ROAD TO GOODWOOD.

A spontaneous outing with the BMW M4 CSL to the Festival of Speed.

ROAD TO GOODWOOD.A spontaneous outing with the BMW M4 CSL to the Festival of Speed.

08. Aug 2022

As a development engineer at BMW M, Jörg Weidinger is responsible for the overall set-up of the vehicles and as a racing driver well-known for his record lap times on the Nordschleife. Including the BMW M4 CSL. Optimized for the race track, the two-seater high-performance sports car with Weidinger at the wheel managed the best ever time for a BMW M series vehicle: 7:20.207 minutes. By chance, he then became an in-depth everyday suitability tester by undertaking a spontaneous road trip with the unique special edition to the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

BMW M4 CSL: Fuel consumption in l/100 km (combined): 10.1-9.9 (WLTP); CO2 emissions in g/km (combined): 227-224 (WLTP)

The BMW M4 CSL in front of a pub in Great Britain.

IT ALL BEGAN WITH A MIX-UP.

The road trip wasn’t planned. In fact, the BMW M4 CSL was due to be transported to Goodwood in trucks with the other models. So that Jörg Weidinger could drive it on the legendary hill climb. But as the cars were being loaded a week before the event, it turned out that a mistake had been made: the customs paperwork had the wrong chassis number. It was too late to get it changed retrospectively. “It was clear that the only way we could get the car to Goodwood in time was to drive it there,” explains Jörg Weidinger. And was happy to take on the task himself.

"This journey offered the rare opportunity to get a long-term impression of the finished product after the end of the adjustment phase and find out how this very sporty vehicle behaves over long distances. That’s why I chose a varied route and didn’t just drive all the way there on the motorway."
Jörg Weidinger, BMW M development engineer and racing driver

The BMW M4 CSL during a stopover in a car park.

Breakfast at 7:30 in Wittlich (Rheinland-Pfalz) – plenty of free parking spaces at this time of day.

DEPARTURE.

The weather gets in the way.

At 2am on the Wednesday before the race meeting they set off in the BMW M4 CSL. In the passenger’s M Carbon full bucket seat beside Weidinger: his neighbour and friend Markus Krajnik. At a barbecue, the trucker had spontaneously taken up Jörg’s invitation to join the former racing driver on his 1,250 km trip from the BMW M HQ in Garching to the Festival of Speed. But shortly after they set off, the weather started playing up. "On the first 190 kilometres we had torrential rain, which put paid to our idea to quickly get a few fast kilometres under our belts," says Weidinger.

BMW M4 CSL before the train through the Eurotunnel.

550 hp in the train: On the way there, the M4 CSL took the Eurostar to cross the Channel.

From Stuttgart onwards, the BMW M4 CSL could show off its talents away from the race track on almost dry roads. First on the autobahn, then between Karlsruhe and Landstuhl on long sections of main road, "which at 5:30am is really pretty cool and a lot of fun," as Weidinger puts it. The rest of the way to Goodwood, it was all about going as fast as possible so as to reach the start of the Festival of Speed in time. So the journey went via Karlsruhe, Brussels, Ghent, by train through the Eurotunnel and then on the quickest route to the event.

550 hp in the train: On the way there, the M4 CSL took the Eurostar to cross the Channel.

BMW M4 CSL in left-hand traffic on a British country road.

Even driving on the left the BMW M4 CSL looked good.

Jörg Weidinger and Markus Krajnik in front of the finish line of the Festival of Speed.

Made it: After 13.5 hours, Jörg Weidinger and Markus Krajnik reach Goodwood.

PURIST SUITABLE FOR EVERYDAY LIFE.

The result of the unplanned long-distance test turned out very well on arrival in Goodwood: Despite its purist character and the fact that the car was designed for use on the race track, the M4 CSL remains absolutely suitable for everyday use too. "The driving time to Goodwood was about 13.5 hours. Which we covered in absolute comfort," says Weidinger.

"The nice thing about the BMW M4 CSL is that you can drive it to the race track – regardless of how far away that is – and then go straight from the pit lane onto the track without changing a thing."
Jörg Weidinger, BMW M development engineer and racing driver

For the final shootout on Sunday, the M4 CSL got a new set of tyres. Other than that, nothing had to be changed or repaired.

FROM THE ROAD ONTO THE TRACK.

Already the next day, Thursday, there was a very different programme for car and driver. Jörg Weidinger and the BMW M4 CSL completed the legendary Goodwood hill climb, the icon hill race track outside Goodwood House, twice a day for four days. First as a high-speed taxi for journalists and Youtuber like Joe Achilles or Shmee150, on the last two days against the clock and competition: the sportiest vehicles from all the different epochs of motor racing history.

For the final shootout on Sunday, the M4 CSL got a new set of tyres. Other than that, nothing had to be changed or repaired.

Freshly washed: One day after arriving, the BMW M4 CSL was on the race track. At the wheel: Jörg Weidinger.

BMW M4 CSL: Hillclimb-Fahrt mit Shmee150

SHMEE150 DRIVES THE GOODWOOD HILLCLIMB WITH JÖRG WEIDINGER IN THE BMW M4 CSL.

FROM THE LIMIT TO EVERYDAY MODE.

Four days of the Festival of Speed were over, but the M4 CSL’s journey wasn’t – the vehicle, Jörg Weidinger and Markus Krajnik still had to get home. They set off on the return journey the day after the race Sunday. Without any time pressure, they now chose a more road trip-like route with more to offer the eye. First along the English South Coast, then across the English Channel, this time by ferry and not through the dark tunnel. Thereafter through Belgium and then the beautiful roads of the Eifel. The six-day spontaneous trip ended at the Nürburgring, where Weidinger and the BMW M4 CSL had an appointment. Passenger Krajnik swapped his bucket seat for one on the train to complete his return journey.

BMW M4 CSL at a petrol station on the south coast of England.

Forecourt with a view: filling up on the South Coast.

The BMW M4 CSL at an English holiday home.

Off the main roads, Jörg Weidinger and Markus Krajnik discovered cottages in idyllic locations.

The boot lid of the BMW M4 CSL in detail.

The carbon boot lid and the ducktail spoiler are eye-catching. Especially in this very English neighbourhood.

Jörg Weidinger and the M4 CSL covered almost 2,000km on the road. On well-built motorways, winding main roads and tracks full of potholes. He summed up the road trip thus: "Once again, I was able to see for myself the correctness of our adjustment philosophy of considering race track performance as an important part of the overall concept in our M vehicles, despite the focus on absolute suitability for everyday use!"

BMW M auf dem Goodwood Festival of Speed.

WE ARE M – 50 YEARS OF BMW M @ GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED.

BMW M4 CSL: Fuel consumption in l/100 km (combined): 10.1-9.9 (WLTP); CO2 emissions in g/km (combined): 227-224 (WLTP)

The models illustrated include optional equipment.

Due to regular software updates, screen designs in the communication may differ from the actual screen design in your car.

Official data on power consumption and electric range were determined in accordance with the mandatory measurement procedure and comply with Regulation (EU) 715/2007 valid at the time of type approval. In case of a range, figures in the NEDC take into account differences in the selected wheel and tire size; figures in the WLTP take into account any optional equipment. WLTP values are used for assessing taxes and other vehicle-related charges that are (also) based on CO2 emissions, as well as for the purposes of vehicle-specific subsidies, if applicable. Where applicable, the NEDC values listed were calculated based on the new WLTP measurement procedure and then converted back to the NEDC measurement procedure for comparability reasons. For newly type-tested vehicles since 01.01.2021, the official data no longer exist according to NEDC, but only according to WLTP. For more information on the WLTP and NEDC measurement procedures, see https://www.bmw.com/wltp.

For further information about the official fuel consumption and the specific CO2 emission of new passenger cars can be taken out of the „handbook of fuel consumption, the CO2 emission and power consumption of new passenger cars“, which is available at all selling points and at https://www.dat.de/co2/.

All vehicles, equipment, combination possibilities and varieties shown here are examples and can differ in your country. In no way do they constitute a binding offer by the BMW M GmbH. Visit your local BMW website or see your authorised BMW M Retailer for accurate details on the offers in your country.

ROAD TO GOODWOOD.

A spontaneous outing with the BMW M4 CSL to the Festival of Speed.

IT ALL BEGAN WITH A MIX-UP.

DEPARTURE.

The weather gets in the way.

PURIST SUITABLE FOR EVERYDAY LIFE.

FROM THE ROAD ONTO THE TRACK.

SHMEE150 DRIVES THE GOODWOOD HILLCLIMB WITH JÖRG WEIDINGER IN THE BMW M4 CSL.

FROM THE LIMIT TO EVERYDAY MODE.

WE ARE M – 50 YEARS OF BMW M @ GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS:

Festival of M.

Legends of motorsport.

Now even faster.

Measure your driving pleasure.

“This M5 just keeps creating great experiences.”

The BMW M CSL prototypes.

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ROAD TO GOODWOOD.

A spontaneous outing with the BMW M4 CSL to the Festival of Speed.

IT ALL BEGAN WITH A MIX-UP.

DEPARTURE.

The weather gets in the way.

PURIST SUITABLE FOR EVERYDAY LIFE.

FROM THE ROAD ONTO THE TRACK.

SHMEE150 DRIVES THE GOODWOOD HILLCLIMB WITH JÖRG WEIDINGER IN THE BMW M4 CSL.

FROM THE LIMIT TO EVERYDAY MODE.

WE ARE M – 50 YEARS OF BMW M @ GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS:

Festival of M.

Legends of motorsport.

Now even faster.

Measure your driving pleasure.

“This M5 just keeps creating great experiences.”

The BMW M CSL prototypes.

Website currently not fully available