derBayerische November December 2022 - 9

N C C ' S S U M M E R H P D E - T E C H , T O R Q U E , A N D T R A C T I O N
meats and signature mac-andcheese.
The two lines forming outside
the entrance were long enough
for your " cold one " to become a true
German in all its room-temperature
glory. If you're lucky, your buddy
down the line might bring you a second.
After dinner we proceed to the
neighboring room's conference table
for door prize goodies and memoirs
of the day, shenanigans included.
This was a good revisitation of the lot
and made for a fun close to the day.
Plenty of time and chats go by.
Excellent outcome, back to the hotel.
This Given Sunday makes
Saturday's humidity look miniscule.
The one advantage to the weather
was the addition of cloud coverage
to block much of the sun. A few
additional faces and machines
emerge for more exercises and
activities. My class goes a little more
smoothly this time. I thank one of the
instructors for providing me with his
laptop for my presentation over the
weekend. BMW's iPad didn't get
along with the HDMI cable without a
wall power source, so this was pure
luck we were able to pull it off.
I exit class and make a beeline
to Bill's for a much-needed ice cream
fix. While I'm at it I might as well eat
lunch (home life doesn't permit that
sequence often). A few people stop
by for a chat at the picnic table. We
discuss some more M-tech intricacies
of the aforementioned classroom
topic. Just when I'm starting to
relax, another instructor flags me
down for the skidpad. " We're a bit
short, wanna help out? " " If you have
to ask, " I chuckle. " Oh it's group-A!
This'll be fun. " First car is an E46 3
Series...something on Hoosier R7's,
no less. A quick call to Control for
three minutes of water and we're out.
This student is very at-home on the
'pad. I was so comfortable I almost
considered whether or not I'd be able
to get in a quick nap in on the third
lap. " You doing ok? You haven't
said anything. Am I doing well? " , he
asks. " Buddy, you're fine. Wake me
up when they call us in. " I hunted for
aspects to critique but there wasn't
November I December
■ Organizers and instructors lend a hand at the registration table.
much. We both get in a laugh when
he finally loses it (but again
retrieves) the inside line and another
full lap later it's time to exit. I would
do this for another five cars. These
were some of the best conversations
I had all day, many of them mid-skid.
Take note, retirement plan.
At the tail end of the day, the
sprinklers are shut off for the last
time. It mattered little though, as the
clouds decided to open up just shy
of our 5:00 p.m. stop time. The track
goes cold and trailer ramps begin
coming down. I shake a couple
dozen hands and exchange the seeyou-in-September's.
I stuck around
with the instructors to exchange our
car stories of how over the years we
met the law, almost died X-times, hit
the guardrail going that fast and all
the trimmings. Some of our stories
were hilarious. Few of them were
publicly appropriate, which was
awesome! I get a few helping hands
in removing the banner from its post.
A few phone calls to home base to let
them know all went well and I fire up
the M6's S63 'eight with one last
angry " yowl!! " in the paddock. I
realize I'm the last one there. After
exiting the park (and the ridiculously
slow-opening rear gate), I catch up
to one of the instructors en route to
home. He exits several miles later
with a quick wave and I return the
same. I realize how much I miss my
track days in the mid 2000's, the
days where SCCA took all your
money and you were actually fine
with it (ok, not really). The passion
for putting our Bavarian rocket ships
through their paces while trying not
to die is very much alive and well
here. Moreover, so are the people
and the experiences. I actually
wondered if anyone I know would
enjoy my writing. Then I realized I
can just take refuge behind it being
my first article.
There's my exit ramp to Rt. 28
South. Turns out Sport Plus has a
purpose after all.
Many thanks to the sponsors
of this NCC HPDE: Radial Tire/
Michelin, Game Truck, OG Racing,
RRT Racing, and Tier Car Care.
Darren Andre is the Head Product Specialist at BMW of Fairfax and leading
Product Specialist at BMW USA. He has organized and directed numerous
motorsports events and driving clinics. He holds a BMW Motorsport certification,
BMW Genius certificate, and SCCA Competition license as well as
numerous ASE certifications. He has also instructed driving in BMW Club
SOS and competed for JM Racing in Mod 4A, B, TA, R/A-X, SM, D-SP and
EP1 E36 and E46. Additionally, Darren is the founding member of Activated
Mobile Solutions LLC and its subsidiaries: Telescope Task Manager and
Webzite Web Services.
■ The 2018 BMW M6 Gran Coupe parked under the deck at the Shenandoah
Circuit with the BMW of Fairfax banner in back.
9
https://www.radialtirecompany.com/ https://www.ogracing.com/ https://www.michelinman.com/ https://www.gametruckparty.com/ https://www.rrtautomotive.com/ https://www.facebook.com/tiercarcare/ https://www.bmwoffairfax.com/ https://www.bmwusa.com/ https://www.bmwoffairfax.com/ https://www.bmwoffairfax.com/
derBayerische November December 2022

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