Beneath the blazing Abu Dhabi solar,the BMW M5 was howling down the lengthy straights of Yas Marina Circuit, its twin-turbocharged V8 hurling over 700 horsepower towards the horizon, warmth shimmering off the asphalt. The brakes—huge M Carbon Ceramics—bit down onerous as I approached the tight left-hander, scrubbing off pace earlier than diving in, feeling the all-wheel drive system working its magic to maintain every part in test. Then, throttle again on—prompt torque, prompt acceleration, the type of relentless energy that shoves you into the seat and leaves little question that BMW M’s newest tremendous sedan has entered a brand new period of efficiency.
The North Loop of Yas Marina, the place I used to be wringing the M5 out, is constructed for pace. Its broad, sweeping corners and lengthy straights are a playground for high-horsepower monsters, making it the right place to stretch the legs of each the M5 Sedan and its much more area of interest counterpart, the M5 Touring. A heavy wagon that does 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds? That is the type of insanity solely BMW M might justify.
Then got here the South Loop, a completely completely different beast. Tighter, extra technical, the place finesse issues simply as a lot as brute power. This was the place I swapped into BMW’s smaller, sharper machines: the M2, M3 Touring, and M4 Coupe.
The M2 was an absolute riot, a playful, rear-wheel-drive troublemaker that begged to go sideways at each nook. The M3 Touring felt like the right steadiness—a automobile that might deal with a household street journey by day and chase lap information by night time. After which there was the M4, an aggressive, high-strung machine that danced between grip and energy, a automobile that made me really feel like a correct racing driver once I obtained issues proper, and an entire newbie once I obtained issues incorrect.
Blasting via Yas Marina’s chicanes, beneath the watchful eyes of spectators sipping cocktails on the W Resort terrace, was surreal. This wasn’t simply any monitor day—this was the BMW M Expertise, a €5,490, invite-only competition of pace, the place high-performance machines, luxurious, and adrenaline tourism collide.
However how did I get to Yas Marina Circuit within the first place? And what precisely is the BMW M Expertise?
A Chauffeured Journey to Motorsport Heaven
It began at Dubai Worldwide Airport, the place a chauffeur-driven BMW 7 Collection was ready to whisk me away in easy consolation. The hour-long drive to Abu Dhabi was an expertise in itself—slipping into the plush seats, the world exterior speeding by in close to silence, displaying its magnificence beneath the lights. The vacation spot? The W Resort Yas Marina, a five-star architectural assertion that actually overlooks the System 1 circuit. That is the place I’d be staying for the BMW M Expertise—and the place I’d quickly discover out that the occasion was about much more than simply driving quick automobiles.
The BMW M Clubhouse: The place Motorsport Meets Luxurious
The primary cease was the BMW M Clubhouse, a lounge constructed to have fun all issues M. Inside, the BMW XM Label—a 748-horsepower hybrid SUV —sat menacingly in a surprising BMW Particular person colour, flanked by a BMW M4 GT4 race automobile and partitions lined with BMW Motorsport memorabilia. Classic racing posters, helmets from legendary BMW drivers, memorabilia of M automobiles on monitor—this show was paying tribute to BMW’s racing heritage.
After which there was the BMW life-style assortment, an array of high-end M-branded attire and equipment, good for many who wished to take a chunk of the expertise dwelling. Attendees—a mixture of BMW homeowners, high clients, and model insiders from all over the world—relaxed over espresso, discussing their dream M automobiles and previous monitor day tales. It was a spot to decompress earlier than the motion, but in addition to soak within the historical past and way forward for the M model.
Because the solar set, the Clubhouse reworked into one thing else totally: the M Night time Membership. What had been a laid-back gathering spot was a neon-lit, high-energy celebration of pace, sound, and spectacle—as a result of why ought to M automobiles have all of the enjoyable?
A Stroll By way of M Historical past: The Final M5 Lineup
Proper subsequent door was the actual deal with for BMW purists: a BMW M5 exhibition that introduced collectively each technology of the world’s most iconic tremendous sedan. There was a E28 M5, the unique tremendous sedan that put BMW M on the map. The E34 M5, a followers’ favourite from the golden period of analog driving. The E39 M5, usually referred to as the best sports activities sedan of all time. The E60 M5, fitted with a System 1-derived V10 that screamed to eight,250 RPM. The F10 and F90, every including turbocharged energy to the combination, earlier than arriving on the new G90/G99 M5, BMW’s strongest M5 but.
For anybody who’s ever obsessed over the M5’s evolution, this was heaven.
Drag Racing the BMW XM: 738 Horsepower of Fury
The subsequent morning, after pushing a number of M automobiles to their limits on the circuit, we moved to Yas Marina’s devoted drag strip. The problem? Launch the BMW XM Label and see simply how briskly a 2.7-tonne SUV can actually be.
Spoiler alert: it’s quick. Ridiculously quick.
Participating Launch Management, the XM Label squatted down, its hybrid system delivering an prompt electrical increase earlier than the V8 thundered to life, launching us down the strip in low 11 seconds. It was a weird, exhilarating expertise—like getting shot out of a cannon, however in a luxurious SUV with ventilated seats.
Simply above the drag strip, BMW had arrange the M Combined Actuality Lounge, the place we might bounce right into a sim racing setup utilizing the identical Fanatec steering wheels present in BMW M4 GT3 race automobiles. The proper option to calm down earlier than the following spherical of insanity.
Lunch with a View
The distinction between the high-speed monitor session and the laid-back luxurious of the afternoon was placing. After the morning’s adrenaline-fueled driving, BMW had organized a boat experience throughout Abu Dhabi’s turquoise waters—an opportunity to sluggish issues down and take within the metropolis’s placing skyline from a brand new perspective. It was a reminder that the BMW M Expertise was as a lot about neighborhood and life-style because it was about uncooked efficiency.
Combined Actuality Driving
Then got here BMW M Combined Actuality, an idea that merges actual driving with digital racing. Strapping right into a BMW M4, I used to be handed a VR headset, and immediately, the Yas Marina Circuit was reworked right into a digital playground. The catch? I used to be nonetheless truly driving—each motion, each acceleration, each brake enter was taking place in the actual world, however visually, I used to be racing in a gamified universe. Much more spectacular was the multiplayer mode, permitting me to go wheel-to-wheel in opposition to digital opponents whereas nonetheless bodily following the actual monitor.
It nonetheless is a mind-blowing expertise, and above all, it was essentially the most futuristic Combined Actuality expertise I’ve ever had since BMW confirmed it to me in 2022.
Dinner on the Pit Lane: The Final Ship-Off
After a full-throttle day, BMW wrapped issues up in model: a personal dinner proper on the Yas Marina pit lane. To kick off the night time, a BMW M8 Competitors Security Automobile tore down the straight, its V8 soundtrack echoing off the pit partitions, a remaining reminder of what M automobiles are all about. And simply once I thought the surprises had been over, Chris Forehead, the face of BMW YouTube movies for 20 years, took the stage—not for an M automobile demo, however to rap an Eminem monitor in entrance of the group.
A wild, unforgettable ending to an expertise that was as a lot about ardour because it was about pace. Would I do it once more? In a heartbeat. Would I like to recommend bringing your chequebook? Possibly depart that at dwelling—as a result of after this, the temptation to purchase an M automobile is nearly not possible to withstand.
