California Racing?

#61

mwmills wrote:

[quote]Ok, I’ll ask NASA to add SpecE30 to the BMW group for a no-points race.

quote]

I suppose this means I’ll have to return my car to spec specs - order a set of 205 ra1’s (sorry Carter, but the 225 Hoosiers WERE NICE!), stock chip, replace the plastic behind the headlights, take out the s62 & put it back in it’s rightful owner, remove the blower, yada yada yada…

Sorry for the poor attempt at humor - must be trailing effects from the valium. I can see, though, which I’m quite happy about - no more glasses!!!

Enduros rule! I’ve done 1.94 enduros solo (brake failure with 12 min left kept me from finishing enduro #2). However, my girlfriend who will likely make the trek up with me to drive in HPDE 1 would kill me if I broke the car during a saturday enduro again!

#62

[quote]mwmills wrote:

Ok, I’ll ask NASA to add SpecE30 to the BMW group for a no-points race.[/quote]

I suppose this means I’ll have to return my car to spec specs - order a set of 205 ra1’s (sorry Carter, but the 225 Hoosiers WERE NICE!), stock chip, replace the plastic behind the headlights, take out the s62 & put it back in it’s rightful owner, remove the blower, yada yada yada…

Sorry for the poor attempt at humor - must be trailing effects from the valium. I can see, though, which I’m quite happy about - no more glasses!!!

Enduros rule! I’ve done 1.94 enduros solo (brake failure with 12 min left kept me from finishing enduro #2). However, my girlfriend who will likely make the trek up with me to drive in HPDE 1 would kill me if I broke the car during a saturday enduro again!

Oops - I noticed this morning that I got the quote wrong on the last post! I’ll use the valium excuse again! I tried to edit it this morning, but the site is accusing me of "hacking attempt!". :ohmy:

Post edited by: sdais, at: 2006/08/04 10:18

Post edited by: sdais, at: 2006/08/04 10:19

#63

Steve,

I think we’ll be running SpecE30 Fun rules since it isn’t for points and I think we can get you, Joe, Cole, and I to all agree not to protest since none of us are running any insane mods. I would say at least have the spec suspension and tires.

Mike,

since this is really an exhibition race, can we forego the rules compliance checks and make this a "SpecE30 Fun" class (like Carter suggested) for that race?

#64

I’m an east coaster and not directly involved in what you guys do out there…however I’d suggest not going the "don’t protest me route" or lets just call it a "fun class" race.

If the car is built per the rules then it’s a Spec E30…If it’s not, race it in GTS.

I offer this advice, not to be critical but hopefully as a reminder that the "West Coast" side of spec E30 is in it’s infancy…Now more than ever you need to set high standards of compliance, and vigorously adhere to the rules. This is the tried and true formula for success and it will make the racing fair for everyone.

If the core group of west coast Spec E30 racers start off by setting this kind of example and letting the "rules" become guidelines, anyone coming into the series will follow that lead. In the long run it will be much better for the series to keep all the cars Spec E30 Legal. Grey areas will breed discontent and over the long run be detrimental to series growth.

This year is the first year ever for NASA Nationals… Similar to the SCCA runoffs, I expect NASA Nationals to take on more and more significance as our sanctioning body grows. To that end, when east and west coast cars do eventually meet at Mid Ohio, they should be IDENTICAL in performance. This is what the series was founded on and it’s what keeps the racing fun.

I’ll try not to break an ankle as I jump back off my soap box :slight_smile:

brain

Post edited by: brain, at: 2006/08/05 06:25

#65

I understand your points Brain, but we’re trying to just get cars out there to run as a group. While GTS is an option, we’d rather run in our own group. We’re taking Carter’s suggestion of having a SpecE30 fun class within SpecE30 just so we don’t have to deal with protests during this period when we’re all getting our cars to spec form. Another thing is the Infineon race is with BMWCCA so there is no NASA GTS that weekend. We’d have no problem all running within the BMWCCA classes, but having an unofficial SpecE30 group that weekend would help put the series name out there rather than having a couple of E30’s scattered amongst DM and KP. Since we wouldn’t be racing for points, there is nothing lost, but what we gain is the mention of 4+ SpecE30 cars in the BMWCCA publications. It isn’t that no one wants to be spec legal, but some of us (despite having put a lot of time and sweat into building our cars) probably won’t be able to have a 100% legal car until next season, yet we want to start building momentum and camaraderie now. Once we have more legal cars, that will naturally force the rest of us to comply, so I’m not worried about this situation where we keep "agreeing" for years, because someone new WILL show up and start protesting.

Question for you guys back east. Did most of the cars start out as daily drivers then get built for SpecE30? If so, the difference with the few guys over here is that we’re going from something along the lines of a KP/DM/ITS car and some of the un-modding just takes time, probably more time than it takes to build one from scratch. I know I had to go find some stock front strut assemblies and a rear subframe since mine were modified. That part was not fun.

#66

I would say that "most" of the current Spec E30 cars were stock road going commuter cars that guys purpose built just for the series. This is how I built my car.

Unscrewing a race car and getting it spec legal could be quite a chore, especially if someones tinkered with the engine or made some extensive suspension mods.

#67

NASA cannot add SpecE30 to the official registration process for the September 9-10 Infineon event due to the conflict with their National Event at Mid-Ohio. However, those who want to play can. Simply sign up via the NASA web site and register in the "BMW-FM" class.

Mills

#68

mwmills wrote:

[quote]NASA cannot add SpecE30 to the official registration process for the September 9-10 Infineon event due to the conflict with their National Event at Mid-Ohio. However, those who want to play can. Simply sign up via the NASA web site and register in the "BMW-FM" class.

Mills[/quote]

Mike, I take it we should also sign up on the BMWCCA CR website as FM class as well?

#69

Not necessarily.

If you are a SpecE30 only, just sign up as "BMW-FM" via the NASA registration system.

If you want BMW CCA Club Race credit, and have the necessary licenses, you should sign up on the CCA web site with the proper CCA Class and the NASA site in the proper class also.

Mills

#70

Steve, have you run on Laguna before? If no, you’ve got to try it. It’s a funnnn track.

#71

pig4bill wrote:

You’re still around? Haven’t heard anything from you in a while!

I did a CCA school at Laguna a few years ago in my since departed 540. That was my second time on a track! You are correct, sir - I’ve heard Laguna Seca described as "God’s gift to racers", and I would not disagree.

Steve

#72

Laguna Seca would be more fun if Carter would let us have an extra 100hp of mods. :wink: I gets a little boring-- turn, putt putt putt twiddle thumb, turn, putt putt putt twiddle thumb, check out the scenery, turn.

#73

traqrat wrote:

Really? I haven’t had a chance to take my spec car there yet.

#74

It was good to meet bunch f you at Thunder Hill this weekend and finally put “screen names� and faces together.

Igor

#75

+1 Igor - good to meet you there.

I’m looking forward to checking out the club racing in Sept at Infineon.

Anyone planning on the 11/4 CCA track school there?

-AJ

Post edited by: goldfish, at: 2006/08/28 01:54

#76

Good meeting you guys at Thunderhill this weekend.

Btw, there are 5 entries confirmed for the upcoming Sears Pt. race. There looks like a good number of J-Stock cars as well so that should be interesting.

#77

traqrat wrote:

As I have told the Spec E36 potentials…it’s not about the cars, it’s about the racing.

:wink:

Once you guys have four cars going after the same place on the track for 6 straight laps, you won’t have time to think about lap times…or to look at the scenery. It’ll get better.

Carter

#78

mwmills wrote:

[quote]I have two fully prepared cars available for rentals in the San Francisco area. I built two so there would not be just one. I gave away weekend rides twice last year, one car was used in a BMW CCA Club Race at Laguna Seca last year as well as one at Buttonwillow. I have the cars, sitting and waiting. I’ll ever sell them if there is interest.

BMW Club Racing is actually quite active in the Pacific region with 9 events in California, 1 in Utah and 2 in Arizona this year with reasonably sized fields.

As Carter said, with three or more cars playing, interest will spark. The current issue is getting and keeping the early adopters. The NASA schedules for all their race weekends includes SpecE30 both in Northern and Southern California so the opportunity to play is here.[/quote]

Hey Mike, are you renting the Spec E30 for the NASA event at Buttonwilow this coming October? I’m signed up for two days of HPDE track time and would like to do at least one of those days in a Spec E30.

Thanks,

another Mike

#79

It can be arranged…please contact me at mike.mills@earthlink.net

#80

I saw posted elsewhere that Cole and Lee had a photo finish on the Infineon Saturday race, well it was very close, 0.080 seconds between the two cars.

Did I mention one was a 325i and the other a 318is? Did I mention they are both rentals? Did I mention they are both for sale. See the classifieds.