An electrifying start to the BMWDriving Experience season 2023 atBMW Italy. The BMW i4 M50 makes its track debut and the all-new BMW iX1 joins the fleet. From 29 March, appointments with safe driving courses resume+++ SpecialMente courses for people with disabilities confirmed again this year +++ The school’s range is electrified with the entry of the BMW i4 M50, the BMW i4 edrive40 and the brand new BMW iX1 into the fleet.
The 2023 season of the BMW Driving Experience makes its debut on 29 March at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The calendar features several appointments to learn correct driving techniques and improve one’s skills at the wheel. These meeting days will also be an opportunity to experience the pleasure of driving the new BMW products, experimenting new technologies and the world of electric mobility. The collaboration with the professional instructors of GuidarePilotare continues, who will advise participants on techniques for experiencing the full potential of BMW cars, exploiting their agility in total safety. In addition to the theory sessions, participants will be able to try their hand at practical sessions at the Vallelunga, Monza and Misano circuits. “Thanks to the BMW Driving Experience over the course of 2022, 2,105 driving courses have been delivered, demonstrating BMW’s commitment to road safety, which does not end with the design of cutting-edge cars but continues with driver training,” said Massimiliano Di Silvestre, Chairman and CEO BMW Italy. “In fact, the courses offered by BMW aim to transmit responsible driving behaviour to drivers and offer them the necessary preparation to deal effectively with emergency situations.”
BMW Italia has been promoting the importance of road safety for years by offering both the right technologies and driving training and practice. Since 2006 the BMW dealer network has been offering free Driving Courses to its customers. The Product Experience programme lasts approximately 4.5 hours, with the possibility of registering for the 8.15 a.m. shift ending at 1 p.m. or the next shift at 1.15 p.m. ending at 6 p.m. Each day there are 100 participants, divided into two shifts of 50 for a total of 600 participants per year. In addition to the Safe Driving courses available to BMW Dealers, there will be the possibility of purchasing additional courses for private and corporate customers specific to safe driving, sports driving, drifting and competition driving from BMW Driving Experience. Also this year, customers who have purchased the optional M Driver Package, which includes unlocking the car’s top speed and a full-day course at an international racetrack, have the opportunity to access the M Driver course at the Misano racetrack.
The calendar of M Driver courses, with a maximum capacity of 40 people per day, for 2023 is as follows:
1st Course: 13 June 2023 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
2nd Course: 15 June 2023 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
3rd Course: 21 September 2023 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
4th Course: 22 September 2023 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The car park offers more than 20 BMW M cars.
Following the theory lesson in the classroom, the course includes the following on-track exercises:
- Power oversteering / Drifting exercise
- Exercise in cornering
- Timed slalom
- Double lane change with braking
- Ideal sector trajectories on international track
- Fast laps on international track
The SpecialMente guest programme at the BMW Driving Experience
Thanks to the success and participation of previous editions, BMW Italy’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, SpecialMente, will continue to include driving courses for people with disabilities in the 2023 season.
“We are pleased to confirm also for 2023 the SpecialMente project dedicated to people with motor disabilities, this project aims to break down social and physical barriers, allowing everyone access to BMW Driving Experience courses and the pleasure of driving BMW cars. Since 2017, some 258 courses have been delivered within the SpecialMente programme,’ said Massimiliano Di Silvestre, President and CEO BMW Italy. At each track stage of the BMW Driving Experience, up to four seats are available for people with disabilities, perfectly integrated into the course structure. The BMW 128ti dedicated to SpecialMente participants is equipped with electronically controlled driving devices produced by Guidosimplex (www.guidosimplex.it), one of the largest European companies in the sector of design and production of aids that enable people with reduced motor skills to drive, access the car, transport and overcome architectural barriers. The SpecialMente car is equipped with an automatic gearbox, a hand-operated service brake lever device that allows the brake pedal to be operated with the use of the upper limbs only, and an electronic hoop-operated accelerator that allows the accelerator control to be operated by means of a hoop above the steering wheel.
BMW Driving Experience car park 2023
The BMW Driving Experience 2023 car fleet will consist of a total of 19 BMW, BMW M and BMW i cars represented by the following models: BMW M4 Competition (2 cars), M3 Competition (2 cars), New BMW M2 (2 cars by the end of the year), 220d (4 cars), M240i xDrive (2 cars), 128ti (1 car, set up for SpecialMente courses), 2 Series Active Tourer 225e xDrive (1 car), i4 M50 (2 cars), i4 edrive40 (2 cars) and the new BMW iX1 xDrive30. All BMW Driving Experience cars are equipped with Full HD Video Telemetry with data acquisition from GPS and OBD with recording on the student’s SD card.
The Calendar of Advanced Safe Driving Courses available to the BMW network
The BMW Driving Experience 2023 will follow the following calendar:
| 29 March | Misano Adriatico (RN) – Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli |
| 30th March | Misano Adriatico (RN) – Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli |
| 20th June | Vallelunga (RM) – Vallelunga Piero Taruffi Racetrack |
| 21st June | Vallelunga (RM) – Vallelunga Piero Taruffi Racetrack |
| 18th October | Monza (MB) – Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
| 19th October | Monza (MB) – Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
| october 20th | Monza (MB) – Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of premium cars and motorbikes and also offers premium mobility and financial services. The BMW Group comprises more than 30 production and assembly facilities worldwide and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries. In 2022, the BMW Group sold more than 2.4 million cars and over 202,000 motorbikes worldwide. Pre-tax profit in the financial year 2022 was EUR 23.5 billion with revenues of EUR 142.6 billion. As at 31 December 2022, the BMW Group had a workforce of 149,475 employees. The success of the BMW Group has always been based on a long-term vision and responsible action. The company has set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently places sustainability and the conservation of resources at the heart of its strategic orientation, from the supply chain through production to the end-of-use phase of all products BMW Group Italy has been present in our country for more than 50 years and today boasts four companies employing 850 people. The Italian branch is one of the BMW Group’s six main markets worldwide for the sale of cars and motorbikes. bmw.it
