We actually made it to the race with the E30?
Here we come guys. Like bringing a knife to a gun fight. We have a pair of cars that are far from being real race cars. They don’t have a full crew supporting them, the tools used to build them aren’t Snap-On or Wera. Never mind all that, they are going to race and we are going to have “fun.”
Planning at Nancy’s Airport Cafe
It is always a good idea to start the race weekend with a plan. Grabbing breakfast with Greg and Colleen to discuss the general theme for the cars. Thank you again Greg for being our BMW crew chief!
After planning was complete, we needed to setup our paddock spot.
Unloading the BMW, building canopy, organizing bins, wait for tech.
IMPORTANT: Always confirm the trailer is locked to the hitch ball when unloading a car from the trailer. Otherwise you may have a catastrophe like we almost did. A bit of quick thinking and mostly just some people we were able to lock it back in.
Pre-race Dinner at Casa Ramos
Colleen, Michael (me), Greg P, Kai, Amanda, Zaid, Cam, Lisa, Mark, Greg V
Let’s Race
The rest of the weekend for the BMW sounded like it was smooth sailing aside from a few black flags and minor contact with our fellow racers. This post is going to be video heavy, enjoy!
Some clips of good clean racing:
Both Cam and I laid down the cars fastest laps of the weekend. For those looking to learn the quickest way to drive the car take a gander. We are likely not pushing the car as quick as possible, but it should be a good benchmark. Cam’s fastest was a 3:25.00, while mine was a 3:25.09.
Learning Moments:
As with every experience there are always opportunities to learn and improve. This race was no exception. Everything shared is meant for learning, not as a chance to get on any of the drivers.
Do not cross the blend line on track entry. Cars are approaching at 100+ mph. I noticed a few of our newer drivers with this bad habit from HPDE events. While it might be okay at a track day, it is never something that you should do in a race environment.
Break this habit today!
When dealing with traffic stay predictable and stay on your line, others will get around you. Last minute changes tend to cause accidents, both in racing and on the roads.
Quite a few things that could have been done better. Lucky no harm occurred. Let’s do better next time.
This is how and why we should always follow blend lines.
Always keep your head up and prepared for the unexpected
These are some more interesting clips showing why we should try and stay on a consistent race line and head on a swivel. You never know what other cars might do or how fast they really are approaching. Who knows they could drive up the outside in an odd place!
Some days just don’t go your way. NC Miata found the brake pedal instead of clutch.
Spot the spinning car. Sometimes over blind crests you’ll find cars in the wrong place.
Flags can also sneak up on you. Look for them because they could help you stay out of trouble. I do admit I didn’t catch this yellow when first watching. Look close…
Woaah. A little spicy for the first day and early few laps.
When trying to let someone by its very important to make the passing offer incredibly clear. Moving a car width or less off your line isn’t clear enough.
Only Zaid will know what he did to earn this badge of Asshattery. Pretty fun that we were specifically called out for it.
More tips and feedback for the drivers:
Most corners are later apexes than you think, you should be passing the apex not driving to it
Watch corner exits in places with large drops, they can bend wheels or pop tires (track walks are very helpful for this)
Someone lost our Laguna exhaust…
Thank you all for a great race weekend, closing out the 2022 season. Good times and fun people.
Amanda, Kai, (Waffles), Greg V, Xin, Colleen, Michael, Greg P, Cam, (Denver), Mark
