budget for local club racing

caracas_e30 · #1 (**permalink**) 12-29-2003, 08:54 PM

i see some of you are already experienced in the field so i thought i would ask you guys the following:

1. Around how much money are we talking about to get a car ( e30 325is) prepped for tracking....Like small track events and even local races?

2. AM i just being foolish thinking i can do this with a small budget? my car is already prettty fast for my liking, but being fast is nothing without control of the car... which leads to the following

3. What things must a car have to handle corners well?

4. As for the most important part, Safety. What must a car include? I know a roll cage is pretty important but which kind, I have found bolt in and weld in kits.

5. What events do you suggest a beginner starts out with? that is after local auto x events and so on

jderry · #2 (**permalink**) 12-30-2003, 01:30 PM

Others will chime in here. I am not sure if you are talking about SPEC E-30 racing, BMW club racing, or just local HPDE's and the occassional NASA event.

I am guessing it is the latter two rather than the former two. Thus, I am basing my answers on these assumptions:

a) money wise, it depends. A lot is dependent on skill level. Sunir will rip through pads and tires in 2 days. Myself, it would take maybe 12 track days to do his damage. So, it depends on how aggressively you drive. I go out there to learn and become better. I have no aspirations for club racing at the moment. So, I am driving around 8/10th's-9/10th's most of the time.

b) small budget? How small? If you can afford tires and brake pads, go for it. Try out local HPDE's ... they do not wear your tires that badly when you are starting out. Hell, I went to an HPDE on Blizzak LM-22's.

c) To handle corners well ... since you have an E30, you already know, no braking or lifting in corners. So, other than that, not much more to do. A lot is going to be the driver. If you can drive 10/10th's already ... then consider the suspension. If you cannot, don't bother with the suspension IMHO. I took Sunir's advice and just tracked the car using the stock suspension ... I think adding an aftermarket suspension, sways, coilovers, RCCA's, etc can only make me better in the long run --- IF I learn how to drive the car stock.

d) I would go with a welded in kit if you are serious. If you are a weekend warrior. I think a bolt-in cage is fine. Many instructors use the autopower one. I know Sunir and other club guys hate it and disagree with me; but, you know, not all of us wants a $1500 welded cage

... Just be forewarned, try to avoid driving it in the streets. Moreover, you will know need racing seats (fixed) ... with the roll bar.

e) I suggest doing HPDE's ... get a feel for what you like. Have an instructor take you along and ride at speed. Auto-x is great, I like it; but, it is nothing like being on the track. If you abruptly transfer weight as you would in auto-x, you are going off ... moreover, there's much more modulation of the accelerator and brakes than auto-x IMHO.

I think if you are serious about doing W2W racing ... you need to be able to honestly state, if I crash my car, I am okay with it. In an HPDE, I really doubt that this would happen unless you are driving 10/10th's and above, or do something really wacky. However, in W2W, you never know, you might crash b/c you have to avoid the person in front of you. So, if you can't afford to crash the car ...

I would stick with HPDE's and autox ... just my 2 cents

325Fan · #3 (**permalink**) 01-01-2004, 12:20 AM

It's fun taking the track even stock man. Just go out there and have a blast.

SpeedinBlueBimmer · #4 (**permalink**) 01-01-2004, 01:01 AM

Yea spend more time on the track. When you say you want a car for local club racing you can usually show up in any car and then you are broken down into classes. When I was last at Thunder hill we had 3 classes. 1 was newbies with street cars, 2 was more experienced drivers with slightly faster/better cars, 3 was race cars meaning it was for dedicated track cars.

caracas_e30 · #5 (**permalink**) 01-05-2004, 12:09 AM

i have pretty sweet tracks nearby and i think sometime in march there will be a FATT so maybe i can do my first tracking experience at the track here. should be fun and exciting

speed limit? · #6 (**permalink**) 01-19-2004, 01:06 AM

what track is near by to potomac?

Dado · #7 (**permalink**) 01-19-2004, 02:56 PM

since he said FATT he is talking about Summit. It is a little less then an hour drive to Summit from Potomac.

speed limit? · #8 (**permalink**) 01-19-2004, 06:27 PM

would it be acceptable to show up with a A6 2.8l or is that not sporty enough. i have never been to a track before and am not quite sure what to expect.

jderry · #9 (**permalink**) 01-20-2004, 12:31 PM

I've taken my Lexus SC400 to Summit Point just for the hell of it when my bimmers were down. So, any car you can bring up there.

Summit Point is in West Virginia. It's a REALLY fast drive from Potomac actually ... hop on 270 going to frederick, then to 70 going west, first exit get off on some other road, forget, stay on it for a little bit ... and you are there ...

The point of going is not to prove you are the next JPM ... but, rather to improve your driving skills. IF you drive your A6 all of the time, you will be a better driver at the end of the day. Take it as fast or as slow as you want ... I guarantee you'll have a blast.