Hello, dear Pistenclub members, or those who want to become one! How do you start a report like this in a magazine? Not an easy task for me. Because normally I just talk to the camera. I say what I think and show what I experience.

It's certainly a good start if I tell you a bit about myself. My name is Tom Schütze and I've been involved in the "hobby" of trackdays for eight years now. Three years ago, I started filming these trips with my camera and then shared the videos on YouTube. As the videos were well received, I took the opportunity around a year ago to turn my hobby into a career.

How did I get involved with the Pistenclub?

Initially, I did a lot of tourist driving on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Then I quickly realised that I wanted to try out other racetracks as well. The first track days with cheaper and therefore overcrowded providers were sobering. So I went on a search to find a provider with a price-performance ratio and a selection of racetracks that appealed to me. After my research, it was easy for me to choose the piste club.

I went on my first big piste club tour in 2023 with my mate Sebastian. We wanted to combine a round trip through the Dolomites with two racetrack training sessions. A combined round trip like this is particularly suitable for the Pistenclub, as the Italian race track dates are usually planned so that you can visit two race tracks in a row. I accompanied the whole tour with my camera and uploaded it to YouTube. You can find all the videos under the QR code. Otherwise, just search for "tom.schuetze" on YouTube.

As the last tour was so well received by everyone involved, including spectators, we have planned another tour for 2024. This time, however, with three race tracks. Our tour started in the direction of Austria. There we first "drove" the Red Bull Ring. This circuit in the middle of the Alpine panorama is really impressive. We continued in the direction of Italy. Before heading to the next racetrack in Tuscany, Mugello, we made a stop at Ferrari in Maranello. There we were given interesting insights into the history of the cars with the horse. Unfortunately, our motorhome was broken into on the way. However, this did not interrupt the tour. We continued on our way to one of the most beautiful racetracks I have ever had the honour of driving on. To Mugello! But I don't want to go into any more detail here. If you're interested in the whole story, you can watch it again on my YouTube channel.

What kind of car am I doing all this with anyway?

I've been converting a BMW M3 E92 into an almost thoroughbred racing car for six years now. However, I've made sure as far as possible that it remains road-legal. On trackdays, however, we also drive on slicks from time to time, which increases the fun factor many times over. Equipped with a 4-litre V8, the BMW has all the emotions to put a smile on your face every time.

I have now taken part in more than ten Pistenclub trackdays and I have to say: every trackday has been organised to my 100% satisfaction and all participants get their money's worth! Maybe we'll see each other at one or two trackdays in the future. I would be delighted!