BMW’s M2 Drift Car Fires Up The New AREA M Performance Arena

BMW M has reinvented its famous driving school, and a drift-prepped BMW M2 sits right at the heart of it. From 3 February 2026, the BMW M Driving Experience becomes AREA M. It is pitched as far more than track tuition. Think of it as a performance playground where the M mindset is seen, heard and felt.

The headline move is a second German venue. Memmingen joins the long-running Maisach site, and its facilities read like a driver’s wish list. Seven wet skid pads, three drift circles and four dynamic areas sprawl across the grounds, backed by handling and slalom zones. A lounge, meeting rooms and proper catering give the community a physical base. Every surface is meant to feel unmistakably M.

The star draw is Games of Drift, offered only at Memmingen. It turns sideways, driving into a contest. Drivers tackle a set drift spiral, fling rings into a target while holding a slide, and thread a gymkhana course as cleanly and quickly as they can. Every run feeds a live scoreboard on the public website, so the rankings shift in real time. Any fan can book a go, then book it again.

The tool for the job is a specially built BMW M2 Coupé. Engineers have widened the steering angle, fitted lockable rear wheels and bolted in a rear differential with bespoke software, all to make repeatable, comparable slides easier to pull off. The nine highest scorers reach the final on 17 October 2026. A tenth slot goes to a wildcard picked by the Red Bull Drift Brothers, who also serve as judges.

AREA M casts its net well beyond regulars. A cleaner digital platform sorts every course into five strands: Winter, Track, Thrill, Custom and Control, with five skill levels running from Compact to Max. Fresh formats include the M Ice Pro Experience in Arjeplog and M Snow Active in Sölden, the latter aimed at performance-minded women. The M Starter course is for newcomers, and the popular M Drift Academy carries on. Gamers, petrolheads and first-timers all get a lane.