Zero to hero, BMW style

Best upgrade for your M car? Improving the nut that holds the wheel...

Optioning up a new car isn't as easy as it once was. Whether or not you go for heated seats, fancier nav or colour-matched seatbelts isn't too difficult - simply choose according to need, budget and taste. But when it comes to performance upgrades it's a little more difficult - is the active suspension better than the passive 'sports' set-up? Is it worth paying extra for that fancy diff? Will my car live up to the marketing promise without ticking the box and paying extra for the optional performance package?

When your classroom is a pit garage...

From ceramic brakes to double-clutch gearboxes these options cost serious money and can have a big impact on the way the car drives. But there's one option few consider investing in when pondering these choices - the driver.

More and more manufacturers of performance cars are catering to this need though, the range and depth of the various factory-backed driving courses you can now attend increasing in their scope. We've already tried a couple from AMG on both ice and circuit. No surprise to hear BMW offers a similar array of customer events, ranging from half-day Compact Basic Training for £165 to 11-day treks across Namibia in X5s for £4,255. Whether you want a structured course of tuition or just a really cool holiday (at a cost) there's everything up to and including the Security Intensive Training For Professionals, which promises to teach the participants how to "identify rescue and escape routes ... carry out fast lane changes and swerve to avoid obstacles". Surely a must for any regular user of the M25.

...you know it's a good day at school!

For those wanting to improve their track ability there is BMW's M Intensive Training, the first rung on a ladder which goes on to include M Perfection Training and the peculiarly named M Fascination Training. The course starts from £1,020 and includes an overnight stay at one of a selection of Europe's foremost tracks, a theory class and a full day of track time. As PH's nominated track rookie I headed over to Bilster Berg Race Resort to experience it for myself.

Back to school
The course begins with an evening 'Theory of Driving Dynamics' class, covering stuff that really ought to be included in a standard driving test but isn't. From the critical importance of the correct seat and steering adjustment to the physics behind proper braking and steering - neatly illustrated by the friction circle, a diagram all new drivers should be familiarised with. The hour-long session has the same goal as the track time the following day, namely to give drivers the knowledge to identify the ideal line and the technical ability to stick to it.

'Like driving on a lake...' Oh, hang on.

Dinner gave me the chance to chat with the Germans who, between them, make up my fellow attendees. The majority have their place on the course as part of their purchase of an M car, and all are keen to improve their driving ability to get the most out of it.

Designed by Hermann Tilke - with input from a certain Walter Rohrl - Bilster Berg only opened in 2013, having been built on the site of a former British Army ammunition dump. As if this didn't provide enough incentive to keep it on the black stuff the clear Nordschleife influence in the 44 crests and dips - and minimal room for error - certainly keeps you on your toes. The most challenging corner, the 'Mausefalle', is a swooping left-hander with a 26 per cent downhill gradient flowing into a steep uphill right with an incline of 21 per cent.

Tool for the job is a BMW M4, a car we're certainly familiar with after running one on the PH Fleet and handful enough without weather conditions best described as challenging. Snow on arrival is followed by rain, sleet and hail which, despite brief periods of sunshine, renders the track cold and slick, with no grip whatsoever.

Bilster Berg intimidating on a good day!

Theory test
The morning sees us undertake a series of drills aimed at improving car control and driving confidence. Timed slaloms, skidpan handling sessions and emergency braking exercises help familiarise us with the conditions and prepare us for the post-lunch track time. And opportunity to put all of it together.

With instructors leading us out and communicating via radio from their M3s, we set off in groups of five. First lapping the relatively straightforward 1.8 km Western circuit, then the trickier 2.4km Eastern loop, and finally the circuit in its entirety. The morning's experience stands us in good stead and, with the instructor's notes in mind, by the end of the day my confidence is reflected in cornering speeds and a new-found sense of control.

Better spent on this than contrast stitching

It isn't until we are back in the pits I realise just how draining the concentration has been. Talking with the other drivers, even those much more experienced than myself, it seems everyone has come out of the training with uprated skills while the instructors seem satisfied they are sending us back out into the world more able and - crucially - safer than we were before.

The dilemma about whether or not you'll get your money's worth from those expensive ceramic brakes or performance suspension will continue. But it's clear if you want your new car to really go faster the one area worth spending money on is you. Whether that's through manufacturer-backed courses like this or one-on-one training with a track day instructor you'll get way more back than you would by speccing the fancy leather or extended carbon trim. Unlike those other options it's one upgrade that's transferrable to your next car and the one beyond that too.

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V8RX7

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