[mullini]

Hey all thought I'd share a bit of my first BMW Ultimate Driving Experience, umm, "experience" here in So Cal, at the Santa Anita Racetrack (parking lot thereof), Sunday the 21st. It was the last day of a two week stay, as I heard it.

As an X1 owner I got the invite. I wanted my partner to come but he had to register independently and was wait listed. When we got there about 3:15 for a 3:30 appointment, the check-in dude said "Come back at 4 and see if he makes it off the wait list." So we came back about 3:55 and guess what? They were almost done going through the wait list. I'd signed up for the 2 series. They offered to put us on the wait list for the 5 but that wasn't appealing. He's the better driver, so in the end I let him take my driving spot. In the team relay at the end, he had the fastest time. Go Aki! When he went for his track test run with the driver there was no one in the 2's backseat, so I asked if I could ride as passenger, and was told, "No, you have to be registered as driver." OK...whatever.

By the time that was over things were closing down. Before the track event we did briefly test drive a 4 series. It was OK. The 6 series' vehicles - a red Gran Coupe and black convertible - seemed to have the longest waits. Oh and the i3 had to be recharged, so I guess it was going out a lot too. On display but not available for drives were the i8 and X4, and M2 (I think? pretty sure).

I'm not planning on buying another car until late 2015 at the earliest, so I didn't go to the event for the $1000 certificate. You'd have to have some pretty good timing to get that certificate in time to order a vehicle, I would figure.

I went to two different Lexus events around the new IS last year, and overall I would give the nod to Lexus in the following regards -

1) Registration for a guest was easy, at the same time as registration myself, and the guest could do the track events as well....
2) Lexus brings competitors' models - sort of a cool way to handle it (although frankly it didn't do the IS250 any favors...)
3) Lexus had better food (breakfast stuff, though...I went earlier for those).
4) The Lexus set up, including parking directions and maps sent ahead of time, was very helpful. I had to drive around the huge Santa Anita lot to find the BMW event, and the parking was tight.
5) Some - just saying "some" - of the BMW staff there were super young and maybe giddy about the event finally winding up. The young ladies doing the test drive sign-ups must have thought their giggling fits were super-cute. Maybe to some. Not to me.

But all in all it was a fun afternoon, not too hot. I should have come earlier. next time I'll know your appointment for the track drives doesn't mean you can't show up way earlier and enjoy the other stuff going on.