Yesterday, my love for the BMW brand was reignited at the BMW Driving Experience in Swartkops Raceway thanks to Bridgestone. I got a rare opportunity to drive one of my dream cars – the BMW M3 on the race track and boy oh boy I had the time of my life.
In as much it was exciting to be there I really learned some valuable lessons and I thought I should share. Here are some of the key learnings from the BMW Driving Experience.
Seating position matters
Before getting behind the wheel and getting your adrenaline pumping. It all starts with a lecture on how to improve your safety on the road by a professional driving instructor. The lecture covers everything from seating positions to holding the steering wheel. It seems basic right? But I can tell you that the majority of people do not seat or hold the steering wheel correctly hence during a collision they suffer serious injuries.
Braking is part of driving
One of the key takeaways for me from the take was the importance of breaking and how to break properly on the track. The majority of people think driving on the track is about putting your foot down on the accelerator and reaching the apex at speed. Learning how to break properly improves the driving experience on the track. I was impressed with the braking ability of the BMW M3.
Where you look is where you go
Another key learning for me is the ability to stay focused when you are driving. Where your eyes are looking is where the car will go. Don’t fixate on moving objects because your brain will steer your hands to the direction of those objects. Also, that’s why texting and driving is so dangerous.
Controlling the car in tricky situations
I also got the opportunity to go on the skidpad with the new BMW 320d. The skidpad teaches you to control a car during understeering and oversteering. These are usually caused by the front and rear wheels of the car losing grip. Skidpad teaches you how to control the car in those instances in a safe and controlled environment. For the skidpad is the most exhilarating thing to do yet eye-opening.
A big on Bridgestone for such an amazing experience.