If you have enemies, you need an armored car and a top driver. The automaker trains them on special courses.
The history of special protective vehicles of the Bavarian brand spans more than forty years. In order to use all their abilities and ensure the protection of the crew, it is necessary to learn to ride with them, to acquire special knowledge and skills, to know how to get the most out of various functions. This is what the BMW Security Vehicle Trainings, designed for professional drivers, are used for. The automaker lets us take a look under the hood of the courses at the Gross Dölln training center near Berlin – it is a former military airport that has been operating as a highly modern training center since 2002.
The two-level BMW Security Vehicle Trainings course includes not only the basics of physics and technology, but also training in tactical skills, thanks to which drivers of special vehicles can behave safely and confidently even in extreme situations. It is important that the teaching takes place in realistic scenarios and in small groups, so each participant has the space to master everything properly. On the first day, emergency braking, evasive maneuvers and other driving disciplines are practiced, there will also be night driving with a combination of alternating position, high and low beams. It is then possible to practice orientation on an unknown route with simulated explosions.
On the second day, there is training in controlling cars at high speeds, managing evasive maneuvers and real threats during a simulated attack on a vehicle. The participants are exposed to stress, and they learn to cope with it during the training so that they can keep a cool head. Another element of driving training is the reverse turn, the so-called J-turn, which you may know from various action movies.
The basic course is followed by level 2 lasting three days. It serves to deepen knowledge and techniques, training how to behave under fire, testing contact with other vehicles or driving a heavily damaged armored BMW. Thanks to the additional protection, the cars are roughly a ton heavier, so training is very important also from the point of view of different physical properties.
