After a six-hour flight from Tokyo, I landed in Chengdu — the capital of Sichuan province and residential to greater than 20 million folks. It’s a metropolis that doesn’t rush to impress you. Life right here strikes slower. The streets are stuffed with teahouses, the scent of hotpot is all over the place, and other people play mahjong properly previous midnight. In comparison with Beijing or Shanghai, Chengdu feels relaxed — cheaper to stay in, simpler to breathe in.
That’s in all probability why BMW M selected it for what’s develop into one of many greatest M Festivals on the planet. Town’s power suits the model’s persona — passionate however laid-back, proud however by no means too severe.
I got here right here as a visitor of BMW M, becoming a member of Frank van Meel, the M CEO, and a crowd of lovers who’d traveled from all corners of China. Some drove in from so far as Beijing — almost twenty hours on the street — simply to be a part of it.
The Chengdu Tianfu Worldwide Circuit sits about an hour outdoors the town, surrounded by the brand new developments of the Tianfu space. On regular days, it’s a quiet, 3.2-kilometer monitor used for native racing and testing. On this weekend, it regarded like a small city constructed totally across the letter M.
On the entrance, an enormous 20-by-10-meter show formed like a BMW instrument cluster welcomed guests. It confirmed the complete structure of the occasion — from drift areas to artwork areas to meals courts. Simply previous it, the very first thing you may hear was tires. The BMW Driving Expertise China workforce was already operating drift demos on the autocross monitor close to the gate. That scent of burnt rubber and the sound of engines bouncing off the limiter set the tone instantly.You didn’t even have time to regulate — the feelings hit you straight away.
///M All over the place
Strolling via the venue felt like strolling via a small theme park devoted totally to the letter M. All over the place you regarded, there was one thing occurring.
There was the M Document, a form of museum celebrating BMW Motorsport’s racing historical past. Subsequent to it, the M Salon, the place friends may get their nails or hair styled in M colours — small, enjoyable particulars that made the place really feel alive moderately than overproduced.
The BMW Assortment pop-up store was packed, promoting the newest M gear and Motorsport attire. And in one of many extra artistic touches, BMW had turned an enormous racing helmet right into a espresso store — actually a full-sized helmet construction with folks outdoors sipping espresso.
Then there was the BMW Artwork Gallery, which housed one thing particular: Cao Fei’s BMW Artwork Automotive #18. It’s a bit of contemporary artwork that blends the digital world with the bodily, and later within the night, Cao Fei herself confirmed as much as reveal a brand new PUMA x BMW Way of life assortment impressed by her automotive.And since each competition wants a spot to relaxation, there was the M High-Up — an enormous outside seating space serving meals and drinks proper subsequent to the drift course. You could possibly seize a chew whereas watching M4s slide sideways just some meters away.
The Paddocks — A Museum, a Workshop, and a Dream
Contained in the paddock, BMW had turned the garages into M Studios. Every one targeted on one thing completely different — racing heritage, present fashions, or what’s coming subsequent.
The primary one I stepped into instantly drew a crowd: the BMW M3 GTR from Want for Pace: Most Wished. Sure, that automotive. The silver-and-blue legend of a complete technology of avid gamers, parked proper there in entrance of us. Folks have been taking footage nonstop.Round it, BMW had arrange SIM racing rigs, the place guests may race digital variations of iconic BMWs just like the M1 Procar or the 3.0 CSL Batmobile.
The following studio targeted on the current and the close to future. Inside sat the brand new BMW M2 CS in Velvet Blue, the M4 Nürburgring Version (in-built simply 53 items for China), and — hidden in plain sight — a camouflaged BMW M2 Observe Version that even shocked these of us who comply with each M rumor.
The setup felt genuine. No velvet ropes, no company shows. As a substitute, it regarded like a working M storage: picket crates, carbon elements stacked in corners, workbenches with instruments laid out neatly.
Between the studios, BMW Motorsport drivers Augusto Farfus, Jens Klingmann, and Jesse Krohn held small classes with followers — speaking about racing, approach, and what it’s prefer to drive M and Motorsport automobiles. No stage, no script, simply open conversations.
The Observe Comes Alive
Throughout the paddock, dozens of M2s, M3s, M4s, and M5s lined the pitlane. Friends may join lead-follow classes with instructors to expertise the Tianfu Circuit firsthand.
The monitor is pretty brief however technical — fast corners, a couple of elevation modifications, and a again straight lengthy sufficient to stretch an M3’s legs. Watching teams of automobiles take off one after one other, the sound of turbo sixes and V8s bouncing off the grandstand partitions, you couldn’t assist however really feel pulled in.
Later within the day, BMW hosted an M Corso, a parade that includes each official automobiles and buyer builds. It regarded like an M museum in movement — lots of of automobiles, every a bit completely different, every representing its proprietor’s persona.
Group on the Core
For all of the drifting and engine noise, the true spotlight was the primary stage, which was virtually the scale of a soccer area. Right here, BMW hosted a curated automotive present that includes the wildest proprietor builds in China.
I noticed all the things from slammed M2s with carbon widebody kits to a KITH-branded E61 5 Sequence Touring — a mixture I by no means thought I’d see in particular person. House owners bought up on stage to speak about their builds, their journeys, their love for M. It was streamed stay on Chinese language social media, reaching 1000’s extra.
The Night time Present
Because the solar went down, the temperature dropped and the sound of engines returned. Folks began gathering close to the primary straight once more. The night opened with a couple of spotlight reels from the day — homeowners, followers, and a few of BMW M’s racing footage — proven on an enormous LED display screen.
Then Frank van Meel, BMW M CEO, and Sean Inexperienced, CEO of BMW China, stepped on stage. They genuinely thanked everybody for coming and talked about how vital China has develop into for BMW M. After which got here the information everybody was ready for: the BMW M3 Touring is formally coming to China. The gang went wild.
Subsequent, the music began — and so did the smoke. Greater than twenty M automobiles drifted in synchronized patterns beneath the lights, shifting round one another with inches to spare. The soundtrack included “Black Bimmer” by KEAN DYSSO, Kordas, and Linius — a crowd favourite in China — blasting via the audio system as folks danced, filmed, and shouted. It wasn’t only a present. It felt like a celebration, a shared expertise between 1000’s of strangers who all occurred to like the identical factor: The Most Highly effective Letter In The World.
When it lastly ended, it was properly into the night. I used to be supposed to depart for my flight to Germany in just some hours, however I stayed so long as I may. The power was too robust to stroll away from.
What Makes ///M Totally different
As I left the circuit, exhausted and barely deaf from the noise, I noticed one thing: this wasn’t a typical automotive occasion. It was a mirrored image of what M actually is at this time — not simply automobiles, however folks, tradition, and group.
The Chengdu M Competition was emotional, chaotic, loud, and deeply human — all of the issues that make the M model particular. It’s proof that even in a world shifting towards electrification and know-how, the connection between a driver and an M automotive nonetheless means one thing actual.
I virtually missed my flight. And truthfully, it will’ve been price it.
