Re: Blog - My BMW M Power Experience 2009 (big pics warning)
UPDATE -
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DAY 1 PHOTOS - 26/27th October
DAY 2 PHOTOS - 28th October PART 1
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Day 2 PHOTOS - 28th October PART 2
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DAY 3 PHOTOS - 29th October
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DAY 4 PHOTOS - 30th October
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Day 3 29th October 2009
Dawn breaks over the lake of St. Wolfgang and unfortunately is shrouded in fog.
Everyone having breakfast overlooking the X6M and X5M.
Entrance of the hotel lies a tunnel to... ze Ring'.
Foggy cold morning.
Everyone boarding the happy bus.
6 deg and pretty icy.
You get a nice cap as well for the event.
Foggy mountainside while leaving the hotel at 8am.
Did you know that Austria is incredibly beautiful?
A scene straight out of a portrait.
Old Austrian houses.
Bovines.
Cruising through the country side. (and you wouldn't believe a Racetrack would actually be built here.
A mountain looms silently in the background over a small village.
Beautiful lake scene.
By far, my most favorite photo of a village shrouded in fog and mountains in the back view. Stunning.
No, I did not buy this photo from some stock professional photography.
Reached the racetrack.
Entrance leading to Salzburgring.
This is what a damn beautiful day looks like. E92 M3s on the left. X6Ms on the right. What could be better?
Everyone's heart rate starts to go up.
Lines of E92 M3s.
The time is 9:02am. This message is sponsored Red Bull.
Instructor giving us a mild brief of the day's happenings.
Differentiation into groups by color.
Some of the main instructors. All very nice folks.
Event Photographer.
Everyone gingerly walking to their cars. 2 to a car. Awesome.
This is the start of a special driver training event.
"SLOW DOWN...............................not."
The training grounds.
Hard brake + Swerve and oversteer/counter training.
The first guy taking the lead.
"I think left is a good direction"
"Step on the gas...MORE!"
There ya go.
Instructors' rides. The BMW X5 M.
Coming in hard at the brake zone. 100km - 0 in pop-your-eyeballs-out mode.
Instructor giving advise on correct hand positioning.
Having a closer look at the M3's suspension and drive-line components.
Front axle has a lot more unique goodies than the other non-Ms.
Instructor explaining how the M components come together on the track.
A peek into the M3's V8 engine.
The M3 means a world of a difference. Seriously.
A brief history of the M3.
"By tradition, red is the slowest, yellow means a dirty fellow, and silver is easiest to maintain!"
Well, no, he didn't say that.
Going over why the V8 engine kicks ass.
Having a closer look at the individual throttle bodies.
Explaining how the M3 differential works and how power is transferred for optimal traction control.
A cutout to allow one to look into the internals.
Unique driveline components made for the M cars.
This piece of metal (Silver) was specifically made for the M cars.
Differential and driveline components. Only ONE part is shared between non-Ms and Ms. The rest are built for the M3 by the M division.
Part of the rear axle.
Carbon roof saves 7KG off the M3's weight.
Cut differential for show.
Explaining how everything comes as a whole.
Break for lunch. Due to residents staying near the track, there is a rule which prohibits all driving for 1 and a half hours from 12 till 1:30.
M motif X6M looks incredible.
You should have seen how every grown man, even up to the ages of 60 looked and acted like small kids just to have their pictures taken with the cars. Can't blame them though.
Sponsored by Bridgestone tyres.
This is a photo of me showing off to the camera girl, my terrific drift and superb driving skills in the snow when no one was looking. Also, there was a poster on the wall in the lounge area.
One of the sentences above is a lie.
Each of our welcome packs had a little book on what the X6M was all about. Have a Xbox360? It felt exactly like a game manual.
Driving activities.
Oh yes..........
Which color to choose? Life is full of difficult decisions.
We haven't drove the X6M out yet, but something tells me that it is not going to disappoint. Which other company tells you to drive their latest uber SAV on a racetrack after a day with E92 M3s?
Enough mental metal to overturn Metallica.
Instructor takes us out on the track for lap sessions and how to drive optimally.
2 men got lucky after 4 M3s passes by them in a whisker.
"This corner *does ptui action* will spit you out if you take the wrong line."
"So. Don't go into the gravel ja."
The chase is on.
At the later part of the day, participants were brought round the ring' in a uber fast session (over 20 laps) for the faster drivers. IMO, my best ever experience.
Turn in...power out.
You can see other groups practicing in other areas.
Very cool instructor. And he brought us out on the scenic BMW X6M drive.
Starting out.
Starting out..
Into an awesome afternoon.
Traffic? No problem. Just step and GO. The BMW X6M is an amazing uber-comfortable road car. Drives like an everyday luxury sports car and has the presence to turn heads.
And we'll be coming round the mountain...
At one of the ranges looking at superb scenery.
A quick stop for a photo op and driver change.
Hill climbs are effortless.
Passing the small village of Krispl.
The X me..Gang.
Passing by a valley and village. Beautiful setting.
Rolling hills, forests and cold fresh air.
I should have my honeymoon here.
Passing through another village.
Beautiful mountain.
Leaving Gaibau.
Rollin' together like the Austrian Mafia.
X6M takes corners with ease.
After a while, you really love the design of the butt of the X6M. As usual, BMW designs grow on you and redefine the look.
Passing by a river.
Enjoying the sunroof.
I've gotta have one of these cars.
Heading back to the track.
What scene could be better than this?
Turning into the ring'. At this point, we realized a cop had been following our convoy of 5 cars.
What an experience.
And back onto the track for another heart racing track session! This time, the 'Espressos' separate from the 'Cappuccinos'.
Cold tires, damp ground meet DSC.
A very professional debrief by the M division team.
Time to leave track........and it's starting to get dark.
Temperature is fast falling.
Nearby our hotel was this very old Austrian village with very interesting cute shops.
Group headed to dinner.
The town's index.
In front of this rather creepy church in the night.
You feelin' romantik?
The dinner group.
Anthony giving a little pout because of steak overload. The rest looks on and keep their silence while...
Joel laughs in glee instead.
No idea what this was, but it was good.
Walking back in the chill of the night.
Join the band. Pick one and you're in!