So, the trip up here was anything but uneventful...here's pretty much where it started...ugh.
I was busy all day long doing random stuff and running all over town so I'm already burnt out by later...hectic day and Jen tired me out, too. :shifty
So, I leave my apartment to head to Garrett's at 12ish (last night) and do my regular little spring on the highway from my exit to his...which now scares me after thinking of what could have happened...
Anyway, I get to his house and we are psyched to get on the road...we have planned to hit up the Tail of the Dragon, do some sliding with Mr. Andy Sapp, and most of all, hit up the M driving school - the one we scheduled months ago...and was next to impossible to get.
We've already talked it over and we decide we will take Garrett's wheels off of his car as his tires are suitable to drive a long distance on...whereas mine - not so much.
We start changing all the tires over...
We finally finish up around 2ish because we just get to talking the whole time about random stuff...our womenz, school, cars, old buddies...the usual.
So we get to my house at about 2:15ish and the only reason I was planning on stopping by was to pick up some extra batteries for my camera...
And this is where it starts (rather...ends).
As we are pulling in I hear some slight popping from my rear passenger side and I've been hearing some random rattling there for the last day or two and I figured it was just one of the interior panels making some noise...you know the kind. Well, it's a little more serious than that. We get to my house and even going over slight bumps I keep hearing this pop from the rear end - so I just think, "Oh, it's gotta be the spring that just didn't settle in the cradle and rear hat - nope.
Instead of that, MY ENTIRE RTAB has decided that it wanted to rip itself from the mount (chassis) completely - it didn't rip the cup out but only the actual threaded mounts completely clean and torn...
I just did a quick search and this is exactly what happened to me...
Source: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh ... ts+torn%22
Well...I guess that screws up everything, right? Nah...we still make the best of things - so with some quick thinking and not letting it get us down, we look at things in a positive light and just are thankful that this did not happen to us when we were up in SC...or on the highway at higher speeds.
So...what shall be our new faithful chariot to M bliss? That's right...the legendary beast - the Navi.
We take EVERYTHING out of the M3 and move it over to the Navi in world record time (including my new best friend, Rocky) and I do one last check over to make sure we haven't forgotten anything...
Yep...we've got everything.
So...we are on our way, right?
Wrong...
*enter owned comments here*
That's right...on our way down the road (basically dead center between the gas station and my house) the beast runs out of gas (literally).
Yep...we walk a mile down the road to get gas...come back with some dude we met there and fill it up...and then proceed to fill it all the way up...
We figured originally that driving up would be cost effective as we'd be able to have some fun and the gas on the M3 isn't that bad (compared to this thing)...well, to give you an idea this filled it 3/4...
So...it's 4:30...and we are just leaving town...3 hours later than we had originally planned to do so...
Well...Mapquest said it was going to be about a 10 hour drive to Andy's house...damn...we're going to get there so late and it's going to suck because we'll only be able to hang out for a few minutes...
We'd have gone faster if we could have...but it's limited to 110...so that's what we did.
Needless to say, 6 and a half hours later we are pulling up to Andy's place after trading off driver 2 times...I'd say that we had a damn good average speed...considering the speed didn't change from start to "finish"...
We hang out with him for a little while...definitely a very cool guy...it was great meeting one of the guys that I idolize when it comes to where he is and what he does.
Well, we leave his place and head out for our final leg on the way up - it's said to be about a 3 hour drive...sure.
2 hours later we're checking in to our room and we pull up to two E60 tourings...:buttrock!
They take us right away and give us our itinerary and give us a quick rundown on dinner...
Finally, this is where things end for now...I've got the window...:naughty
So, do you guys have any requests or anything? Garrett and I are bored for now...so...we are open to ideas...:evil2
Ok...so this post is going to be long...as...fuck. But I am writing it so you can read
it!
Where to start...wow...two words - absolutely dick. Blown away totally...
So, the day starts normal as can be - Garrett and I wake up (in seperate beds, yes)
around 7:30 and my ass decides it'd be a good idea to just stay in bed for another 20
minutes...I get the regular wake up call from Jen and talk to her for a bit...and we
head down to the lobby to get a quick breakfast - I get some strawberries and
pineapple, a coke and some apple juice...
Anyway, we get done with breakfast and head out towards the front of the lobby - where
the rest of our M companions are waiting to board the bus which would take us to the
coolest place in the world...really.
Garrett and I stop out at the Navi to pick up my jacket and the video camera...I found
it kind of funny - with the cold air I think that the active suspension slammed it or
something - either way it looked bagged so I took a picture...:buttrock
Well, we get on the bus and we're on our way with everyone else - it's funny because in
the beginning of the day almost everyone just kept to themselves but towards the end
everyone was very friendly and I definitely met some cool people...
The hotel is about a 10 minute trip so I spend most of the time just soaking up the
scenery and I spend a good while drooling at the local roads...complete opposite of the
bullshit grid lines that we get in Florida.
Anyway, we come upon BMW's Zentrium (spelling?) museum and pass it on the highway -
later in the day we make it there and you'll see pictures further down in the post...
We get off at our exit and BMW's Performance Driving Center is short skip down the road
and we arrive to one of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen...2 big skid
pads (with sprinkler system) and about 200 (really) various ///M cars...:redspot
These are some pictures from out infront of their performance center...what a sweet
place!
So we are greeted by a few of the driving instructors and are given a few minutes to
walk around the inside of the building...a few sweet bikes were sitting around and
there was a 335 that was being delivered to a customer that day...:buttrock
Here's the lunch cafe...you'll see some pics later from lunch...so good.
So we get into the classroom...we went through a little presentation and did some quick
paperwork - waivers and such incase we die...the usual.
We also were going around introducing ourselves and we heard one guy say his name was
Jimmy - Garrett and I both look back at the same time and see an asian dude...and say
no way to eachother...but don't get your hopes up - it wasn't the real Jimmy...he did
drive a 540i, though.
After about 30 minutes of verbal instruction we see it...the (second) most beautiful
sight in the world...a ton of M5's, M6's and M Coupes waiting to be
thrashed...violently.
We then are introduced to our FOERST chariot of love...M5 number 1. :buttrock
So, we go out to the 300' skid pad and are waiting in a line - there they have 2 other
M5's waiting and ready to be driven...I didn't know when we FOERST came here that we
weren't supposed to "slide" but I guess they don't trust most of the people that just
come through with their cars...which is understandable. Anyway, after some small talk
with Paul, our instructor, he let me do a little bit of my own thing...
Here's a short video that Garrett got from inside another M5 of me out on the course
with our other instructor...you can see my goofy tan coat through the window...
You can thank Mr. You Know Who for being such a shakey bitch...
In the FOERST part that's me going around and Garrett got cold (he was in shorts and a
shirt so it's understandable) and got back in our car so that's why there isn't any
"sound" but there is sound there...
The end is just me getting out...with my ultra-cool jacket on.
Oh yeah...see if you can't pick up on the little radio contact at the end...:devillook
CLICK LINK BELOW FOR VIDEO!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 2767638232
Well, after a short break we break up into our small groups again and get into the M
Coupes...:evil2
This whole excercise was about braking and how ABS allows you to brake and steer in
panic situations...here are a few pictures from that little activity.
After that one we came back in and took another short break - we stopped back inside
and took a few quick pictures of the other classrooms they have on site...and one from
the outside...
And then...there she was...the sweetest car of the day - our M6.
M Dynamic Mode...that's gotta go...
The always necessary window sticker shot...
Anyway, we get in the M6 and we head down to section 3 of the Performance Center and
this is setup more as a hybrid road course - it's really meant for mostly 2nd gear
corner negotiation and slalom runs...
We actually run this once in the morning and then once later in the afternoon which is
then timed...
They kept stressing the point that DSC should remain on...I wonder why that
was...:devillook
Here's us following our instructor out to Section 3.
Once we got out there we saw the badass X5 course that we saw in the distance on the
way in...
We spend about 45 minutes out there and get a ton of laps...about 15.
By now it's about 12ish and we are heading back in for lunch...and of course I got
pictures for you bitches...the food was absolutely amazing - if you could think of how
BMW would do lunch...well, it was exactly like that.
Anyway, when we FOERST went into the performance center we didn't have too much time to
really explore around so during lunch we snuck off for a few minutes to really see what
was around...and we saw this!
Like I said...the food was amazing...
Here's everyone eating at lunch...
This was REALLY cool, too...
We were sitting at our table in lunch...and I look out the window and see an
Indianapolis Red M5 just sliding out on the Swedish Guitar (figure
...well, Garrett and I head outside to check it out and we decide we'd go get a closer look - it happens
to be a few of the instructors there just having a little fun and doing some
sliding...well, I walked up to Jim Clark (one of the instructors there) and introduced
myself - told him that I love drifting and all motorsports...he's just shooting back
some small talk and when they are about to leave I just ask if I could go out for a
little bit and do some sliding. He gives me a funny look at FOERST but then says, sure,
why the hell not - so I take him out for a little ride and I definitely had some
fun...here's the video that Garrett got when I was play around with Jim in the car...
VIDEO LINK!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 8272465457
After lunch we went back out to the M5's and we left with Paul to go do the hybrid
auto-x/road course. Basically it's just the road course that they have with a few
slaloms setup and a few highspeed corner entries...it's definitely a CHALLENGING
section.
We slowly worked our way around the course, with Paul constantly watching us and giving
pointers - we progressively sped up and towards the end I was pretty happy with how my
line was and with how smooth I was being - Garrett did really well, too - I definitely
think that this excercise was the most helpful for him...he improved greatly in a very
short period of time...very smooth and precise...
After the M5's we get back to the back area and jump in the M6's - we are about to head
out to go do our timed laps on Section 3...
I'm FOERST to go and I just go out and do a run at about 8/10th's...nothing too crazy or
wild...just getting the course in my head again and looking ahead...
I end up running a flat 48 seconds...I get back around to the front of the line and get
ready to go out on my second run...little do I know they decided to make turning off
the traction control grounds for a DNF...:nono
I know that my second run would have been low low 47's or 46's if I had been
clocked...but I guess him seeing me spin all the way through second and then sliding
half of the rear section at about 70mph was indicator enough that my DSC was indeed
off...:shifty
We keep hearing a few numbers over the radio and I was happy with how I did...
I ended up running a 48, DNF (really 46/47) and a 49 (with TC on
)...I'll tell you more about how I did overall later...
Once we get back we jump in the M Coupes and head off to our last activity of the
day...by this time my video camera battery had died so I didn't get any video of the
absolutely disgusting M Coupe sliding action but it was definitely a blast...
The last event was called "Rat Race" and it's basically done on the Swedish Guitar
while completely wet and the point is to try and catch the other guy but he starts on
the opposite side of the oval as you...
Well, I could have taken it seriously and tried going fast...but that requires tracking
straight and...well, that's no fun...so fuck it...just slide the bitch as much as
possible...
Our instructor at this one didn't find my antics humorous and he ended me a little
early...
I guess when the tires on the rear of the M Coupe started smoking like crazy in the wet
he thought it'd be best that I give them a little break...:rofl
Anyway...once we get back to the main building we go back in the room and are given a
short little wrap up talk and they announce the fastest times of the day...
Long story short I took FOERST out of all the groups...
We have a little cocktail reception for the next half hour and I get to talk to a bunch
of the guys that I didn't get a chance to do so with in during the day...I met a bunch
of cool guys...almost all M5 board members...:buttrock
After that they ask us if we want to go to the Zentrium...basically BMW's little
historical building...here are all of the pictures...:eyecrazy :eyecrazy
Most beautiful E30 I have ever seen period...
this car in a bad way. I am tempted to go back to the museum just to see it again. 
