Das Race: My '97 M3/4/5

[Jake]

I'm bad at updating this thread lately.

Here's how Oktoberfast at VIR went (spoiler: went well, more 2:10s-and-change, can go faster): https://outmotorsports.com/2019/11/vir-o...datlantic/

Our season-closer at Summit went well too. I pulled the car out on Friday night just to rearrange the trailer, and then drove the car into the trailer door somehow (missed a ramp? idk) which ripped off half of my plywood splitter that DJ so excellently cut back when he once raced an E36 M3. I borrowed Cobetto's Sawzall and cut everything to be reasonably straight again, just shorter.

The car felt great all weekend and like we were working together for once, instead of me wrestling with it a little bit. I have never felt as comfortable at Summit as I do at VIR but this weekend was different in a good way. Still working on really sticking my nose in there on race starts - I need to read up and study some racecraft in the off-season. In any case, we had 9 start the weekend and I finished 5th/6th for both races. That got me enough points to take 3rd for the 2019 GTS2 season. I've had the M3 for six years (!!) and now six season podiums to show for it.

Set a new PB on Sunday in our "fun" points-less Beast Of The East race, got into the low 1:22's and could have had some 1:21's if I'd pushed a hair more. Seeing the "theoretical best lap" in the AIM software makes me really want to push more. It claimed a high 1:20 was possible based on my driving which, yay.

Gotta figure out what's on my list for FlimFlam this off-season. The car is running well so not much on the surface. Nationals approved a ratio change (from 14:1 to 13.5:1) which means I can lose ~100 lbs or gain some powerz. I think the weight loss will be the easier route.

Some of the GTS2 crew:



2019 GTS2 podium finishers. First place got a kickass trophy this year.



Scott got this pic on Sunday morning with my hair all a disaster. Hard to believe it's been six years with this BMW.



Saturday's second race (had a few good passes early on):



Beast of the East (set new PB) -- things get good around 10:30 mark, though I was irritated by the new guy Clayton more or less driving me off of the track as I was trying to pass him.