After a six-hour flight from Tokyo, I landed in Chengdu — the capital of Sichuan province and residential to greater than 20 million individuals. It’s a metropolis that doesn’t rush to impress you. Life right here strikes slower. The streets are filled with teahouses, the odor of hotpot is all over the place, and other people play mahjong nicely previous midnight. In comparison with Beijing or Shanghai, Chengdu feels relaxed — cheaper to reside 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 this planet. Town’s vitality matches the model’s character — 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 fans 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 exterior town, surrounded by the brand new developments of the Tianfu space. On regular days, it’s a quiet, 3.2-kilometer observe used for native racing and testing. On this weekend, it seemed like a small city constructed completely across the letter M.
On the entrance, a large 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 can hear was tires. The BMW Driving Expertise China workforce was already working drift demos on the autocross observe close to the gate. That odor 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 instantly.
///M In all places
Strolling by the venue felt like strolling by a small theme park devoted completely to the letter M. In all places you seemed, 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 company might get their nails or hair styled in M colours — small, enjoyable particulars that made the place really feel alive relatively than overproduced.
The BMW Assortment pop-up store was packed, promoting the newest M gear and Motorsport attire. And in one of many extra inventive touches, BMW had turned an enormous racing helmet right into a espresso store — actually a full-sized helmet construction with individuals exterior sipping espresso.
Then there was the BMW Artwork Gallery, which housed one thing particular: Cao Fei’s BMW Artwork Automobile #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 Life-style assortment impressed by her automobile.And since each pageant wants a spot to relaxation, there was the M Prime-Up — a large out of doors seating space serving meals and drinks proper subsequent to the drift course. You may seize a chunk 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. Each targeted on one thing totally 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 Needed. Sure, that automobile. The silver-and-blue legend of a whole technology of players, parked proper there in entrance of us. Individuals had been taking photos nonstop.Round it, BMW had arrange SIM racing rigs, the place guests might race digital variations of iconic BMWs just like the M1 Procar or the 3.0 CSL Batmobile.
The subsequent 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 (inbuilt simply 53 items for China), and — hidden in plain sight — a camouflaged BMW M2 Monitor Version that even shocked these of us who observe each M rumor.
The setup felt genuine. No velvet ropes, no company shows. As an alternative, it seemed 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 periods with followers — speaking about racing, approach, and what it’s wish to drive M and Motorsport automobiles. No stage, no script, simply open conversations.
The Monitor Comes Alive
Throughout the paddock, dozens of M2s, M3s, M4s, and M5s lined the pitlane. Friends might join lead-follow periods with instructors to expertise the Tianfu Circuit firsthand.
The observe is pretty quick however technical — fast corners, just a few 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 seemed like an M museum in movement — a whole lot of automobiles, every somewhat totally different, every representing its proprietor’s character.
Neighborhood on the Core
For all of the drifting and engine noise, the true spotlight was the primary stage, which was virtually the dimensions of a soccer area. Right here, BMW hosted a curated automobile present that includes the wildest proprietor builds in China.
I noticed every part 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 individual. House owners obtained up on stage to speak about their builds, their journeys, their love for M. It was streamed reside 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. Individuals began gathering close to the primary straight once more. The night opened with just a few spotlight reels from the day — homeowners, followers, and a few of BMW M’s racing footage — proven on a large 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 necessary 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 group went wild.
Subsequent, the music began — and so did the smoke. Greater than twenty M automobiles drifted in synchronized patterns underneath 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 by the audio system as individuals 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 nicely 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 might. The vitality 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 spotted one thing: this wasn’t a typical automobile occasion. It was a mirrored image of what M actually is in the present day — not simply automobiles, however individuals, 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 automobile nonetheless means one thing actual.
I virtually missed my flight. And truthfully, it might’ve been value it.
