I’m sure like many BMW enthusiasts, especially those in the U.S. and the U.K., I’ve long been aware of DTM, the German Touring Car racing series. It’s a motorsport that BMW has been affiliated with since before it even had an M Division, so there’s a long history between the two and DTM is hugely important to BMW. However, like many American and British enthusiasts, I wasn’t fully immersed in the world of DTM, knew little about its rules, and rarely, if ever, watched a race. But that all changed just a few days ago.
DTM, like all motorsport series’, wants a bigger, broader audience than it currently has. So, ahead of its recent weekend at the Red Bull Ring, the organizers of DTM decided to bring along new members of the media, journalists, and influencers to fully experience the DTM championship. So BMW flew me out to Munich in the lap of luxury, handed me the keys to a BMW M4 Competition xDrive, and sent me on my way. I’d never been to Europe before, so driving through Germany, into Austria, was a very new experience, as you might imagine. However, it was a great experience and one that left me in awe of the country itself and appreciative of the DTM racing series.
My day on Thursday started in Garching, the home of BMW’s M Division and my hotel. Having never been to Germany, I didn’t know what to expect, so I certainly didn’t expect Garching to be a sleepy, quiet town, especially considering it’s the home to many businesses and located so close to Munich.
When I arrived at BMW M, I was greeted kindly and escorted to a room that can only be described as the garage of a Bond villain’s lair. Concrete walls, mood lighting, and two rows of Individual-painted M cars made it seem like I’d snuck into the base of a monocle-clad megalomaniac. Then, I was handed the keys to a bright green M4 Competition xDrive, given a toll pass for the Austrian border, an M engineer politely switched the iDrive to english for me, and I was on my way.
Having…
