[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

50k is a steal. I paid double of that for the ASE at the Buddh in 2012. Is there a website where we can check for seat availability?

Yes I found it to be value for what it offers. How did you find the Audi event? Did they let you push the cars, or did they limit you in many ways?

You will have to call the BMW reps mentioned on the site to find out availability. As far as I know though, the Delhi slots are sold out. But its worth a check.

Also do put up a report on your Audi experience if possible.

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Yes I found it to be value for what it offers. How did you find the Audi event? Did they let you push the cars, or did they limit you in many ways?

You will have to call the BMW reps mentioned on the site to find out availability. As far as I know though, the Delhi slots are sold out. But its worth a check.

Also do put up a report on your Audi experience if possible.

Well, I had never really experienced anything like it before, so I really enjoyed it. We were allowed to push the cars but not to an individual's satisfaction for safety reasons. For eg, we were driving in groups of four to five cars and had to follow our instructor who would be driving the lead car. So after every lap the car following the lead car will have to slow down let all other cars go ahead and join the group at the end. Now, most of the guys had come with an intention to set up a speed record on an F1 track, so the driver in the last car would especially slow down before the straight stretch so that he has open space in front of him to floor the accelerator. When the instructor saw this he would make everyone slow down to let the last car join the group and warn him against doing the same. Further it was fun when you get to drive behind the lead car as, you could really push it then. Otherwise while driving behind the other participants it tends to get frustrating as some take the foot of the accelerator too soon or hit the brakes really early. I had so many movements when I just felt like overtaking the guy in front of me, but overtaking is not allowed so no option but suffer behind captain slow .

What is really tempting about this deal is not the money but, the number of different cars you can drive that too over a course of two days. Compared to it I only got to drive the R8 V10 and that too it was only a half day event. Plus I know the buddh circuit like the back of my head

[Fullrevs]

Originally Posted by nirmaljustdo it

Guess we missed each other

Yes the runway is a fantastic place, just wish we had more laps of the course. I was in the white X1 and then the Red X3 30d for the braking and acceleration run. Disappointed with the X1 but the X3 with its superb engine more than made up !

The M performance training is only for M car owners and on invite from BMW India directly as per what reply I got from them.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

We sure did . I was in the Red X3 30d for the slalom run and in a black 5 series just behind the white X1 for braking test. The 30d did shine in the company of the 20d's.

Too bad the M event is out of bounds for us regular Joes.

Missed you both at the event. I was in the white 520D and was the last car in the line up of the morning session. When I spoke to the BMW folks over the phone before the event about driving the M cars they said that we would definitely get a taste of it. Met my service executive and he stated there was no separate event for the M cars. Strange that they actually have the event stretching out until Sunday and that's actually the best day. I would have applied for the M experience had I known about it.

Was a decent event overall. Never driven on an airfield before.

[unk9ja]

Couple more pics that I got from my friends.

[bhp]

Originally Posted by #enzowho

Got an invite for the M Performance drive this Sunday at Taneja Aerospace.
They sent out a physical invitation as well as a e-invite but nowhere was it mentioned that it comes at a cost.

The Bangalore leg has NIL charges mentioned on their website.

Every location has a different charge.
Bangalore :- NIL.
Delhi :- 50k including stay.
Chennai :- 25k including stay.
Aamby valley :- 10k.

[#enzowho]

Originally Posted by bhp

The Bangalore leg has NIL charges mentioned on their website.

Every location has a different charge.
Bangalore :- NIL.
Delhi :- 50k including stay.
Chennai :- 25k including stay.
Aamby valley :- 10k.

Need to talk to my SA about the Chennai Leg cause when I expressed interest all he said was he'll give me a slot but he failed to mention the cost involed even then it seems like a steal compared to Audi Drive Experience.
Up until now I haven't checked out the website even more didn't even know it existed.
Anybody from here attending tomorrow's event?

[#enzowho]

So roughly about a month ago a misfortunate incident happened caused by a erratic driver who rear ended my 530d leaving me depressed and after making all the arrangements to get the car flatbed-ed to the nearest service centre I make my way back home with a heavy heart and out of the blue I get a call from a strange yet familiar number and the person on the end Welcomes me and straight away proceeds to explain the nature of the call which was about the M Performance Training Programme which will be held on 31 July at Taneja Aerospace,Hosur and straight away asks if I'm interested and would need a confirmation immediately making it an ultimatum and I surely wasn't in a straight my to process all the information at once and half heartedly tell her that I'll be making it to the event.
Truth to be told,I wasn't interested at all as I've been to events organised by manufactures from the German Trio to the Italian Craftsman and one thing I learnt was It's fun, sure for the first time and second it gets boring the second time.
Fast forward four days, I receive a call from the same person who confirms my Slot and my address and also asks me for me T Shirt Size.
Again she repeated that I should be making it stressing at being lucky to be selected by them to be a part of it and said I'll be receiving a Invite in 2 days and Voila I actually received it in two days!

In the mean time I was trying to get my car fixed fast and decided to not claim Insurance as it was dealing my chances of getting the car soon and the fact the new A.S.S had no functioning body shop which meant the car had to be flatbed-ed to the A.S.S which was in the other end of the city taking a toll on my mental as well as physical health adding to the health issues I had.

While all this was happening I was getting constant reminders and calls regarding the event every couple of days and all this while I thought it was the BMW Drive Experience and was planning on the dropping the idea.
Then I get a call from my SA from Chennai who says he's allotted a slot for me for the Chennai event and this time he mentioned that Stay will be provided etc etc but again as lost as I can get all the information failed to register in my head which was pre occupied with getting my car back ASAP and the upcoming exams.

Then a week before the event, my friend calls me and says that we have to go to the event on 30th July at 12 and instantly my sub conscious memory kicks in and start refuting the info I was given and had an argument with him that its only on Sunday and then yesterday after reading it on Team-BHP I finally come to my senses and realise its different and its actually the M Performance Training and made up my mind that I'm gonna go no matter what!

Fast Forward, left home at 7:30 AM and reached there by sharp 9 only to realise I was the second person to be there!





Once you enter the runway you can see the the line of M sedans parked in the middle with a valet counter but they asked me to park beside the M cars along with the 7 Series fleet and was directed to the event area which was a lil far from the parking area and outside was the M3 and M6 and once you enter there's a i8 that welcomes you with its wings up.





Immediately was asked to register with the Unique Code which was sent by SMS and was handed the pass and was requested to have breakfast before the other participants arrive.

Just next to i8 was a stall with accessories and alloy and a hallway on the right leading to 7 Series exhibit and the dining area with buffet on the left.







Being the petrolhead, the sumptuous buffet hardly attracted me so I quickly grabbed a green tea and GM of Navnit who is a good friend of mine spots me and we start talking about cars and mention that those who get to participate today are very lucky and should push the cars to the limits and we move outside to see the line up of cars which was being taking randomly on high speed runs and drifts around the set up by Wang and Nash who are the Instructors while a 7 and 5 pulls up with Mr.Frank Schlöder and Mr.Navnit Kachalia and a quick introduction by the GM, Frank and I get into talking and then I realise that BMW is finally in good hands of a young enthusiastic petrolhead.
After a while he quickly grabs the keys for a M4 and heads to the Training area and pulls up clean drifts and invites all of us to the Briefing area for the introduction and a quick lesson on Seating Position,Braking,Cross Hand turning and few other instructions and was asked to proceed outside to the Tarmac where the Cars were waiting for us.
We were strictly told that no one other than the drivers would be in the car meaning those who got they young petrolhead kids couldn't get to take them for a ride.
Then we were divided into two batches(5 of us in my batch with a total of 11) at our own will and I chose the Sedans first and was waiting for my partner but to my luck I got my own car, the M3 with Nash in the M6 as our Instructor.






To begin with,Nash instructed us on the Walkie Talkie to follow him at our 30KMPH to get a hold of the Round about makes with safety cones for the drift practise and then asks us to step outside for a quick briefing followed by a quick demo in the M6 with us watching from the safe area with the photographers and the BMW Management.

Then he pulls up next to us and asks us to get into the cars and reach the starting point and gives us instructions for the first two rounds and then instructs us to switch off DSC and blip the throttle start a drift and hold it consistently.
To be honest,I was the only one in the group to have some experience in drifting but in no ways a pro!
The first few laps I spun out and was asked to line up back for the next car to start, then I quickly ask Nash if I can activate MDM to which he replies in Positive if I'm confident and voila everything was set to Sport Plus and the gear held in 2nd and it was my turn again and I manage to spin out this time again and start in the clockwise direction and finally I held the drift for three rounds before I manage to spin out and I was instructed to get back to the line up and then there was a driver swap, lucky me, no driver swap and this time again I manage to hold up the drift for a long time before I make a small mistake and lose the traction going into oversteer.
Then Nash radios in saying that I was the only person to get it right and to have held it for long and later I came to know that I was the only person in the morning session to have held a continuos drift.




After three rounds of this we were asked to follow him to the extreme end of the runway where the SUV's were and was quickly asked to pick our cars yet again I was alone in an X6 M which was brand new with just 108 KMS on the odo.





In this session we were asked to accelerate from the start point with different runs at 60,80,100 and 120 KMPH and brake hard at being of the cones in a small area made with cones with a cone in the centre before which you were supposed to break stopping just before the cone with minimal distance which Nash demonstrated to us in the M5.
Again the same procedure was followed with four runs and driver swap and then four runs at each speed category.
This time on the way back to the start line which was easily 400M away we got to floor the pedal and test the limits and at one point a random biker came in trying to cross the runway but I quickly reacted and slowed down to let him pass.
The same thing happen when the X5M was launching from the start,luckily no untoward incident happened.
In this test I managed to break 2.3m before the cone while the closes was 1m by a gentleman in X5M.
And this was done again but we had to break hard without our hands on the wheel.




After a break of 15 mins we were again back in the M Sedans and this time I was in a Brand new M4 with just 80Kms on the Odo and a goPro stuck in the tow hook thanks to Mr.Frank (still haven't got the video) and I chose to ride with a participant who happened to be a thorough gentleman(He came in a Carrera S) and told me I can run alone and he chose to spend some time with his kid and this time again 34.6 was what I posted and the next run I did 34.1 but hit the cone at the end leading to a two second penalty.






The next run was again in the M SUV's and this time I got a X5M, you guessed it, yes alone again. I thanked my stars and headed out and this course was high speed breaking and turn, the only difference being Nash would instruct us when to break and this was again at the same speed runs of 60,80,100,120 KMPH.
Twice Nash radioed late to brake but somehow managed to brake and stop just before the cone and this was the only time i braked with touching the cone inches before it! The last run I failed to notice the speedo and touched almost 150KMPH but managed to break and stop before the cone while slightly brushing against the apex cone.





This marked the end of the session and we were escorted back in convey in the cars we drove back to the paddock for lunch followed by Certificate distribution and was given a goodie bag with a T shirt,M Cap,M CF Key ring,A Booklet,A Scale Model of Yas Marina M4 with the Key ring and Scale Model having the Price Tag with ridiculous pricing of course!



Then the GM asked Nash if I could run my car in the drift course only to be politely declined due to time constraints.
Then on the Tarmac was MINI Cooper S and Convertible S which was being offered to everyone for Test Drives which I politely declined as I just Test Drove the car a Week ago extensively pushing it to the limits before making a sane decision to not spend 55 large ones on the MINI,if it wasn't for the pricing I'd have a MINI in my garage now

While leaving I had a chat with Mr.Frank and Mr.Navnit again and Frank was pro actively discussing about the possible launch of more petrol models while posing for a picture and also addressed that the pricing is indeed high and its because of the insane Tax Structure and they would soon be addressing that as well.

All in all, I left with a big smile on my face and the drive back in my 530d was an absolute pleasure in full manual gear with Sport mode and I didn't feel any lack in power whatsoever after driving M cars all day long pushing it to the limits.
Off Topic:In India,the 530d M Sport is the Cheapest Pseudo M car you can buy,Period!

Next Stop-MMST Chennai (Hopefully No exams so I can make it *fingers crossed*)

One Message to BMW-Please get your pricing right on par with your competitors to please the enthusiasts and make a comeback into the market.

Regards,
Thank you for your patience in reading this long post.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by bhp

Delhi :- 50k including stay.
Chennai :- 25k including stay.
Aamby valley :- 10k.

In all probability, BMW is providing this experience below the actual cost. If you count the cost of location rentals, logistics (including transporting the cars), transportation for their staff, support facilities etc., it all adds up. And we're not even including the wear & tear on the cars (brakes, tyres etc.).

From the company's point of view, 50k is a good price point. It's not as expensive as some of the other track experiences that cost a lakh, and will thus see higher participation. Equally, 50k is a good enough filter to ensure only those interested in their (regular) cars apply.

Fantastic branding decision.

[shibujp]

Are events like this open only to BMW owners?

Drive on,
Shibu.

[bhp]

Originally Posted by GTO

In all probability, BMW is providing this experience below the actual cost. If you count the cost of location rentals, logistics (including transporting the cars), transportation for their staff, support facilities etc., it all adds up. And we're not even including the wear & tear on the cars (brakes, tyres etc.).

From the company's point of view, 50k is a good price point. It's not as expensive as some of the other track experiences that cost a lakh, and will thus see higher participation. Equally, 50k is a good enough filter to ensure only those interested in their (regular) cars apply.

Fantastic branding decision.

Agreed. Fantastic pricing and initiative, specially the Chennai and Delhi track drives.

On a related topic :-

I have sent the contact person of these events an email last week about slot availability but have got no response, and neither she answers her phone or most of the time it is not reachable.

Such are things which are a let down of otherwise a fantastic event.

[Tanveer_2558]

Trying to get into the Aamby Valley one, Anyone else would be going do hit me up, The prices are really good!

[manveet]

Originally Posted by GTO

In all probability, BMW is providing this experience below the actual cost. If you count the cost of location rentals, logistics (including transporting the cars), transportation for their staff, support facilities etc., it all adds up. And we're not even including the wear & tear on the cars (brakes, tyres etc.).

From the company's point of view, 50k is a good price point. It's not as expensive as some of the other track experiences that cost a lakh, and will thus see higher participation. Equally, 50k is a good enough filter to ensure only those interested in their (regular) cars apply.

Fantastic branding decision.

50K is not expensive in absolute terms and seems to be a decent price point from a marketing/ absolute perspective. But relatively speaking, Audi used to do similar events, restricted to 4 laps x 2 cars at about 15-20K back in 2012/ 2013.

Here is the agenda from their website..

Passion lies within every car enthusiast who finds his way to the Buddh International Circuit. Designed as one of the fastest, most exciting motor racing circuits in the world, it tests your driving skills and guarantees numerous adrenaline kicks.

Sign up for the BMW M Performance Training to test your driving skills and experience the dynamic nature of the BMW M models. Furthermore, our experienced BMW instructors will educate you about the theory behind driving dynamics.

This full-day event, at one of the world’s best F1 circuits, will give speed fanatics a chance to test their driving skills in a safe and controlled environment. The track's combination of 16 corners, high speed straights, and dramatic changes in elevation guarantee a drive filled with pure, unadulterated excitement and a lot of fun while driving the BMW M models to your limits. This action-packed training session will enable you to understand why ‘M’ is the most powerful letter in the world – by experiencing a BMW M models on an actual racetrack, exclusively reserved for you.

VENUE:
Buddh International Circuit, Noida.

DATE:
August 24 - 26, 2016

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
2 groups of 8 members each per day. 2 drivers per vehicle.

DURATION:
Full-day training at the race track.

VEHICLES:
BMW M models. Vehicle allocation will be subject to availability. Participants can also bring their own BMW M models to the venue.

REQUIREMENT:
Minimum age of 18 years, no medical conditions and a valid driving license. No racetrack experience required.

PRICE: INR 50,000.

AGENDA :

THE EVENING BEFORE:
- Individual arrival
- Check in at the hotel
- Dinner
- Overnight stay

EVENT DAY:
- Theory Presentation
- Break
- Sitting Position Demonstration, Double Handed Slalom
- Acceleration and Braking
- Paced Laps (Ideal Line)
- Lunch
- Paced Laps (with stops in between for driver swap and coffee)
- Timed Bend Competition
- Taxi Laps
- Certification

[LOL_FWD]

It all begins with a simple message -

As soon as i finish reading the message The Prodigy's Firestarter song starts playing in my head. Didn't stop there, It was on a loop
I would like to apologise in advance for my non-existent photography skills. This thread contains few of the salvaged images.

I've attended Mercedes Star Drive/Luxe Drive before but never a BMW event. Folks from BMW India give me a call and i set up a slot for Saturday July 30th. The venue chosen by them was Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Limited's Airstrip on the Bangalore-Tamilnadu border.

Fast Forward to D-Day, navigating through the almost devoid roads [On account of Karnataka Bundh] i managed to reach the venue for my set time slot scheduled at 10 AM. I was greeted by these igloo lookalike structures -

Inside the venue, the welcome desk looked something like this -

After a quick registration, all set to go -

And I found this spaceship docked in front of me *Heavy Breathing* -

They called it "Munich's little Miracle" if my memory serves me right. I was instantly drawn to this. I mean, look at her with those dihedral butterfly doors!

I'll let the wheels and the interior speak for itself. Even with those aggressive exterior lines designed by Benoit Jacob, the interior feels so zen with a

TRONish influence -

By the time i had captured these, the briefing session had started. As this was my first time here, i did not want to miss out. This year sadly there was no dirt track. There were sedans and SUV's parked outside. Drivers could select their poison. They said to fill the SUV's first so i dashed to the first car which was a maroon X6M. Sadly it was the marshall's car. By this time all the X1's and the X3's lined up behind the X6 were full. To my luck there was a White X5 [Only X5 at the event] was parked at the end. Said, why not and took my seat in it. Then some other drivers showed up out of nowhere and since all the SUV's were occupied, they got the sedans! All I could was just sit there and watch while this other gentleman lay his hands on the White F30 GT. Oh, the disappointment!

So, the gymkhana consisted of two stages. First stage consisted of a slalom followed by a wide right and a mad dash towards the finish by navigating between the marked cones. Second stage was set up for braking test. They did have a time attack and as we had a heavy SUV, we came in 5th while the F30 won the first stage. I manage to win the braking round by stopping at the least distance after accelerating upto 100km/hr. Now to the victor belong the spoils. I got a chance to ride shotgun while Mr. Wong, our BMW Instructor hooned the Yas Marina Blue M3 as seen in the video. Yes, i'm that guy in the passenger seat with a wide smile on his face.

I could not capture any pictures during these activities but a fellow enthusiast has shared this video which makes up for most of it. You can see my car at 0:58 at the far right center in the video clip. It even shows the line up of all the M Cars at the venue.

Cheers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u0RkKfS8mw

[LOL_FWD]

Event almost comes to a close and as the people for the next time slot started pulling in, we were sent to have lunch. I did even indulge myself with PlayStation at the venue

Below are some parting shots -

Papa Smurf. Joking aside, i think Yas Marina Blue is a neat colour for the M3.

The M3 interior -

Now to cover the sibling. Mighty M6 Gran Coupe -

White Interior doing its thing with the inserts and the carbon fiber accents -

Both of em with the photobombing tractor. Do disregard the surface rust on the brake rotor -

[tejas08]

So I called up the Contact Person mentioned on the Website for the registration for the event.

I was directed to talk to the Dealerships in Mumbai for the Invite. Not sure if this is true or the dealerships seem to be trying to only push Invites to prospective customers.

Navnit Motors has indicated that the invites are for owners of 530d or higher vehicle of BMW.

Any updates from the other cities with regards to this criteria.

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

Trying to get into the Aamby Valley one, Anyone else would be going do hit me up, The prices are really good!

We have already been discussing this on the Whatsapp group Tanveer. Where have you been.

QUOTE=GTO;4026212]In all probability, BMW is providing this experience below the actual cost. If you count the cost of location rentals, logistics (including transporting the cars), transportation for their staff, support facilities etc., it all adds up. And we're not even including the wear & tear on the cars (brakes, tyres etc.).[/quote]

Probably why they focusing more on the prospective customers attending this training?