BMW is bringing back its popular BMW Ultimate Driving Experience to six cities for 2017, and the fun starts next week in the New York City/New Jersey metro area. Participants will be able to experience the full BMW lineup and compete in the "Ultimate Driver" contest, while teens may take a version of the teen-driving course taught at the BMW Performance Centers in South Carolina and California.
The first stop on the 2017 BMW Ultimate Driving Experience will be MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey from April 13 to 23. Following that event, the BMW Ultimate Driving Experience will jump to the West coast and then work its way back across the United States with the following stops:
May 11–21 at Santa Anita Park in Los Angeles, CA
August 11–17 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA
September 2–10 at Lone Star Park in Dallas, TX
October 14–22 at Arlington Park in Chicago, IL
November 2–22 at Citi Field in New York City, NY
Vehicles available to drive will represent a full range of BMWs including the new 5 Series Sedan as well as BMW i and iPerformance models and BMW M and M Performance vehicles. Test drives will be 20 minutes long and self-guided. There will be no charge for the street drives.
“The Ultimate Driving Experience gives drivers from across the country the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a BMW and experience firsthand why our brand is at the top of its class,” said Trudy Hardy, Vice President of Marketing for BMW of North America. She continued, “Further, drivers participating in the teen driving school, autocross, or M control clinic will develop their own skills, gaining experience and confidence while learning under the guidance of our BMW Performance Center instructors.”
Driving the new 5 Series Sedan, participants may attend a two-hour autocross program, in which drivers are paired with professional BMW instructors to experience advanced driving theories, defensive driving techniques, and a timed hot lap.
For a more in-depth experience, there is the eight-hour M Car Control Clinic using the BMW M3 or M4, again with professional BMW instructors. Unlike the autocross course, which is free, the M school will cost $750 per person. There will also be a hot timed lap for each driver at the end of the day.
A Teen Driving Schools will be held at each location, providing two-hour, interactive safe-driving courses in the BMW X1 and BMW 230i. This will be an introduction to driving theory and improving driving skills through classroom instruction, driver awareness activities, and hands-on driving exercises. Preventing distracted driving will be a main focus. Teen drivers ages 15–20 with a valid learner's permit or driver's license may register for the school.
New for the 2017 BMW Ultimate Driving Experience is the “Ultimate Driver” competition for drivers participating in the Autocross and M Car Control Clinics at each location. At the end of their instructional sessions, all drivers will get a hot timed lap. The top drivers from each Ultimate Driving Experience stop will move on to the session finals to compete in an exciting event at the BMW Performance Center West track in Thermal, CA. The winner will be named The Ultimate Driver.
To get more information or to register for the 2017 BMW Ultimate Driving Experience, go to the web site at http://bmwusa.com/ude. You may also call (800) 558-4269. Don't wait to sign up. Slots at these events go fast.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
