Take it easy. Avoid racing the first guy you run into. M3s are very easy to drive fast and are incredibly forgiving cars up to the limit. When you CROSS the limit however, you are going waaaaaaaay faster than you might suspect, which spells big trouble.

Start with an autocross. SCCA, BMWCCA, PCA.. it doesn't matter which.. they all put on quality events. You learn the basics of car control there. Find a good instructor--preferably someone who drives a simliar car (powerful RWD like a Boxster, Vette or RX7). Listen to this person. Carefully.

Some people here might disagree with me, but I think after 2-3 events, you should spin the car. What that means is PURPOSELY lose control in a quick sweeper and spin. The reason is so that when you do it out there on the road, you'll go "Oh, I've done this before" and probably do the right thing instead of the wrong thing.

If you're still hungry for more, do a driver's school (like the BMWCCA or PCA ones) or if you have $$$ do a quality racing school (many to choose from).

That being said, be ready to swallow any ego you might show up with. Being a good driver is a skill that takes time to develop. Your M3 will only go as fast as YOU can, and at first, you will get beat. Bad. To Civics, Neons and Focuses. Don't be discouraged, though.

Hopefully, you'll find it a lot of fun while you learn a few things.

You caught some flak from some of the other guys here and I can see where they're comming from, but I think you did the right thing posting and wish you luck.

Mike Chiang