Here, as we drive around a slippery-surfaced circle, we are told to suddenly accelerate hard, which pushes the car into oversteer - that is, when the rear tyres and back of the car slide outwards on a turn - and then to quickly catch this by countersteering and braking lightly.

While I did reasonably well at this - no, the stunt is not meant to turn one into a showboat - it was an important lesson on how to get the car back safely aligned and under control, should one enter a corner too quickly and find the back of the car swing out.

Similarly, we carried out other driving activities like an evasion exercise involving accelerating to 100 kmh towards an obstacle, and then, without braking, steer the car safely to the left or right. (No thanks to the G-forces involved, being co-driver here threatened to bring up the breakfast!)

To inject challenge, there were also timed runs into fast corners as well as slalom laps, with these meant to improve the participants' driving agility and car control.

Off-track, the handling limits of the M3s, X5-Ms and X6-Ms were reinforced at workshop sessions, where the drivers got a closer look under the cars - like the extra-rigid suspension struts and the lightweight carbon fibre roof on the M3.

Muscle-wise, the M3 has a 4.0 litre V8 engine giving it 414 horses - or 100 hp more than the top-of-line BMW 335i Coupe, while the X5 M and X6 M, with twin-turbo V8s providing 555 hp, accelerates from 0-100km in just over 4 seconds.

'The M-cars retain roughly only 20 per cent of their road-going versions, and have 80 per cent new components,' our instructor tells us. Importantly, they are also built not just for speed but incorporate many safety features, not least of which are extra-bite, big brakes.

Just once during the two days, we left the Salzburgring track in the X6 Ms for an hour's scenic drive - not so much to enjoy the cool mountain air or views of cows grazing - but to experience the car's gentler side.

On track, however, the M cars shed all their inhibitions (including of cops' speed radars) and have all the vitals, like DSC or dynamic stability control for traction and stability, and ESC or electronic damping control for suspension feedback, to get them to stay safely on course when driven hard. With all these buttons - DSC and ESC and also M drive (personal selection) - pushed on, all one needed to do then was to drive, safely!

'Stay within your limits and no overtaking or racing,' was the constant mantra from the instructors throughout the couple of days.

And as all the cars were linked by intercom, we could hear the angry - but necessary - scolding meted to an errant participant who charged into a corner at 140 km, instead of the designated 100 km, in an avoiding exercise. He ran his car off into a gravel trap, but luckily avoided smashing the car and himself, as well as co-driver, into a wall.

As we take in many more laps on the Salburgring track in the various M-cars over the two days, my own takeaway from all of it is that - I've relearnt some forgotten essentials, and feel my (fast) driving confidence and response skills honed. I've been eM-POWERed again!

ronnie@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Business Times.