[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by prakyath89

Man-o-man what an amazing event this was. To top it all, the event was free!
I totally agree with Nikhil here. That's all these events are all about - fun, friends and of course cars. I still can't believe you convinced your wife it is a good idea to spend her birthday on the track

Totally Agree. It was very well planned and organized. The time management was spot on. Thanks to @Vj123 for spotting and sharing the link
About convincing the wife to join… That’s a story for another day . Would be nice to interact with families of everyone too. Maybe during the next event.
Will ask our in-house master planner @Rohit to hash out the details.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

@rohittunga has described the sequence of driving events perfectly.[list]

Very well penned, indeed!

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

[*]My personal favorite was the lead-follow with the M3 competition. How many times does one get to drive on the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

I guess everyone simply loved the overall package that the M3c had to offer. For my driving skills, the M3c itself proved to be too much power. The acceleration sort of scares you on the first lap, while still trying to figure out how she handles.
My Autocross partner just went gung-ho. He didn’t care about either the track, cones or the car. All he wanted to do was Accelerate and Brake. I am sure, if that has a pull type hand brake, he would be on it all the time. To top it all, he wanted the music playing pretty loudly.
My best time was 17.4. It was thrilling none-the-less. Sure enough, I am not trying any such stunts on my car.
I was glad to be able to take my wife for the Drag races. M6 and the M5 were my picks. The rest was just about ok. Took me a while to figure out the launch control sequence

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Would I buy a BMW? I’m definitely more convinced, but first, I'm going to get my Tundra 1794 Edition!

Go for it, buddy. I am sure you’ll get it sooner than soon!

Originally Posted by vj123

I was a part of the blue team with Prakyath, Rohit and Ruchir.

Lalit, Nitin, Sunay and I were part of the Red Team. Those tiny little details, eeh!

I am going to list my summary in a descending order

Autocross

This was my first ever Autocross with my best time being 17.4. My partner just went gunh-ho on this section without caring for the car, the track or the cones. He even wanted to blast the music !
It was thrilling to the point that the M440i was a fun car to drive, but its essentially the same as my M340i. You could tell that the car was used / abused during the course of the event.

Drag race

Being the last event of the day for our group, I was glad that my wife could join. I have always wanted try a Drag Race and this was my first time. I was racing Nitin and his cousin. It was time to get a feel of some Real M power!
Pick 5 – M2C : The least fav car was the M2c. It felt dated and slow for the drag race
Pick 4 – X3M: Nothing to really go ga-ga about compared to the other cars in the line-up. For a normal driver, I believe the X3 M40i feels more powerful and fast.
Pick 3 – X6M: This was the first car I got. I was never really a fan of its styling. But in the M avatar, she is fast. We were pinned to the seat in this one. The interiors were pretty neat too
Pick 2 – M5c: I have always loved the 5 series. It just feels like the perfect sedan in the BMW lineup.
This was my chance to get behind the M avatar and she doesn’t disappoint. The same opulence in luxury with a beast of an engine. She was fast and felt the safest of the cars driven that day. I wish we had this for the Follow the leader event as well.

Follow the Leader

The red team begun our day with the Follow the Leader. It was still relatively cool and pleasant earlier in the morning. I am glad we got to do this event first. Just opens the mind to the kind of speeds and grip that the M3C has.
The cars we got were pretty much used and abused during the course of the event, you could tell with the brakes and stuff. But it was still fun to drive. More so, was an experience to drive around the legendary IMS. I believe I was able to hit about 135Mph on the straights.
We were immediately whisked away into the Hot Lap. The instructor just ripped through the track in his M3C. That was like giving us a taste of its capabilities in the right hands. WOW! I can still feel the rush when he accelerated, braked and took those turns around the apex.

Pick 1 – M3c: It had to be the M3C. Like someone said, “First impression is the last impression”, this was the first thing we drove that morning, coupled with my first time at a race track, and that speed. A cocktail that couldn’t go wrong. Besides, having its modest sibling as my daily driver, this was my experience to see what the M power can really do.

Like everyone said, I echo the same sentiment. This event will definitely be etched in my memories.

[ruchiragrawal]

It was my first ever Team Bhp meet! I had to wake up at 4 am in order to reach IMS on time, and I don't remember waking up this excited ever at 4 am!
@rohittunga and I were in the same group for all the events, so we shared the sequence of events.

However, the experiences were completely different. Many of the things done here were a first for me. My first time driving such high-performance cars (M2, M3, M5, X6M), my first time driving on a racetrack (M3). I am no stranger to moderately competitive autosports, as I do AutoX in my Subaru WRX almost every other weekend, but driving on a track (at high speeds) is an entirely different thing. One needs to have an immense amount of confidence in your brakes, tires and have a high familiarity with the car to push it, and we were not given enough time to get ourselves acquainted with the car. We were asked to just take the driver's seat and drive! So I was genuinely afraid to push the car! I remember losing a little bit of traction on my very first turn on the track, after which I dialed down my enthusiasm significantly

That being said, it was a great learning experience altogether! I had many preconceived notions about some cars (X6M, M3, M2) and they all got altered significantly. Don't wanna beat a dead horse, but the 'real M' cars are amazing! Still, the M440i was decently agile and overall great around the AutoX. If only I knew how to use the paddle shifters better

Here are some pictures from the event


Rohit with the X6M. The color's brilliant!


@prakyath89 with the face of defeat in a drag race with the X3M because he didn't know how to launch the car haha


A beautiful M3


A picture I took while I was riding shotgun in the M3


A beautiful NSX I spotted at the IMS parking (I am clearly biased towards Japanese cars)

https://youtu.be/T9LML4j6Eps

Rohit concentrating hard while driving the M3 on the track

https://youtu.be/pFSmVgvXq7c

Rohit trying to gauge the car at the drag race event

I had great fun with everyone! Nobody takes themselves too seriously, and everyone had come to have a good and relaxed time with the group. Everyone was genuinely warm and nice. I really enjoyed the conversations we had during lunch. I best don't talk about my experience at the karting arena (if you know, you know, and you best don't let others know).

Looking forward to meeting you guys again! And I also would love to meet the remaining members from the Rustbelt. You guys have some pretty sick cars! If we're gonna meet at another one of these auto events, it looks like the United States GP is on the 24th of October at Austin!

[landcruiser123]

Dear BHPians,
We've decided to keep up with tradition and do a meet to see the lovely fall colors. If anyone is interested in joining our WhatsApp group, shoot me a PM.

Check out the previous meet that was documented in Detroit meet up thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-...ml#post4682862 (Team BHP USA meets in Detroit).

Date: October 16, 2021

Option 1: Ohio Scenic River Byway in Southern Indiana



More info: https://www.ohioriverbyway.com/

Route: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cinc...38.2526647!3e0

Tentative plan:

• Lunch at Cincinnati, OH
• Drive along the Ohio river on Indiana State Route 56 & 62
• Coffee at Louisville, KY

*We can make it an overnighter and go the entire distance to Mt Vernon, IN too if BHPians are willing. Link to the entire route: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lawr...37.9322662!3e0

Option 2: Michigan State Route 25 along Lake Huron

Route:https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dear...42.3222599!3e0

Tentative plan:

• Meet in the Metro Detroit Area
• Lunch at Port Huron
• Drive along the Lake Huron on Michigan State Route 25
• Coffee/dinner around the Metro Detroit Area

*We can definitely adjust the length of the drive along Lake Huron

Option 3: Michigan State Route 22 along Lake Michigan (Shared by our friendly BHPian @vj123)



More info: http://m22michigan.com/

@vj123: Can you please share a tentative plan if we get most votes on this? This will have to be an overnighter for me and many others!

Option 4: Meet at a museum/iconic landmark in Michigan/Indiana or Ohio and go on a short drive - Suggestions wanted!

Confirmed members/Rides/Location:
1. landcruiser123 / Ford Fusion / from Peoria, IL: Preference: 4 ->1 ->2 ->3

[vj123]

Option 3: Michigan State Route 22 along Lake Michigan

I have done this route several times and its one of the best roads in the MidWest. Its a great route to enjoy fall colors but it would have been past its peak for the dates which we are planning.

Tentative plan:

• Meetup up in Mainstee for lunch.
• Drive along western MI coast. Route has several places to park and enjoy the nature.
• Drive along Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.
• Evening / sunset in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
• Overnight stay in Traverse city or GlenArbor.
• Drive back home on the following day.

Option 4: Meet at a museum/iconic landmark in Michigan/Indiana or Ohio and go on a short drive

Suggestions in MI:

• Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn - LINK
• Ford Rouge Factory Tour in Dearborn - LINK
• Greenfield Village in Dearborn - LINK
• Gilmore Car Museum near Kalamazoo - LINK
• We can zero in a nearby drive once we finalize the place.

With everything happening at work and home, not sure if i will be able to make it. I will confirm once we finalize the meet.

Confirmed members / Rides / Location:
1. landcruiser123 / Ford Fusion / from Peoria, IL: Preference: 4 -> 1 -> 2 -> 3

[rachitagarwal]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Dear BHPians,
We've decided to keep up with tradition and do a meet to see the lovely fall colors. If anyone is interested in joining our WhatsApp group, shoot me a PM.

Hi landcruiser123, I recently moved to Detroit area and would love to be part of the meetup groups. I don't have PM privileges yet, is there another way to share WhatsApp group details?

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Dear BHPians,
We've decided to keep up with tradition and do a meet to see the lovely fall colors. I

Option 1: Ohio Scenic River Byway in Southern Indiana


[center]Option 2: Michigan State Route 25 along Lake Huron


Confirmed members/Rides/Location:
1. landcruiser123 / Ford Fusion / from Peoria, IL: Preference: 4 ->1 ->2 ->3

Thanks Landcruiser123 aka Lalith for taking time out to post the details. Looks pretty elaborate.
Ohio Scenic River Byway looks very tempting, from the pictures and location perspective, this place should be peaking with fall colors around mid Oct as well.

Originally Posted by vj123

Option 3: Michigan State Route 22 along Lake Michigan

It's a great route to enjoy fall colors but it would have been past its peak for the dates which we are planning.

With everything happening at work and home, not sure if i will be able to make it. I will confirm once we finalize the meet.

Thanks Vj123 aka Vibin,
I too am guessing it will be past its peak by mid Oct. On a lighter note, my car will dis-own me, if its one more trip to MI

Originally Posted by rachitagarwal

I don't have PM privileges yet, is there another way to share WhatsApp group details?

Hi Rachit,
Welcome. Glad to see this group expanding. I sent you an email with my contact info. Please respond, we can add you to the group.


Confirmed members / Rides / Location:
1. landcruiser123 / Ford Fusion / from Peoria, IL: Preference: 4 -> 1 -> 2 -> 3
2. Nikhilarni / BMW M340i / From Pittsburgh, PA: Preference: 2 -> 4 -> 1 -> 3



I am open for both dates and over nighter as well.

[thecarguy]

Originally Posted by rachitagarwal

Hi landcruiser123, I recently moved to Detroit area and would love to be part of the meetup groups. I don't have PM privileges yet, is there another way to share WhatsApp group details?

I share the same concern. I am based in Boston but i can travel for a meet or two!

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by thecarguy

I share the same concern. I am based in Boston but i can travel for a meet or two!

Please check your email. I sent you a message via email.

[landcruiser123]

***Sorry for the late update***

Dear BHPians,
We've decided to keep up with tradition and do a meet to see the lovely fall colors. If anyone is interested in joining our WhatsApp group, shoot me a PM. The destination this year is the Ohio River Scenic byway in Indiana.

Check out the previous meet that was documented in Detroit meet up thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-...ml#post4682862 (Team BHP USA meets in Detroit).

Date: October 16, 2021

Route: Ohio Scenic River Byway in Southern Indiana



More info: https://www.ohioriverbyway.com/

Plan for the day:
Starting Time: 11:30 AM (Eastern Time)
Ending Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00PM (Eastern Time)

Meet for lunch at Cincinnati, OH. Suggested place: Incline Public House, 2601 W 8th St, Cincinnati, OH 45204. (Please feel free to suggest other interesting places too!)

• Start: Drive on US Route 50 along the Ohio river
• Pit stop 1(1 hr, 48 miles): Boat Ramp near Goose Creek on Indiana State Route 56. Address: 11098 IN-156, Patriot, IN 47038
• Optional - Pit stop 2(17 min, 12 miles): Markland Dam Park. Address: 532 IN-156, Florence, IN 47020
• Pit stop 3(36 min, 27 miles): Lamplighter Park. Address: 391302234004000007, Madison, IN 47250 (yes, that is the address on google maps. ). Alternatively, try: 103 W Vaughn Dr, Madison, IN 47250
• Last Leg(47 min, 38 miles):End: Coffee at Heine Brothers'. Address: 3060 Gottbrath Pkwy, Jeffersonville, IN 47130

Please feel free to suggest any POIs/restaurants/cafes en-route.

Entire route on google maps: Route: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Incl...38.3499849!3e0


Confirmed members/Rides/Location:
1. landcruiser123 / Ford Fusion / Peoria, IL
2. Nikhilarni / BMW M340i / Pittsburgh, PA

[rohittunga]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Plan for the day:
Starting Time: 11:30 AM (Eastern Time)
Ending Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00PM (Eastern Time)

Perfect ! Thanks for taking the initiative this time. Adding my name to the list

Confirmed members/Rides/Location:
1. landcruiser123 / Ford Fusion / Peoria, IL
2. Nikhilarni / BMW M340i / Pittsburgh, PA
3. Rohit / M5 / Chicago, IL[/quote]

[fusionbang]

Confirmed members/Rides/Location:
1. landcruiser123 / Ford Fusion / Peoria, IL
2. Nikhilarni / BMW M340i / Pittsburgh, PA
3. Rohit / M5 / Chicago, IL
4. Sunay + 1.5 / X3 M40i / Philly, PA

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Entire route on google maps: Route: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Incl...38.3499849!3e0

Perfect. Thanks Landcruiser123 for initiating the meetup along with the details.

Looking forward to meeting you all.

[vj123]

Our first meet for 2022 has been shaping up during the past week. Based on everyone's availability, this one will be a day trip and we might plan for more meets in the coming months. Feel free to PM me your mobile number and i can add you to our WhatsApp group.

Drive along Lake Erie coastal highway in OH (between Toledo and Cleveland)
Date: 30-Apr-2022
Time: TBD
Meeting point: TBD (somewhere in Toledo / Sandusky)

Confirmed members:
1. vj123 from Detroit

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by vj123

Our first meet for 2022 has been shaping up during the past week.

Thanks vj123 aka Vibin for taking a lead on this one. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

Adding my name to the list .

Confirmed members:
1. vj123 from Detroit
2. Nikhilarni from Pittsburgh

[fusionbang]

Drive along Lake Erie coastal highway in OH (between Toledo and Cleveland)
Date: 30-Apr-2022
Time: TBD
Meeting point: TBD (somewhere in Toledo / Sandusky)

Confirmed members:
1. vj123 from Detroit - (top secret)
2. Nikhilarni from Pittsburgh - Mercedes GLC 300
3. fusionbang from Philadelphia - BMW X3 M40i