Five reasons why the BMW M2 Competition is track magic

The Ascari Race Resort is a private track located near a tiny town called Ronda in the south of Spain, and it is a car enthusiast's heaven. In fact, it was purposely designed this way. The exclusive private resort includes all manner of luxurious amenities, including a hotel, health spa, beauty centre, a swimming pool and a clubhouse where you can dine and look out onto the track.

And what a track it is. The Ascari Circuit is a 5.425km track with 13 right-hand and 13 left-hand turns. Many of those corners have names that will be familiar to any motorsport enthusiast. Copse, Bathhurst, Brundle, Spa, Eau Rogue, Laguna, these corners were designed to echo some of the most famous corners from renowned tracks across the globe.

We had the opportunity to drive the fantastic new BMW M2 Competition on this brilliant track, and here are five reasons why the car is track magic.

The 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine pushes out 404bhp and 550Nm of torque straight to the rear wheels

1. It's not overpowered

With 404bhp and 550Nm of torque on tap, the M2 Competition's 3.0-litre engine is certainly amply powerful, but not so powerful as to totally dominate the driving experience, as well as intimidate or scare you. It's power you can use - revving the engine to its 7,600rpm redline is doable, but more importantly, it's rewarding, accompanied by the aural delight of the roaring in-line six engine.

The M2 Competition's compact footprint makes for a fantastically sharp and agile car

2. It's compact

At 4,461mm long, the M2 Competition is a reasonably compact car, and the smallest in the M stable. On the track, this means that it's not intimidating, letting you really seek out your apexes. The car's short wheelbase of 2,693mm means its fantastically agile, changing directions immediately and sharply. This is paramount on the technically complex Ascari Circuit, as you dart from fast corners into off-camber hairpins.

The stiffened front end allows for greater precision as you roar into corners

3. It's precise

With the additional strengthening done to the front end, in the form of carbon fibre braces, the M2 Competition turns in with so much instinctive accuracy. This allows you to really track clean lines as you navigate the complicated corner combinations around the Ascari track. And with ample grip from the 245 front and 265 rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres, the M2 Competition goes precisely where you want it to.

A manual gearbox makes for a raw and involving track experience

4. It's got a manual gearbox

Yes, the M2 Competition we drove comes with three pedals to operate the six-speed manual gearbox. It's a lovely gearbox, with weighty and deliberate gearshifts that make rowing through the gears really rewarding. On the racetrack, this is certainly the more involving transmission - you have to think harder and faster, but that makes the experience more raw and intense, knowing that you're responsible what happens.

The M2 Competition's communicative and adjustable chassis allows for glorious controlled slides

5. It's rear-wheel driven

Switch the Dynamic Steering Control to M Dynamic Mode and the car allows greater angles of slip, making things much more lively and exciting. If you know what you are doing, you can easily smoke the rear tyres. And because the chassis is communicative and balanced, holding a controlled slide is surprisingly easy, with the car flattering even the most amateur of drivers.

The new BMW is easily the best and most rewarding M car in the brand's stable. Hell, it's one of the very best driver's cars right now. Taking it onto the track just further cements this notion.