Watkins Glen Track Day in 2013 BMW M5

Forum member, Christopher Hong, over at Bimmerpost just took his 2013 M5 (F10) to a two-day, BMW-run track event at famed Watkins Glen Int’l raceway in New York. He ran the long course (3.4mi) and was apparently at risk of lapping cars because the M5 is such a “beast,” as he says. Indeed. We say it goes like crap through a goose. The only changes the owner says he’d make to the car if he were doing this again, would be racing brake pads. Check out the in-car video and let us know what you think… do you track your car?

Following are his impressions:
• this car is a beast (everyone knows this). Ran in sport+ in all modes.
• I have become lazy with sport throttle. As you know, this auto-blips during upshifts and I have not used sport+ throttle on the road as there seems to be no need. I have kept my heel-toe skills with my dd (3 series wagon in MT). Transition to the M5 was no problem and response with heel-toe was no issue, and there was no lag at all with throttle blip.
• the M5 passed EVERYTHING in this group. I did not run with the crazy modded E30/E36 M3s. In a 30 minute track session, I would be lapping cars. It is freaking insane how fast this car goes. There is absolutely no match with the E46s, E90s, 550. There was a 993tt but the driver was very timid and could not accurately consider this worthy. On the straights, it was as if the other cars were standing still. This car pulls and pulls and pulls. Coming out of the esses can be WOT at about 105 and at the end of the back straight before the bus stop i was seeing 150 on the HUD speedometer. By the race chrono app i was going about 140. absolutely sick. in comparison, riding in the 535is was low 100s, and in a heavily modded E36 driven by instructors he was about 125 by his speedometer. there was just no match on these sections.
• car is heavy (obvious). i have 3k on the car now. I got a warning message that the rear brakes need replacement. I arrived with 12k remaining on the service indicator. Now the rears need replacement and the fronts have 2k remaining. I am hoping that this will be covered under ‘ultimate bmw maintenace’ (please please please!!!)
• suspension is very good. for a dual purpose car i wouldn’t change a thing.
• i really like the pss tires. they seemed very predictable and was able to recover oversteer coming out of turn 12 into the straights very reliably.
• i thought sport+ steering felt fine on the track. What i actually didn’t realize is that at low speeds sport+ feels just like comfort and then when you pick up speed it becomes progressively less in terms of assist. I thought my steering options were broken until i realized this.
• by race chrono time i did a 2:19 lap. considering my first time there, I am happy. by searching other forums, this is in-line with a c6 vette. track record in an m3 i think is low 2s and i think is fairly respectable.

Source: bimmerpost