If you were choosing a car to run one lap of America, what would you select? If you're BMW of North America you've pretty much limited yourself to BMWs, but a 2014 M235i sports coupe doesn't sound like such a bad steed even so.

Okay, so One Lap of America doesn't actually circumnavigate the entire country. Instead, it takes in most of the eastern states, beginning in South Bend, Indiana and working its way in an anti-clockwise direction via New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and New York--visiting skid pads, drag strips and race circuits along the way.

BMW Performance Center Driving Instructor Michael Renner and Stephen Maguire of United BMW Roswell of Atlanta have taken over this year's driving duties, their M235i competing in the SSGT2 Small Bore Stock Touring class. This will put the 320-horsepower coupe up against a stock Subaru BRZ in the same class, as well as a trio of Volkswagen Golf GTIs and an E36 BMW M3 in the non-stock, Small Bore class. Vipers, Corvettes, Nissan GT-Rs and more make up the entries in other classes.

Daily stages are as long as 400 miles, with several stops at motor sports parks along the way--including the BMW Performance Center at Spartanburg, South Carolina. Overall, crews will complete 3,249 miles of driving in seven days. The event is already well underway, ending on May 10 with a final skid pad course. You can follow the event's progress on the One Lap of America Facebook page.

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