Help me get started!

#1

Hello… I am very interested in racing, but my experience and skills are limited. I have done a 3 day racing school at skip barber, but not much else. I have done basic work on cars (brakes, intake, exhaust, etc), but not good enough to diagnose or fix bigger issues on my own.

First off, am in the right place at all? Should I start at another level of racing or will I need to take some kind of automotive tech class to learn more about repairing mechanical issues on my own? I really love everything about bimmers and I have wanted to get into racing my whole life. I am 26 years old and eager to get started. If everything is good, I would like to buy an E30 (possibly pre-specd for the track) and a trailer to bring it to the races. Where should I look and what should I look out for in a race-ready e30??

Thanks for any help you can offer.

#2

brimmertime wrote:

[quote]
First off, am in the right place at all?

If everything is good, I would like to buy an E30 (possibly pre-specd for the track) and a trailer to bring it to the races. Where should I look and what should I look out for in a race-ready e30??

Thanks for any help you can offer.[/quote]

Well to answer your first question, if you are in the right place, yes of course. Spec e30’s are a blast to drive, easy to build and work on, and a really good group of people here in Northern CA (I cannot speak for other regions). I would suggest building/buying a car and taking the car out for track days to become comfortable with the car before jumping in to race it.

As for building or buying, the question is a balance of money and time. I choose to build my own which has had many ups and downs. There are a few shops here in northern CA that would gladly build a car for you, if that is what you want. If you can, try and come out to an event and look at the cars and meet some of us crazy people…:stuck_out_tongue: . I will warn you now, it is an addiction…

#3

I assume that you’re in NorCal since you made your post in this section of the forum. I would suggest attending our next race at Thunderhill (May 3-4) and talking to the SpecE30 racers as well as check out the other types of race classes that are running. SpecE30 is growing fast in NorCal…we had 10 starters at the last race at Infineon. The rules are simple and donor cars are plentiful. A good place to look for E30s is Craigslist and some of the NorCal BMW groups like Bay Bimmerez http://www.baybimmerz.net/and BayE30 http://www.baye30.net/. If you’re not to mechanically orientated then look for a car that’s been well maintained and runs well…you’ll pay more for the car but will have less work to do to it to get it on the track. You can keep it street legal and drive it to the events while your doing HPDE. In fact two of our racers drive their racecars to the track.

Here’s a link to a primer on getting started that we made up on the NorCal SpecE30 website: http://www.norcalspece30.com/faq.htm

Good luck…welcome and welcome to SpecE30!

Cheers,
Scott Neville
#44 NorCal SpecE30
http://www.norcalspece30.com

#4

Don’t worry too much about repairing E30s. They are actually pretty easy to work on except for a few areas (e.g., rear wheel bearings). Plus, they tend to be pretty reliable cars to begin with.

Most folks own a copy of the Bentley BMW E30 Repair Manual. It’s well written and it goes step-by-step on various repair and maintenance tasks. You can order it online or probably even find it on ebay.

I’m no ASE mechanic and I get by just fine. On my car, I do things like brake jobs, fluid changes, replace fuel pumps, safety gear installation, safety inspections, and other odds and ends. I farm out the more complicated maintenance tasks to area independant BMW shops on an as-needed basis.

It sounds like you need to start gaining track time. You don’t need a full-blown Spec E30 race car for that. I’d suggest getting a street-legal E30 (or any suitable car, really), make it track-worthy (tires, brake pads, maintenance up to date, etc.) and start attending track days.

Good luck!

#5

Welcome! Seat time is critical, so come out and do HPDEs for a few months to get comfortable. I concur with both Brenden and Scott, and buying a clean E30 to take to track days is a great route and then you can decide whether you want to mod it yourself for track or buy a built one. Good resources are this board, NASAForums.com, and the book “Go Ahead and Take the Wheel” by Dave Gran. If you have a manual transmission car now, you can HPDE in that while you look for your E30. Has to be decent running condition, good tires/brakes and you need a helmet. If you plan on doing that, sign up soon because HPDE1 and 2 sells out fast.

#6

brimmertime wrote:

[quote]Hello… I am very interested in racing, but my experience and skills are limited. I have done a 3 day racing school at skip barber, but not much else. I have done basic work on cars (brakes, intake, exhaust, etc), but not good enough to diagnose or fix bigger issues on my own.

First off, am in the right place at all? Should I start at another level of racing or will I need to take some kind of automotive tech class to learn more about repairing mechanical issues on my own? I really love everything about bimmers and I have wanted to get into racing my whole life. I am 26 years old and eager to get started. If everything is good, I would like to buy an E30 (possibly pre-specd for the track) and a trailer to bring it to the races. Where should I look and what should I look out for in a race-ready e30??

Thanks for any help you can offer.[/quote]
Ah welcome to the group. You are in the best place on earth for spec racing. Let me know if you are going to be able to show up at one of the upcoming events and i can offer a ride along in our team car to give you that overwhelming urge to build a car and start racing.

#7

WOW! Thanks for all the info! You guys are awesome… I just got my NASA membership and I signed up for the HPDE at Thunderhill on May 3rd. I have a Subaru WRX which I will be using then, but eventually I would like to get an e30 to use for racing. I hope to meet some of you there. I’m really excited to take this thing out on the track!

If you will be there on saturday and you wouldn’t mind me hounding you with questions, please give me your name and/or cell phone numbers so I can call when Im there and we can meet up. My cell number is 650-450-7151

Thanks again,
Jason J
Mountain View, CA

#8

brimmertime wrote:

Jason,

The SpecE30 crowd will be paddocking together…we’ll likely be down in the area of Pre-Grid. Just look for the cars stop by and introduce yourself. You can’t miss us!

Cheers,
Scott Neville
#44 SpecE30
http://www.norcalspece30.com

#9

Jason,
As the founder of the SpecE30 racing series here on the West Coast I want to welcome you. As Scott noted all the SpecE30 guys paddock (pit) together at our 48ft enclosed trailer. Soda’s, Gatorade, cookies, chips, beef jerky and now our BBQ will be on hand and always free to anyone who wants it. We’re easy to find since we’re the group smiling and laughing while other racers are thrashing on their cars to keep them running :wink:
At Infineon we’re behind the timing tower and Thunderhill we’re usually near the hot pit entrance. At the last Thunderhill race we supplied a fully prepped SpecE30 for competitors to drive in HPDE’s at no cost to the driver. The hitch was that they needed to be a licensed competitor. I am working with someone who owns a street legal SpecE30 car who wants to rent it out for HPDE’s. The advantage is that you can drive it to the track. If you’re interested you can call us at the shop anytime 916.636.9526. We are also building another spec car for rental that we would love to take you out for a ride in. Also if you want to talk to us about what you’ll need for your car or yourself please call. We have built more SpecE30’s than anyone else west of the Mississippi and advice / comments are always free.

By all means get through the HPDE process and work on getting your license. In the meantime you can find a donor and begin building!

You’ll love this group of competitors they are great to race and hang out with.

Hmmmmm didn’t you come by yesterday? The WRX and 3 day school had me wondering… :slight_smile:

#10

I wasn’t there yesteday, but I definitely will come to the trailer at Thunderhill on May 3rd. I would love to rent the e30 for an HPDE event. How do I become a licenced competitor? Is it just a matter of advancing through the HPDE groups?

Also, for the HDPE event, I don’t need to get the Phyisical Examination for NASA, do I?

#11

brimmertime wrote:

[quote]I wasn’t there yesteday, but I definitely will come to the trailer at Thunderhill on May 3rd. I would love to rent the e30 for an HPDE event. How do I become a licenced competitor? Is it just a matter of advancing through the HPDE groups?

Also, for the HDPE event, I don’t need to get the Phyisical Examination for NASA, do I?[/quote]You dont need a physical exam for HPDE only for application of your racing license. The best way to get your license is to go through the HPDE program within NASA. It is the way I did it and the knowledge you recieve from the group leaders is priceless. Like I said last night you are welcome to ride along with me or my team members in group 4 at the next event. Keep in mind if you bring your own car you get it teched at any automotive shop (free) that has a BAR stamp BEFORE you arrive that way you wont have to pay the $40 at the track. You can download the HPDE tech inspection form off of the NASA site.

#12

brimmertime wrote:

The physical is just for race licensing, you won’t need it for HPDE.
I’m in Mountain View as well. If you want to grab a beer and talk about spec e30, let me know. If not, I’ll see you up at Thunderhill :slight_smile:

#13

vmwerks wrote:

Walter, I know you’re a big supporter out there, and have built and supported many of the cars, and deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the growth in NorCal, but hey, please don’t go rewriting history.

Fact is, Mike Mills and Carter Hunt were the guys who got together and created the SpecE30 ruleset and brought in NASA, and there were early competitors like Steve Krshul and others who helped spread the word and show what the cars/series could be.

Plenty of people had a hand in getting NorCal up to critical mass, right?

#14

vmwerks wrote:

I am so there…

#15

Age wrote:

[quote]vmwerks wrote:

I am so there…[/quote]

+1

Lets stop the drama…:ohmy:

#16

grydemon wrote:

[quote]Age wrote:

[quote]vmwerks wrote:

I am so there…[/quote]

+1

Lets stop the drama…:ohmy:[/quote]
Hay I finally got some credit for what I have done. You start your own drama somewhere else.B)

#17

vmwerks wrote:

[quote]
beef jerky[/quote]
Thats a good mouth control device.

#18

Walter - MORE BEEF JERKY!!

#19

lol,
Glad you said it and not me…:ohmy: :woohoo:

#20

Jason:

It’s good to have you in the group.

Your NorCal Spec E30 Regional Series Director is Steve Krshul and he can answer any questions you have regarding licensing requirements, what to expect, etc.

Your NASA NorCal Regional Director is Jerry Kunzman, who is also the NASA Executive Director…or the top man in-charge. You’re lucky to have him so close.

The Valley Motorwerks guys are a great resource for car prep and general at-the-track logistics.

And feel free to contact me anytime with questions or concerns.

Carter Hunt
Spec E30 National Series Director