BMW Club Racing School

If you don't feel like reading the novel, watch the Practice Race Video

You can also watch the same video with the theme song to Magnum PI HERE

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America brought a unique opportunity to Colorado this year, the BMW Club Racing School.

“The philosophy of BMW CCA Club Racing is to offer all BMW CCA licensed club racers a competitive driving experience conducted in a fun, safe, and friendly environment on a reasonably level, class-based playing field for all types of factory authorized or constructed BMW's. The primary emphasis is on clean driving and machinery preservation. This philosophy will be maintained by the application of common rules and procedures by the BMW CCA Club Racing Stewards at each event.”

With Bimmerworld as the main sponsor, the Club Racing School offers some of the best bang for the buck in racing schools. I was extremely impressed with the talent of both the instructors and my fellow students. The first order of business was to get the M Coupe sorted. I don’t intend to make the M Coupe a race car, or even a dedicated track car, but it is a perfect learning tool! The biggest thing holding me back at the track in the fall was the stock suspension. Here’s what I did about it, along with some other spring projects.

Spring Projects

KW Variant 3 Coil-overs with Rouge Rear Shock Mounts

Ireland Engineering Urethene Rear Subframe Bushings

Swapped Front Shock Mounts = -3.5 Degrees Negative Camber

I sourced a 3:46 torsen limited slip differential out of an ’88 635csi. The M Coupe’s original 3:15 ratio was too tall to get the most out of the S54 engine. The rumor is that BMW did that so it wouldn’t be faster than the more expensive M3. A 3:73 would be perfect for the track, but 3:46 is a good compromise for street driving and track. The great thing about the M Coupe is that any medium case differential from the ‘80’s and early ‘90’s will work. There are some advantages to having a car designed from the parts bin.

3:46 Limited Slip Differential from an ’88 635csi with Andrew's M Roadster Finned Cover

Momo Mod Drift 330mm Steering Wheel

New Dunlop Star Spec Z Tires

New Castrol 10W-60 Oil and Motul Racing Brake Fluid

Turned Rotors to Remove Brake Pad Deposits

Check-in at the Club Racing School was at 7:00am. On my drive out to HPR the forecast of rain was confirmed by a solid band of moisture pumping into Colorado from the southwest. It would be a wet morning. It would also be my first time driving on the track in the wet.

The Club Racing School consisted of about eight hours of classroom and four twenty-minute track sessions each day. The first thing we did was warm up on the track during the instructor-drive. The rest of our morning was spent discussing off-line driving and passing, followed by driving the entire track three abreast and working on passing drills. The afternoon centered on practice race starts and flags drills.

I took it easy during the instructor-drive. It was my first time on the track after all the changes to the M Coupe, I think the wet actually helped me get a feel for the car because it forced me to be smooth. After a few laps I was amazed at how well the Dunlop Star Spec tires evacuated water.

Speed came organically each with lap as I grew more comfortable with the car and the conditions. Unlike the dry, some of the best grip was off-line away from the oil and rubber deposits. There were times when I would hit puddles of standing water at close to 100mph, sending rooster tails ten feet into the air. Threading the needle between the wettest areas and best grip was just like picking the best line of the trail on the mountain bike. My karting experience also paid huge dividends in car control!

Notes from Day 1:

• The workload of clearing for passing traffic, driving off line, driving in close proximity to a lot of cars, and scanning the corner stations made me feel like a novice again.
• I don't look at the corner workers nearly enough and had to force myself to do so increasingly throughout the school.
• One great suggestion is to have a flow. Before each turn scan the corner station, braking point, downshift point, turn in, apex, and exit for potential outs and traffic.
• Use the straights to check engine instruments.
• The M Coupe has terrible mirrors. Even angled all the way out it's hard to see traffic.
• In racing, it's safer to pass and form up closer to the car being passed--like the width of a few coats of paint! This allows the overtaking car to present itself sooner and fill the mirrors of the car being passed.
• The three abreast drills and later passing drills were a lot like formation flying.
• The most efficient way to pass is to do so in a way that has the least costly effect on both car's lap times.
• Know the rules, the track, and your competition. Formulate a plan to capitalize on your strengths and everyone else's weaknesses.

The practice starts were terrifying at first, but as we all learned to trust each other the terror gave way to fun! It's really no different than a mass start at a mountain biking race. Imagine the start of 24 Hours of Moab at 100mph!

Day 1 Practice Starts and Flag Drills

Badass Lotus in the Paddock

Jo Experiencing the Nissan GT-R

After the club banquet, Casey, Melinda, and I found a one-wall car wash over a mud pit in the town of Deer Trail. Then it was off to The Lonehorn Motel for a few hours sleep. There was literally a million dollars worth of cars in the motel parking lot!

One Wall Car Wash Over a Mud Pit

The Longhorn Motel

Day two consisted of more learning of the rules, practice starts, flag drills, qualifying, and re-starts both behind a pace car and single file from a full course yellow. The last exercise was a simulated race.

We warmed up again during the instructor-drive. With an empty track and no drills, I pushed the M Coupe harder, still learning my new setup. The small deep-dish steering wheel, suspension, and negative front camber transformed the car. On the stock set up it was like a rattlesnake waiting to pounce. It would understeer, understeer, and understeer right up until that gave way to dramatic oversteer. This is mostly due to gobs of power, a trailing arm rear suspension, and a short wheelbase. It was rewarding when I got it right, but terrifying the rest of the time. The suspesion changes squelched the understeer and the small steering wheel allowed so much more precision in dialing in a little slip angle and controlling the rotation. It also finally let's me shift unimpeded - finally!

Notes from Day Two:

• A yellow is an opportunity to close the gap on the cars in front of you. Drive just as fast as during the green. Do not slow down except for near the incident!
• The turn flow works. I saw flags a lot sooner today and was much more comfortable in traffic.
• Qualifying is an art. Get a few fast laps in as early as possible in case the later sessions are cancelled, there is an incident, or conditions change for the worse.
• The fastest qualifying laps are usually just after one or two warm up laps. Once the brakes and tires are warm, put in three good laps. If your lap times are not getting better, take a cool down lap, hot pit, or call it.
• Don't try to drive a qualifying lap much different than a normal lap. Brake a little later and turn in a little faster. Very small changes! If you try to make large changes you will probably be slower than normal.
• Don't think too much about the qualifying laps. Just find your "zen" and do it!
• Drive single file on the pace laps and pace car restarts until near the start so you can keep more heat in the brakes and tires. Grid up as late as possible.
• Be more aggressive in capitalizing on passing opportunities. Metered aggression...
• Don't give up time getting passed. Hold your line and let the passing car do the work. Be safe, but don't be too polite.
• Capitalize on cars being passed ahead of you. Follow the passing car, but always have an out and make sure the car being passed is aware you are passing too.
• Draft and pull out to pass as late as possible. Stay close as you pass and tuck back in on-line quickly.
• DON'T RUN OUT OF GAS DURING THE RACE!

More Practice Starts and Flag Drills

Qualifying Session

My Best lap was 2:13:34.  Just like the instructors said, the best one was after one warm up lap.  The next two were still 2:13's, but diminishing returns.  After three laps I pulled off for cool down lap.

Go Pro Footage w/ Telemetry Overlay

Speeds & Lateral G's

Practice Race

For our last session we combined all the skills we had learned through the weekend in a practice race.  We would grid in any order we wanted and start just like a Club Race. At some point there would be a yellow flag and possible restart.  It was still an exercise so we were told to drive at 8/10ths, and for the most part we did.  I gridded near the back to work on passing.

As someone who gets paid to not run out of gas, you would think that wouldn't be a problem. Wrong! Before the session I had just over 1/3 of a tank. I had been using about 1/4 a tank on the longer sessions, so I opted to go out in a lighter car and not pay $9.05 a gallon for the 98 octane that HPR sells. It was a poor strategy as I drove the car much, much harder in the "racing environment". I would bet I was getting 6-8mpg! The needle would fall about two needle widths per lap.  I stayed out until literally the last possible drop!

Beyond Empty

After the last session we were all smiles. I could see why the instructors said the racing school was more fun than an actual race. We got a bunch of starts and mixing it up, but no pressure to win. I highly recommend it for any advanced DE student. As far as my personal racing future goes, money will be the ultimate factor in what type I settle into. Casey and I test drove an E30 race car that was an astonishing three seconds faster around HPR than my M coupe, but again that money thing.

Shots from Day 2

Corvette ZR1 and E46 M3 Race Car

The M Coupe Gridded in the Middle of 3 Generations of M3's and a 2002

3.0Csi

2002 Race Cars

1 M Coupe

Awesome Vinyl Wrap

The Esses - Turns 13, 14, & 15

The weekend was a complete blast and a reminder that it's the people, not the cars that make it fun. It was great seeing all of my friends in the BMW Club and making some new ones. Andrew gave me a dedicated session on braking points in his E92 M3, Justin took Jo for a proper track experience in his Nissan GTR, mixing it up with Kyle and Wayne in their 2002 race cars made me smile so hard my cheeks hurt, and laughing it up with Casey was the perfect therapy to unwind from the intensity of the track. Thanks to Scott Huges, and all of the instructors for putting on the Club Racing School. And thanks to Andrew, Bruce, the club organizers, corner workers, and all of the people in the BMW Club for putting on such a safe, fun, and rewarding weekend.

Packed Up After a Great Weekend

Where the Micro Buses Go to Die

I know of a sanctuary of sorts. It's not for birds, tigers, or dogs. No its inhabitants are much less organic, but easily recognizable - the original Volkswagen Bus. The Type II Transporter was born in post war Germany. It evolved from a factory converted Type I (Beetle) that was used as an internal cargo vehicle. It became an icon of a generation in both the original split window form and later bubble window version.

I had a '73 Westfalia bubble window that defined my teenage years, emptied my wallet, and taught me how to work on cars. I drove it up and down the East Coast, into the Deep South, through the Rockies, and across the Northern Plains. All at a blistering Vmax of 60mph with a long line of cars, trucks, even mopeds angrily waiting pass.

My '73 Westy

The sanctuary is a final resting spot for hundreds of split and bubble window Type II's. It's secret location, just off I-25 north of Denver, is known only to a select few. Take Erie Parkway west to the stop sign. Make a left then the entrance is about half a mile on the right. If you see the dump you've gone too far. Oh and don't turn early into the RV storage before the stop sign. The "select few" is the entire '90's era readership of VW Trends Magazine, every VW Type II forum member on the planet, and anyone who's needed a used car part from Blake's Small Car Salvage.

Okay, the secret of Blake's has been out since the '80's rendering all the good bus shells long gone. Blake's will still sell you one for $1500, but you have to provide a replacement for either the junkyard wall or parts storage the shells have become. I frequent Blake's often for E30 and Tacoma parts. They aren't the cheapest, but they usually have what I need and getting to see the buses is a bonus.

Split Window

Bubble Window

Last month I needed a window motor for the E30. The seldom travelled side roads I take to get there would be a good opportunity rev the M Coupe, so off I went in the clown shoe. Blake's is a photographer's goldmine, especially if you like rusty, industrious subjects. I didn't have my SLR, but was kindly allowed to snap a few cell phone pics as we moved from bus shell to bus shell looking for a '88.5-'92 BMW E30 driver's side window motor. As we wandered the yard the sky darkened with ominous cumulo-mamatus clouds. The grey seemed appropriate for the scene, contrasting the shades of faded pastels and rust perfectly. I couldn't help but wonder how many miles traveled, adventures had, or shear tons of marijuana had been consumed amongst fleet.

Walls and Parts Storage

This One's Got Stories

This One Too

I got my parts and went on my way. Whenever I think of my old VW bus it conjures up happy memories. The freedom it offered me to venture out on the open road, to explore a newly accessible world. It taught me to appreciate things most people take for granted, like heat in the winter or a gear shifter with the number 5 on it. I'd like to build up another one day. Maybe something with a Subaru motor and luxuries like heat. Or maybe a bone stock split window with the original1500cc motor. Either way my relationship with the venerable Type II is still intact. And just like a Type II, a trip to Blake's leaves my wallet lighter, but my heart fonder.

Of Course I Had to Take a Few with the M Coupe