M4: Paid Itself Off In A Single Day

[FTS]

All my cars during past 15-20 years have been for me; stick shift, performance oriented, relatively loud, highly modified (until getting into the Porsches), and there was never a need to share them with the family. Autox, track, time trials, etc., everything was geared towards me having fun. Hey, I deserved it. (Wrong!)

Once the GT3 was totaled and I started looking into the newer Porsches, specifically Cayman GTS, GT4 and GT3, something hit me; I thought the rest of the family, particularly my son, should also enjoy the next car too.

I had my son start karting when he was 8, after he did a school he participated in a short indoor championship and came in 3rd. He was so upset with 3rd place that he never got back into a kart again. Although he is always curious about my cars, he never showed interest again to actually having fun with them.

Fast forward 13 years and we got the M4 with DCT, reasonable power, nothing really scary and something he can handle if he learns to respect it. Without telling him I signed him up for BMWCCA's local chapter NCC and for his first autox school.

He has been in spring break, so he gets up at 4 pm, fools around the house until 6, gets out with friends until 10 or so, then plays games until 6 am; I guess typical youngster. So the idea of getting up at 6:30 am today to a rain soaked morning was not appealing to him at all, he kept asking me if it was canceled. Well we made it to the event with his face down making sure everyone knew he did not want to be there.

Here is his short video that I had to share, because truthfully the M4 made this happen:

On our way back he started talking about 'us' going to autoxes together. I could not have imagined; us together?!?! He never wants to do anything with us, the parents, now "us together?!"

This has been a very special day for this dad

Next weekend we will be at Summit Point for his first HPDE, together!

[Merli]

Fantastic!!!

I don't have children yet, but I absolutely see working on cars, and taking our cars to the racetrack as a big part of our future relationship, which will hopefully transcend that difficult "sullen teenager" period...

[CanAutM3]

Great story , thanks for sharing

I am looking forward to the days when my kids are old enough to do that with them. Further, there is no better way to make them safer drivers.

[FTS]

Thank you very much, I wish you the same experience someday, it is truly 'priceless.'

Btw, they published the timing results today, and his best time would have put him in 3rd place (again, lol) if he hadn't hit a cone, he ended up 10th, but he does not seem discouraged at all this time, I guess he is growing up

Interesting to note too that his best time was with MDM on, when I turned all nannies off, he spun one time and the last two runs he ran 2 secs and 3 secs slower.

[m3pilot]

That's awesome! I look forward to that day myself.

[RocketBoots]

Thanks for sharing a great story! That's no small feat, to get a college kid to WANT to hang out with his family! BMW ///M, bringing families together

[03///m3]

That's a great story. I hope to share my racing enthusiasm with my son when he's old enough. I also plan on offering him the chance to go karting when he is old enough. No better place to learn than karting IMO.

[adc]

Hah, nice story and it gives me hope. My 11 yo son had a minor accident karting last year and he has been a little more cautious driving karts since.

Just this past weekend I was talking him in the car, discussing options for our Welt pickup this June. Then he asked if I would consider lending him the new M3 for his driving test.

I told him that yes, absolutely, he has a date 5 years from now.

[gthal]

Great story! Can't wait to get my two boys into this in a few years.

[FTS]

Thank you all, I sincerely wish you the day you can experience the feeling, indescribable.

Today my son comes back and we have this conversation, and trust me I am not even paraphrasing :

Son: "you know, I have been driving over and over in the bed in my head every lap, and I keep feeling the car, the turns... I cannot get it out from my head; is that normal?"

Me: grinning, "yes, it is normal, the effects last few days after any event."

Son: "This is amazing fun!"

Me: "Why do you think I am so addicted to the track?"

Son: "By the way, playing the laps in my head I figured out why I could not do the last very tight turn well."

Me: "Oh, tell me"

Son: "As I came off the right-hand bend (third to last turn) I kept looking and focusing on the next left-hand turn, and I have clear images of all the turn in my head, but I don't have a clear image of that last turn. I don't think I was looking ahead enough."

Me: eyes wide open and some what speechless, I thought "he gets it!"

[sebaflex]

Awesome story!

[JoeFromPA]

Originally Posted by FTS

Thank you all, I sincerely wish you the day you can experience the feeling, indescribable.

Today my son comes back and we have this conversation, and trust me I am not even paraphrasing :

Son: "you know, I have been driving over and over in the bed in my head every lap, and I keep feeling the car, the turns... I cannot get it out from my head; is that normal?"

Me: grinning, "yes, it is normal, the effects last few days after any event."

Son: "This is amazing fun!"

Me: "Why do you think I am so addicted to the track?"

Son: "By the way, playing the laps in my head I figured out why I could not do the last very tight turn well."

Me: "Oh, tell me"

Son: "As I came off the right-hand bend (third to last turn) I kept looking and focusing on the next left-hand turn, and I have clear images of all the turn in my head, but I don't have a clear image of that last turn. I don't think I was looking ahead enough."

Me: eyes wide open and some what speechless, I thought "he gets it!"

Bringing tears to my eyes my man

[FTS]

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

Bringing tears to my eyes my man

Hahaha, you telling me!