After spending a few days with BimmerWorld to get our 435i prepped for time trial duties, it’s time to take our BMW to its first big event: SCCA Time Trials National Tour at Virginia International Raceway, March 9-10.
[Live Thread: Prepping our 435i for SCCA Time Trials with BimmerWorld]
We’re expecting a sizable field of competitors as the event is sold out. The public …
Our entry time into the track got pushed back a bit, so it was a lot of bustling to get the car unloaded, get checked in and teched and get the car stickered up. But it's all set to go, and tomorrow is supposed to be a wet one. Forecast calls for rain all day, with up to 3/4-inch soaking VIR from sunup to sundown. James Clay will be stpping by to take a few laps in the Track Event portion of the festivities and I'm looking forward to sharing data and learning the wet line at VIR.
Some cool stuff in the paddock, too.
It's so wet here. I expect animals to start pairing off soon
47 and rainy. Perfect track weather.
Sounds like the ARRC back in the day.
All Skate!!!!
Tire Rack windshield banners make everything look cool.
Take a quick look at this grid and tell me what year it is.
JG Pasterjak said:47 and rainy. Perfect track weather.
Not sure it helps in anyway, but you can code the car with Bimmercode and have it display individual tire temperatures along with pressure on that screen. Like so:
Finally! Dry weather!
morning practice session was 45-degrees, but sunny and dry. Car is soooo much fun. Neutral and predictable, but it needs a little extra time to do everything because it's pushing 3650. Still, great grip from the Bridgestones in the cold, and supple, benign manners from the Koni and Eibach suspension bits. The Hawk DTC60s are a good track compound for the car and its heft.
12 cars in the S3 class, so it's going to be a battle in our debut event.
Only issue after a dry session was a tiny bit of fender rub on the left rear. These are 18x10 ET25s with 285/35-18s. Totally acceptable, though.
First competition session in the books, and still running like a champ. Tight battle at the front of our class.
Ben Smolen currently sits 4th in S2, but he's winning the paddock.
VIR has been absolutely unforgiving this weekend. Yesterday we had torrential rain. Today we have a dry track, but any mistake that sends you into the grass ends in a long, wet ride. Time trial carries fewer risks than wheel to wheel racing, but the speeds are just as high and the walls are just as solid. This is a big part of the reason that we chose to put additional safety equipment in our BMW even though it was running in the most lightly prepared category.
Today there is go on track and lots of show in the paddock. VIR is hosting a car show in addition to the SCCA time trial national event.
Back on the trailer with zero issues all weekend and a narrow miss of the podium. Zero complaints, though. There's a lot to like here.
And if anyone is shopping for trailer tires, these come highly recommended.
JG Pasterjak said:Ben Smolen currently sits 4th in S2, but he's winning the paddock.
He certainly owns it. Well done.
Hey JG, it was a pleasure meeting you in the paddock and competing against you in S3. I really like your philosophy of the "60-minute track prep" dual duty car, it perfectly captures the essence of Sport class.
I too was bumped from the podium (by yet another dang $50-60k Honda), but considering how outgunned my stock tune Hyundai on 235s was, I really can't complain about the results. Looking forward to reading/watching the rest of your journey with the 435i!
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
That suit is you.
Glad you guys had fun and stayed safe.
I hate I missed it, but apparently missing a milestone wife birthday would be one of the few things in life more expensive than racing cars.
RacerBowie said:Glad you guys had fun and stayed safe.
I hate I missed it, but apparently missing a milestone wife birthday would be one of the few things in life more expensive than racing cars.
Yeah despite the monsoon saturday and all the cars in the wall it was a fun weekend. I'm really encouraged by the BMW's performance considering how little prep it has and how little time I have in it. I'm not sure I'm a threat to your 2:80.xx any time soon, but I know there's 10s in it with a little more work and seat time. It's a lot of car for under $20k off a used car lot.
Any guesses where it will now land on our FIRM lap time chart?
1:19.1
gsettle said:1:19.1
If we can manage that it will equal the 500hp E90 3-Series of BimmerWorld, and that would make me really happy.
I don't think we're there yet, but I think we'll be able to come close before we're done.
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