It's not like being inside one Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise sitting next to you, but we're almost there. After all, taming an armored car, perhaps in dangerous situations, is not exactly a walk in the park, and this is why in addition to creating tank-proof cars, BMW is rightly concerned with training drivers who are up to the task.
The way is simple (so to speak): sign up for BMW Security Vehicle training courses, which the Bavarian company organizes in one of the most renowned test and inspection centers in Europe for vehicle safety: the Groß Dölln training center near Berlin. Practically a former military airport transformed just two years ago into a very modern driving center, where the German authorities themselves train their emergency services.
Two levels of training…
There are two courses, the basic one lasting 2 days and the advanced one lasting 3 days. In the basic course, instructors begin by teaching the basics of physics and driving technique, as well as tactical knowledge that will help drivers act safely in extreme situations, testing their skills in realistic scenarios and difficult conditions such as of escape. “With a maximum of eight participants per group and two passengers per vehicle, an intensive and personalized learning experience is guaranteed,” they assure at BMW.
The first day's training includes various techniques, including emergency braking and evasive maneuvers, as well as exercises in the dark. The night training program instead includes braking and evasive maneuvers on a slalom course, alternating high beam, low beam and position lights. To simulate the ability to orient and react to threat scenarios on an unknown route, participants also have to deal with explosions on a confusing forest road.
On the second day, in addition to high-speed maneuverability and evasive cornering, the program includes a real threat scenario with a simulated vehicle attack. Practically a scene from a movie. “The J-turn is an effective escape maneuver that consists of turning the vehicle from reverse to forward without losing speed to escape a dangerous situation in the opposite direction,” explain the BMW instructors.
The Advanced Course
The BMW Security Vehicle Training Level 2 covers extreme situations such as escape maneuvers under fire and exercises with contact with other cars. Participants are tested with pyrotechnics, night ambushes and crash scenarios with significant body damage, learning to control an armored vehicle in extreme conditions during high-speed laps on the track.
Not only. The educational contents are also complemented by off-road training with the BMW X5 Protection VR6. The aspiring drivers have to overcome various slopes with the special protection vehicle, which due to its armor weighs around a ton more than the basic model, and drive at an angle just below the rollover angle. Additionally, sand crossings and blocking maneuvers, where only two wheels touch the ground on rough terrain, are practiced. In short, something very appetizing not only for those who have to face this very hard and risky job, but also for those who love adrenaline-pumping driving and want to spend a few days truly feeling like a little Tom Cruise.
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