IMSA: Inside John Edwards’ BMW DTM test

BMW factory driver John Edwards joined a small fraternity of Americans to sample DTM machinery when he was invited to test one of the brand's M4s earlier this month in Spain.

The 2009 Atlantic Championship title winner, who races for BMW Team RLL in IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, was incorporated into the German marque's "Young Driver" test at the Jerez road course. Once there, Edwards, 25, sampled the high-tech M4 which uses a lightweight carbon fiber chassis powered by a naturally-aspirated V8 engine.

"Speaking of Christmas, it felt like Christmas came early this year," said Edwards (pictured). "The beginning of December, I got to drive a DTM car for a full day. That was really a treat because I know some guys got half a day and I got to do a full day, and that really let me learn in the morning and really push in the afternoon once I knew what to expect.

"The test was over at Jerez in Spain. Ironically, I lived in Europe for two years racing formula and knew and drove about just every track in Europe that you can think of, the big ones, Spa, Nürburgring and all over. Jerez is one of the few I hadn't driven on so it was a bit of a challenge to learn the track and the new car at the same time. But it was a real treat to drive that DTM car."

With its low weight, high-revving engine and heavy downforce, Edwards found the DTM M4 to have more in common with the Swift-Mazda Atlantic car he drove than the full-size M6 GTLM he races in IMSA.

“It was very reminiscent of my days driving formula cars,” he said. “The [DTM] car has a lot of downforce, it has a decent amount of power that you feel coming out of low-speed, but it is fairly underpowered for the amount of downforce that it has. For the way you drive it, it is a lot more similar, in Europe they compare it to Formula 3 but I would compare it to the Atlantic car that I drove in 2007 and 2009.

“It was a tight championship in Atlantics but DTM is tight as well so you’re always looking for the last couple of tenths.  It was really fun to get back into a car that was so stiffly sprung and had such high downforce in going through corners, like turn five at Jerez, which is a pretty quick corner. The car handles really nicely.

By having his IMSA program already in place, Edwards was able to enjoy the experience the DTM M4 and the factory team that runs the cars without undue pressure or expectations.

“It was not that type of test where you are kind of an application for a ride for the following season,” he said. “But it was still a great experience for me and I hope I made a good enough impression to have it not be the last time that I get invited over there.

“When I got there I realized it had been seven years since I drove an Atlantic car and that made me feel a little bit old. But from being out of a high-downforce formula car for seven years, I felt like I got up to speed fairly quickly. And then the afternoon was fairly competitive.  And the whole process of working with the team was a pleasure because you see the level the organization is at and everything from the top of engineering down to the way they do debriefs and down to the mechanics and how the whole program operates. It was very impressive. It was a good experience, I think I felt like I was giving good feedback and turning competitive lap times.  I hope that made a good impression.”

The different driving techniques required for his twin-turbo V8-powered BMW Team RLL M6 and the non-turbo DTM M4 were remarkable.

“I would say if you’re comparing the cars, the biggest challenge for me to get used to was I have spent a year driving a twin-turbo V8, and the power is always right there when you touch it because it has such high torque,” Edwards said.

“Well, the DTM car does not have turbos and so when you touch the throttle, it generally accepts that, and in my mind it tricks me into feeding the power to quickly because the horsepower comes in as the revs come up. And I would touch the gas a little too timidly because I was expecting the torque and when the torque wasn’t there I would be pretty aggressive towards full throttle.  But then at the late exit part of the corner I would get big slides.

“That is what I had to spend time in the morning getting used to in addition to the downforce is how to actually get power.  Which I expected the downforce to be a challenge and I went in ready to tackle that.  But the throttle application coming off the slow corners is something I was not really prepared for and that was something I had to adapt to, just because it was a different style than the M6. But every car is different, and that is something you have to adapt to when you transfer into a new car.”

You can hear more about Edwards’ first DTM test and the unexpected drifting display that took place while lapping Jerez below: