We’re huge advocates of driver training. If you have the means to better yourself on the road through extensive training in a safe, controlled environment, then by all means you should attempt it. And among the various training programs out there, the BMW Driver Training program is one of the most extensive of the bunch.
But where did this program begin? The roots of the BMW Driver Training program are rather humble: started by police officer and BMW afficionado, Josef Bucherl back in the 1950s, it was aimed at teaching the German police how to handle the powerful BMW automobiles within the fleet. These were the classic BMW 700 Sport models, and Josef felt a new driver training program was necessary to teach officers how to handle these.
After 8 days of intensive high speed training at the Nurburgring, Josef felt the officers were much better prepared to handle these sporty machines. And he continued to do these training sessions until 1976, when BMW finally approached him and asked what he was doing- after all, he had been doing this without any sanctioning from the German manufacturer for a number of years.
Two days of training with BMW, and nearly two decades later, Josef was retiring from police work and was presented an opportunity from BMW. They offered him the chance to take over the BMW Driver Training programs that BMW had begun to conduct, and Josef jumped at the opportunity. They quickly took it global, making the extensive program available in a number of countries.
This is not an easy program to get through, and the instructors themselves have to go through a rigorous selection process. When BMW finally brought the driver training program to Malaysia back in the early 2000s, there were hundreds of applicants for an instructor position. Following a series of interviews, BMW Malaysia brought it down to under 20- and not all of these applicants passed the selection process in Germany.
So you can be assured that the instructors BMW Malaysia provides for the Driver Training are some of the best in the business. And once again, it’s some of the best money you will ever spend in your pursuit of driving pleasure.
