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+--- Thread: Das Race: My '97 M3/4/5 (/showthread.php?tid=10430)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 04-29-2014
I cleaned the ICV last night and it made no real difference in idle.
Some Googling makes me think it could be the Secondary Air Pump fucking with things (the idle stabilizes after ~60 seconds of you sitting there revving it, OR if you just drive it ~500 feet) or a random vacuum leak.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Maengelito - 04-29-2014
Jake Wrote:I cleaned the ICV last night and it made no real difference in idle.
Some Googling makes me think it could be the Secondary Air Pump fucking with things (the idle stabilizes after ~60 seconds of you sitting there revving it, OR if you just drive it ~500 feet) or a random vacuum leak.
I would say its about 500 feet from our paddock spot to VIR's false grid, and you'll definitely be sitting there for longer than 60 seconds. Why not track it this weekend? :dunno:
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 04-29-2014
Let me see how many of the pops and clunks I can sort out tonight.
Gotta throw rear brakes on it, too, which should be quick enough. I found another set of near-new Carbotechs (thanks, Jim!) in my box of BMW fun last night.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-05-2014
Chris from Finish Line Productions put the photos up from the Summit Point weekend... I really dig the look on DJ's dark gray Enkeis:
![[Image: bGzTBLZ.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/bGzTBLZ.jpg)
He got some good ones of my parents Hyperdrive session, too. Here's Dad passing a Miata:
![[Image: l3CNWWH.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/l3CNWWH.jpg)
and Mom Crossfireing her way down the front straight:
![[Image: QgB2xnx.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/QgB2xnx.jpg)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - JPolen01 - 05-05-2014
Do those hoops pop out in case of a rollover? Helmets above them don't look very safe.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-05-2014
JPolen01 Wrote:Do those hoops pop out in case of a rollover? Helmets above them don't look very safe.
No, they are fixed. Per NASA rules, this is one of the "approved" convertibles on the list for track use with stock safety gear... that said, I think most people will massively fail the broomstick test in it. OK for a Hyperdrive, less OK for much of anything else.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Kaan - 05-05-2014
its on the list of lawyer approved verts i'm pretty sure.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Senor_Taylor - 05-05-2014
That's what freaked me out in the Miata the other day. Did they not think anyone would ever roll one? Convertibles are crazy.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-05-2014
Senor_Taylor Wrote:That's what freaked me out in the Miata the other day. Did they not think anyone would ever roll one? Convertibles are crazy.
Well in theory, the windshield frame should support the weight of the car.
In reality, particularly on a track where higher speeds under cornering are more prevalent, it can't and won't and your head is gonna go every-which-way.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Evan - 05-05-2014
I had a hyperdrive student at hyperfest #2 with an old VW rabbit convertible with the lunchbox handle "roll hoop". You could bend that thing with your hands.
Didnt help that he was an autoXer on race tires who thought he was THE SHIT, couldnt find an corner on the track that he didnt apex 10 feet early, and liked to take both hands off the steering wheel on every straight even after I yelled at the SOB 5 times.
my first and last hyperdrive instruction.
not a fan of the "its just a hyperdrive its ok" safety mentality. it only takes once.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-05-2014
Evan Wrote:not a fan of the "its just a hyperdrive its ok" safety mentality. it only takes once.
If you saw the speed at which my mom was Hyperdriving, you'd be less concerned... :roll: She's uh, not the fastest.
That said, I fully support them building another E36 and getting a diesel truck and two-car trailer to use for events that we all attend.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Sully - 05-06-2014
TL;DR
SO WHEN ARE WE DIPPING!
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-06-2014
Sully Wrote:TL;DR
SO WHEN ARE WE DIPPING!
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
When I dip you dip we dip.
Uhh, I dunno. Whenever you have The Stuff and I have The Cash to make it happen.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-19-2014
First Time at NJMP Thunderbolt: 148,800 miles
I have a friend in New Jersey who started asking me about HPDEs and things a few months ago. We're internet friends (Bimmerfest E36 forum, hooray) and I told him to pick a NASA Northeast weekend and I'd come up to run NJMP with him. So, we settled on this past weekend and ran with NE at the Thunderbolt track, which is the longer and less technical of the two. Tyler brought his boyfriend Mike with him, and I brought someone new I've been seeing as well. They both did Hyperdrives on Saturday and Sunday. Tyler was in DE 1 and I elected to go out in DE 3, in order to focus on learning the car more and working on some track basics.
The track
Thunderbolt is kind of like Summit Point Main for length (2.x miles) and had a couple of spots that were far quicker than I imagined. I picked up on a lot of things pretty quickly and then spent the weekend honing the spots where I was slow.
![[Image: uCDyqZK.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/uCDyqZK.jpg)
We did not run the chicanes at T2 and T4 and were allowed to pass everywhere but "the octopus" which they considered T8 to T11. Elevation changes are fun - there's a spot at T3 where you crest a little hill and can't see the other side but stay in it goddammit or the car gets a bit floaty. You end up cresting the hill at 100 mph with your foot in the carpet... fun stuff.
Oh, and I may have carried a bit too much speed through T3 on Sunday morning before the hill... tracked left to the curbing and uh, ran out of curbing. Dropped 1.5 tires off (left side), kept the pedal down and got back on track with no issue. But that was my "reel it in" moment where I realized I had to drive the thing home.
I had a hard time getting T10 figured out all weekend. The instructor in the classroom said he considered it kind of a throwaway turn, so I didn't feel that bad about it. But, once you're out of 10, you can put the hammer down and be flat from T11a all the way to the end of the front straight. It's a great feeling when you nail it.
The cars
My M3 did great. Needs rear balljoints/bushings and the octopus made that very apparent. Tires did well (year-old Star Specs) and managed most of a 25-minute session without getting too greasy. Used under a quart of oil over ~200 track miles which I think is fine. Still blows a chunk of smoke at startup and idles poorly on cold start, but runs like a top after that. I should change the oil and brake fluid before Hyperfest.
Tyler's got a 250k-mile 325is (E36) and it also did great. We rotated his tires front-to-back on Sunday morning as the fronts were starting to chunk a little. He had a blast, learned a lot and was advanced to HPDE 2 after Saturday's sessions, then solo'd after the second Sunday session.
Mike brought his 160k-mile E90 325i for the Hyperdrive... made it about 7 good laps and it started to overheat so he pulled in. Popped the hood and there was coolant everywhere. It looked (to me) like it overflowed out of the bleed screw. He's on the stock water pump, though, so we were hoping it wasn't that. I guess we'll find out, but it was OK after it cooled back down and he drove it home that evening.
Our little paddock spot:
![[Image: TZ0i9iR.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/TZ0i9iR.jpg)
The Northeast vs. Mid-Atlantic comparison
It's inevitable that you'll compare NE to MA when you spend ~8 years working and driving for one group, only to go spend a weekend with new folks and learn they do things differently.
First off, Hyperdrives with MA are a huge deal and we sell out much of the time. There were only five students on Saturday, and just Ben driving on Sunday. I was amazed. And, they do it as a lead-follow with no corner workers and no passing allowed. Fortunately, Ben was out as the first car both days (he drove the M3) so he got some good speed and was able to learn a few things. But if you're not the lead car, it seems like glorified lunch laps.
Ben in the M3, pre-Hyperdrive:
![[Image: HmSbdYz.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/HmSbdYz.jpg)
We had a mandatory "download" session after each DE 3 track session. Just a quick "how did things go" meeting. Helpful, nice, expected. What surprised me was the amount of discussion we had - even on Sunday - about how to properly pass people. I didn't think that was "a thing" once you were at the DE 3/4 level but perhaps I'm wrong, as I haven't been in that group for a while now.
No Corvette pain trains in NE, instead they're Porsche Pain Trains. We had 4 GT3's out with us alongside a Cayman and 911.
I've always thought DE 3 was the hardest group to drive in, because you get a lot of wet-behind-the-ears guys who are just out of DE 2, and then you get folks who have been there forever. This was no exception and the gap in skill was huuuuge. To everyone's credit, though, we did all work together to manage traffic and all turn some hot laps. Nobody hit anything and only had a few offs in our group all weekend, none of which were major.
We have a dedicated announcer, they do not. Consequently, their announcements are far more casual and easy to ignore/miss.
DE groups earn a black flag every time someone has to be towed in. No hot pulls. That was disappointing as it made one session about 6.5 minutes long as two racecars from the prior group had to be pulled in.
No pace car except for the races (and they use a Titan and Powerstroke Excursion...) so you just go out when Pit Out says so, and uh, green flag I guess. It was very unnerving.
A lot of these sound like minor gripes, because they are. I really did have a fun, fun time up there this weekend and I hope to make it back up to check out Lightning sometime this year. Everyone was very friendly (just with more guido accents) and it was pretty nice to drive and not work for once. Video to come tomorrow once I find my GoPro in my bag.
Paddock shot from the top of the tower - gorgeous weather:
![[Image: FJJNjPB.png]](http://i.imgur.com/FJJNjPB.png)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - navin - 05-19-2014
Nice -- I've been meaning to make it up there sometime, but the NASA-NE prices are a bit steep.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-19-2014
navin Wrote:Nice -- I've been meaning to make it up there sometime, but the NASA-NE prices are a bit steep.
Yeah, it was $525 for the weekend, and allegedly they haven't changed their pricing in three years
hock:
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Kaan - 05-19-2014
holy crap... that's baller NYC prices right there!
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - *insertusernamehere* - 05-19-2014
Reading this made me want to be at a racetrack. Right. Now.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-19-2014
*insertusernamehere* Wrote:Reading this made me want to be at a racetrack. Right. Now.
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Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - ScottyB - 05-19-2014
solid writeup Jake. I'd love to get around to running that track some day.