My baby hit the track!!!! :thumbsup:

A little more than a month now, since I got my M3....
I have owned and been surrounded by sport cars for ever....( Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari...) My uncle use to drive rally’s and my father currently owes a Ferrari 550 Maranello and use to race as well.... I am far from being a Michael Schumacher but I know what driving these kinds of cars is all about!!! Saw my dad hit a fricken wall at 210 Km/h... (No fun)....

Anyhow, I decided to see what this M3 could really do!!!! Went down to Monza with my dad.. He knew everybody down there and we were truly treated like kings! Let me explain:

We arrived at 9:00 a.m., had breakfast with all the pilots.
9:30 Theory lesson begins (they basically inform you on all the safety tips)... 11:00 we hit the track... I have to say that this is nothing like the usual track!!! I was truly scared to death to hit this track that for so many years I saw on TV with cars flying at 320km/h!!!
I did the first two laps with this professional pilot sitting next to me...It is unreal to see and feel the experience these guys have!!! :agree:
After the 2 laps they bring you back to the theory room and give you an update on everything you did right and wrong....and how to drastically improve!! Meanwhile I could hear my "crazy" dad hit the track with the Ferrari 550 Maranello (unreal!!!) he past the boxes at 305 km/h!!!

After that it's my turn again, this time I am by myself and I am suppose to follow a beat-up Alfa Romeo in front of me. At the beginning I was telling myself, this car is going to be in my way all the time!! MAN I was so wrong!!! Holly mother of an F-16!! This guy would beat the living crap out of me any time in that piece of crap of Alfa!! :nixweiss: He later told me that "his" car has 210HP!!! He knew the track sooooo well it was impossible to follow him!!! At this point I am really pushing the car!! Boxes pass-buy at 230 KM/H !!!!! What a rush!!! and what an amazing car the M3 is!! :thumbsup:
The guy in front of me had taped the 3 laps, later you watch the movie with him...and once again a little theory...

It is now 2 p.m. , and after an amazing lunch, we are ready!!!!

My dad and I pull on the start lane!!!! He is in his gorgeous Ferrari and I am in my baby!!!

We are connected by microphones in our helmets with our respective "teachers"... AND GO!!!!
I almost loose control at departure!!!!! :rofl2: My dad fricken flies off!!! He is totally crazy!!

Anyhow, after one lap I was so happy!! I felt the lap I had done was F1 style!! My "teacher" calls me on the micro and tells me: that was terrible!!!??

He says: now we drive together!! So I take off!!, at the second curve he tells me: you took this curve on the prior lap at 98km/h, I want you to take it now at 140!! I tell myself here we go!! I am dead!! :peace: Well useless to say it was a piece of cake!!! I never felt so confident in a car!!!! These guys can you teach you sooooooooo much!!!! and this is where you realize that no matter how fast or aggressively you drive your car, you usually drive it at 60-65% of its true performance!!!! Well, I was coming to the boxes at 247km/h !!!! And who I see? My dad passes me at 320!! LOL!

Anyhow, enough said!! Just wanted to share one of the best days of my life with you guys!!!! and now jump in your cars and hit the track!!!!!!!!!!!!

:beer:

sounds like fun

Your first sentence made me think you 'HIT' the track.

That's sounds awesome. Did you get to drive the Ferrari at 60-65% at least?

WOW what an awesome opportunity to run Monza, sounds like you had a great time, with some very good instruction. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. :thumbsup: Track days are all about reminding you of just how good your car is, and how much the guy driving is most often the limiting factor in making it do so!
When given the option to run solo, or with an instructor, I think it is very advantageous to drive with the instructor, as he is so instrumental in enabling you to improve with his observations and suggestions. Just keep an open mind, and try to learn and apply as much you can. You'll be surprised how much this will help you with your street driving too. :beer:

sounds like fun

It was an absolute blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW what an awesome opportunity to run Monza, sounds like you had a great time, with some very good instruction. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. :thumbsup: Track days are all about reminding you of just how good your car is, and how much the guy driving is most often the limiting factor in making it do so!
When given the option to run solo, or with an instructor, I think it is very advantageous to drive with the instructor, as he is so instrumental in enabling you to improve with his observations and suggestions. Just keep an open mind, and try to learn and apply as much you can. You'll be surprised how much this will help you with your street driving too. :beer:

Couldn't agree more with you!!! These guys really know what they are doing!!! They have so much experience to share !

Couldn't agree more with you!!! These guys really know what they are doing!!! They have so much experience to share !

Sounds like your Dad knows a thing or 2 also! That is great that you have something like this to experience together. You'll remember it all your life.

awesome story. very good read :thumbsup:

Sounds like an awesome day... kinda breaks it all when you see the Ferrari pass ya eh ;)
You should have taken pics of you and your dad's car on/near the track!!! would have made us even more envious!

Sounds like a really good time :thumbsup:

Nice!!! Makes me want to get on the track now, but I'm back on 19th of February with the Porsche BMW Owners Club. I'm already counting down.

sounds like a blast!. great story to read.
Mike

Good stuff.. I hope to get to the Nurburgring before I ship my car back to the states, hopefully I can get through break-in period before then..

Great story! Did you say you took lots of pictures and even made a video? Or did my brain just make that up to make me happy?

What color car do you have? I saw a couple of M3's in Lugano in late October.

that's a great story! got me excited reading it... it's so great that you and your dad share the same passions, especially being cars.

Thanks for the writeup, great stuff.
Adam.

Very nice story, did you take any pics ?

That would be so much fun. Glad you had a great time.

Mr. Mendoan. That's an awesome pic in your sig :thumbsup:

The best satellite radio along with the best car on the road :D Doesn't get any better.

Sounds like a ton of fun Alex. Show us the video if you can.

Thanks idz!
I am using XM though :beer:

Mr. Mendoan. That's an awesome pic in your sig :thumbsup:

The best satellite radio along with the best car on the road :D Doesn't get any better.

Thanks idz!
I am using XM though :beer:
youuuuuuuu son of a *****! But I know you're switching to Sirius once Howard goes on in 2006 :beer:

Thanks for your kind words guys!!!!

It was really a blast!!! And yes I do know I am really lucky to have a dad who is as well my best friend..!!!

As far as pics go....I swear to God I had my damn camera with me all the time, but I guess the adrenaline, the rush and everything, made it so that I didn't think, not even for a sec, to take a picture! LOL

But I promise I will post pics of my car and my father's Ferrari ASAP !!!

They are sending me the video really soon!!! If I am able I will put it on the forum !!!! Someone asked the color of my car..It is gray metallic, lowered etc...

Be safe!!

Alex

Yep,that must have been you that I saw. If I had know you were on the forum, I would have said hi.