From Motor Trends 2019 Best Drivers Car Shootout at Laguna Seca Raceway:
Pro hot shoe Randy Pobst ranked the 12 cars at Laguna Seca in this year’s BDC test.
Toyota Supra ranked #9, Randy says...
A true sports car. Quick beyond its power numbers, it responds directly to driver requests. Shock control is too soft for track work, but it's well controlled on the street. A fair amount of midcorner oversteer requires a light touch when tipping into the throttle. A bit of isolation in the steering.
BMW M2 Competition ranked #4, Randy says...
There's harmony in the way the front and rear tires work together in a corner. This balance rewards the driver every time the wheel turns. Like whipping the flanks of a race horse, I caned the M2 around the circuit as it begged for more. This driver's car urges on the driver.
The only cars ranked higher by Randy as best driver’s car at Laguna Seca...
#1 Porsche Carrera S
#2 McLaren Senna
#3 Ford GT 350
From the twisty California backroads portion of the test:
In fact, the great little BMW M2 Competition generated quite a bit of buzz. Problem is, this car finished third out of three behind a Porsche Cayman and a winning Toyota Supra in a comparison test just a couple months earlier. And by this car, I mean this car. "According to its VIN, this is the same M2 Competition we had for the 718 Cayman/Supra comparison," Walton said. "But it feels like a sweetheart today: alert, pointy, planted. I can confidently trail-brake it into a corner."
There was more continuity trouble, too. Namely, many of us felt there was something wrong with the Supra (though it had a different VIN from the test winner). "The Toyota Supra should have been quick and nimble," international bureau chief Angus MacKenzie said, "but it felt strangely discombobulated, ducking and weaving all over the road like a bloodhound on amphetamines." I experienced the exact same thing. Hmm.
So... in a previous 3 car comparison, the Supra topped the M2C, which had some press car abuse brake issues at the time of the test. So there’s that. In the 12 car Best Driver’s Car comparison, the M2C easily outranks the Supra, on the road and the track, as a driver’s car!
Funny though, the Supra’s lap time at Laguna Seca was slightly quicker than the M2C. Go figure. They surmise that the Supra’s Power is underrated. You think?
Well, I like driving mine.
