward is $50 for damaging the brake pedal.)
After a tasty bite in the PC cafeteria, we grabbed some SMGs and headed back to the little road course on the far right. Strictly second gear, but good variety of curves.
Next, we took the beasts up to the small skidpad in an upper lot to work on drifts. I couldn't get the thing going at all: going in circles in the worst sense of the expression. Later, observing one of my classmates, I realized I never had a good mental picture of what I had wanted to do and that may have held me back.
Our final group session was on the middle road course, which had now been enlarged to include the skid pad. We had a little bit more of a straight heading to the turn into the pad, but still not much time in 3rd.
In all of these afternoon road sessions we practiced DSC on, then optional, followed by group time trials.
At the end of the day, all 15 of us got a timed run at the middle road course, evening bragging rights as the prize.
I never got no right to brag ...
Night Two
After a nice dinner in another Marriott meeting room there was a Q&A with BMW team driver Bill Auberlin (spelling?). Bill had some great race stories and "inside the track" info, a real friendly, personable guy (like all the fine folks at BMW, for that matter). Bill hung out with us the second day, was available for questions during breaks, and took a lucky few on "instructor rides". (Of course, we got to ride with all the instuctors during some portion of each event, and they're all professional drivers (make that very **** good professional drivers), and it certainly wasn't chopped liver to get in a car with them. In fact, these rides highlighted a weekend full of very high lights.)
Day Two
A 45-minute busride away, out in the SC wilds, behind barbed wire and spy-foiling forestation, sits the Michelin proving grounds. We went to their Black Lake track: a large expanse of asphault with lots of cones arranged in every conceivable turn and a back straight in which one can reach 90 mph in 3rd.
At the far end of the asphault is an area we used for wet track figure 8s. The idea was to get used to hanging out the tail end at the end of a turn to get the wheels lined up and ready for hard acceleration. This was my groups first session and, as with all DSC-off wet stuff, was a blast in M3s.
Next, we piled in the beasts, motored out of Black Lake and through some heavy security down to another of Michelin's 10 or so track areas for a wet autocross. After some DSC runs, we turned it off and tried to modulate our throttle and brake inputs a little better -- great learning experience, no question, for all driving, not just track.
Our final morning session was on the big course at Black Lake in straight M3s. Once again, DSC on, then optional (off, of course).
After good old fashioned southern BBQ (no grill necessary), we went back to the same three courses for intra group time trials. The day ended with a group competition on the big track, each team making a run with the clock ticking through the driver changes as well. Amazing, with that extra variable, our team won by a mere 10 seconds, and the last team 15 behind mainly because someone got too happy with the happy pedal coming out of the first turn and lost major points for multiple cone abuse.
Final Observations
Do it. Even if your driving skills are already well developed, you'll get lots of practice and it's Not Your Car. Donnie said he hasn't seen many board members come through. I think it's well worth it.
We didn't get into triple digits and barely got into 3rd gear (except maybe the last run team, who had a 50 mph gusting tailwind down the back stretch). I kind of expected we would. I don't know if the staff evaluates the participants after the first day and decides on the big track setupfor the second day or if I just misunderstood. But there's always Advanced M School.
Actually, we did get into triple digits as passengers in beasts driven by the instructors around a beautiful two or so mile track surrounding the wet autocross. I was in the lead car hanging on for dear life in the back seat while watching Mike's smooth skills. I thought I had a pretty good seat for learning something, then found out that the beast driven by Bill Auberlin was inches off our bumper the whole way around.
pw
Nice write-up, pw!
And you're right... the folks at the PC are a class act, and really know how to treat the customer. And of course we know that Donnie rules!!! 
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