The actual “birthday” of BMW Driver Training was in fact 22 April 1977. This was the date when drivers carried out the first training manoeuvres in a BMW 320i.

BMW was one of the first automobile manufacturers to offer customers the opportunity of optimising their know-how at the steering wheel.

Dr. Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of Management at BMW AG, commented: “Even three decades ago, the BMW Group recognised that developing sporty and dynamic automobiles wasn’t the only part of the equation. As a company keenly aware of its responsibility, our aim was also to promote driving skills on the road.”

Today, the concept of BMW Group Driving Experience covers BMW Driver Training, MINI Driver Training and BMW Motorrad Rider Training. The fleet of vehicles has increased to more than 250 cars and 100 motorcycles for all kinds of programmes and activities.

In 2006, some 1,000 events took place in Germany alone, with approximately 18,000 drivers and riders taking part.

Since 1977 more than 200,000 participants have gained superior skills in training sessions on tracks and circuits closed to the public, subsequently benefiting from these skills through their greater confidence at the wheel and extra safety in everyday traffic.

BMW Driver Training also plays an active role in Australia, giving people the chance to practice their ability to respond safely and appropriately in critical traffic situations.

Importantly, participants do not need to own a BMW to be eligible to take part – anyone with a licence can learn the valuable skills and driving techniques that will help to make everyday driving a safer experience for all road users.

“Driver training continues to be undervalued and misunderstood,” says BMW’s Australian Chief Driving Instructor, Geoff Brabham.

“At the end of the day, tyres represent only four contact points the size of your palm that separate you from the road. Modern safety systems are there to assist the driver, but cannot counteract decisions leading to ‘bad’ driving.

“BMW Driver Training sets the benchmark for improving driver awareness, driver skill and road craft. Driver training is about developing potentially life-saving skills no matter how experienced a driver you are – you never stop learning,” Mr Brabham said.

BMW Driver Training in Australia caters for all experience levels from Young Driver Training, which focuses on creating a more informed, capable and responsible young driver, right through to Fascination – the ultimate in driver training limited to two participants at a time with exclusive tuition provided by Geoff Brabham.

BMW Driver Training is conducted in a safe environment at the finest specially tailored and equipped facilities in Australia, complemented by the ambience and hospitality for which BMW are renowned.

All courses are supervised by highly trained instructors, headed by Le Mans and Bathurst winner, Geoff Brabham. The dedicated Driver Training vehicles include the latest six cylinder BMW 325i Sedans through to the exhilarating BMW M3 Coupés.

Competent instructors

The BMW Group Driving Experience has become a symbol for a wide range of driver and rider courses benefiting a whole range of participants – from the beginner all the way to the “old hand”. The BMW Group Driving Experience stands for systematic training based on the latest know-how in driving skills and research, with individual, personalised support provided by more than 120 competent instructors. They include seasoned test drivers, experienced engineers and highly knowledgeable vehicle development specialists whose technical and instructional skills are often complemented by many years of experience in motor sport. Rally legend Rauno Aaltonen from Finland was appointed the first Chief Instructor at BMW Driver Training in January 1977. Since then the team has derived continuous benefit from the experience of professional racing drivers like Marc Surer and Claudia Hürtgen.

Always ahead of time

Just like the automobiles and motorcycles produced by the BMW Group, the training programmes are also continually undergoing development. Driver assistance systems that support the driver in masterful control of the vehicles were unknown 30 years ago. Today, important functions like the anti-lock brake system (ABS) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) play a key role in the training schedule. Other fundamental features have remained unchanged throughout the last three decades.

The aim of every training activity remains to impart good theoretical understanding and appreciation of technical parameters and the physical principles underlying driving skills, to convert this theoretical knowledge into practical exercises and hence to ensure greater supremacy in handling complex driving situations at the wheel or in the saddle. How does my seating position and the way I hold the steering wheel influence my control of my car? Why do cars with front-wheel drive behave differently in dynamic situations to cars with rear-wheel drive? How does the intelligent shift of weight on a motorcycle affect my position in a bend? The participant considering questions of this kind in theory and then implementing what he or she has learnt in practice has everything it takes to recognise potential hazards in everyday traffic and to avoid or master possible risks.

Focus on people

95 percent of all accidents have a human cause. Investigations also demonstrate that everybody has been involved in an average of nine accidents during their driving career. They are involved in an accident every five years. Every driver is the cause of an accident every nine years. BMW Driver Training addresses this issue and aims to empower car drivers to optimise their own reaction in critical situations. The focus of training in these situations is always on the individual. In the interplay between safety and assistance systems, driver training programmes are always directed towards participants increasing their own safety and the level of safety of other road users. Driver Training provides a clear benefit for the individual and the community as a whole.

The Head of the BMW Group Driving Experience, Frank Isenberg, explains: “We have learnt from lots of personal letters that participants in our training sessions have been able to avoid accidents as a result of the skills they have learnt. Assuming that each participant in a driver safety training session would be involved in only one fewer accident during his or her driving career, this would represent a very tangible gain.”

Fit for the future

BMW Group Driving Experience will continue to be proactive in adopting innovations and trends in vehicle development. The latest example in this context is the BMW TrackTrainer which has been supporting participants in finding the ideal line on racing tracks since 2007. The vehicles equipped with this system first demonstrate the ideal line independently. In the next stage, participants receive feedback on their own attempts.

Apart from safety and sovereignty at the wheel, the awareness of fuel-efficient driving also plays an important role in the programme of the BMW Group Driving Experience. The BMW Group has been offering a training course in fuel-efficient driving since 1999. The basic elements of this BMW Economy Training will be integrated in all other training over the medium term. This means that the company is focusing even more intensively on the fact that up to 20 percent of fuel consumption can be influenced by driving style.

More information on BMW Driver Training courses, including prices and dates is available online at www.bmwdrivertraining.com.au.