Coming up through the HPDE ranks, there were two somewhat mythical beasts that came up a lot, in hushed tones: "slicks," and "aero." Slicks in reference to DOT radial slick tires, such as the Toyo RR, Maxxis RC-1, and Hoosier R7. Aero in reference to...
Gridlife is a national automotive festival tour that embraces a wide range of car culture. Festival events include on-track sessions for HPDE, time attack, wheel to wheel racing, endurance racing, and drifting exhibitions.
Since RE has grown a bit recently, I've been trying to stay aware that my new followers may not be familiar with me or my cars. Even those familiar may not know what's been going on with each car recently. If you are new and want...
I've been modifying cars for over 20 years now (it will always pain me to say that). Thus, I've probably known about string alignments for at least 18 years. It was not until recently that I started doing them myself.
In-car video is an important tool for any type of on-track driving. Reviewing video footage can help you learn from your mistakes, see where you are leaving time on the table, solicit feedback from coaches and other drivers, and serve as a record for any incidents that occur...
At the end of the 2021 season, I was considering moving my #74 E30 down from TT5 to TT6, in the hopes of making the car more competitive. My car never fit into TT5 very well: it has always kind of lingered between classes 5 and 6, which at the...
The last couple of years have been a wild ride. When the opportunity to compete in Gridlife full-time presented itself, I could not say no: I knew that I would regret it if I did. Racing in GLTC with my closest friends has been nothing short of core memories....
Ahh, the venerated GoPro. The most recognizable action camera is currently in its 13th generation, featuring notable improvements over past generations. But this is not a tech or film blog. We're here for the racing. Most of you have probably owned and used a GoPro for motorsports at...
My very long-time friend, Mike Burroughs of StanceWorks fame, recently posted a video declaring that he hates the nearly-perfect S54 E36 he has owned for 17+ years. This is an E36 that, by all measures, is one of the nicest out there – and it has been for the better part of two decades.
We are in an era where almost all professional race cars are official "factory" cars produced by the marque, as opposed to customer-built creations that started life as showroom production cars. It wasn't that long ago that teams had to build, develop, and campaign their...
I love nerding out about roll cage design. Door bars in particular. There is something almost voyeuristic about seeing part of a roll cage through an open door. While a roll cage alludes to protection in a rollover, in wheel to wheel competition you are more likely to get hit...
Say the letters "PTG," and any E36 fan will immediately have a mental image. Prototype Technology Group campaigned their BMW-contracted E36 M3 program to great success in the mid-late 1990s. The GT3 class cars featured distinct bodywork, impressive development, and legendary drivers (Bill Auberlen and Boris...
What is an OEM-style shifter? On most manual transmission BMWs, the shifter linkage consists of a sub-assembly that includes it's own "carrier", selector rod, and shift lever. In addition, there are some bushings and shims involved to keep things tight. The pivot "cup&...
As detailed in my recent post about Tire Parity in NASA Racing, there are new rules for NASA's power to weight racing classes (ST and TT) intended to create better parity between the bevy of tire choices. Thankfully these new rules are not based on manufacturer's...
Over the years, my track experience has mostly been relegated to the E30 chassis; up until recently, the only other platforms I had driven hard were an E36 on track and a GR WRX at autocross. While the E36 featured some very notable improvements in suspension design and chassis dynamics...
