TrackNight pics!

[AustrianVespaGuy]

For what is maybe the last time (now that I have the beater E30 for this purpose instead), I had the 2002 out on Road Atlanta for TrackNight!  Although on the slower end of the spectrum, was definitely the best looking car out there! Go Asterix!

[RussTii]

Very pretty MintGrun 2002. Child seats in the RR were a nice touch. I was the guy with the Orange E30 trying to keep it together for the entire session.  

[AustrianVespaGuy]

Hi Russ, yes I remember chatting with you, very nice (and incredibly FAST!) E30 you had.  Next time we're out there I'll very likely be in my slow/stock E30 with you!

[jp5Touring]

Very cool,one of my favorite tracks. Bet it was a blast to drive.

[PaulTWinterton]

2 hours ago, RussTii said:

Child seats in the RR were a nice touch

 

I thought so too.

[g_force]

How does the '02 hang with the older Miatas or even e30s? I guess there probably aren't that many Miatas and e30 that haven't been converted to full on track/race cars to compare with. 

 

My e36 M3 (mostly stripped, half caged and still street legal) can still hang with most older Boxters/Caymans and most of the (non-GTR) Japanese cars, but it is showings its age against the newer German cars and the big engine bunch (Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs).

[M3M3]

3 hours ago, g_force said:

How does the '02 hang with the older Miatas or even e30s? I guess there probably aren't that many Miatas and e30 that haven't been converted to full on track/race cars to compare with. 

so many variables in the car prep and driver skill...there aren't that many 02's without performance mods either.

 

at the baseline a stock miata or e30 will crush a stock 02 with the same driver.  any other comparison is a crapshoot.

 

for example - i have yet to come across an E30 (including M3) or miata...even those in race trim...that can lap quicker than my 02 at the Summit Point tracks.  that does not mean 02's in general could hang with those cars, it is just that my 02 and its driver have had fairly, ah, significant modifications.  ?

 

bottom line though..doesn't matter what the speed is relative to the other cars on track at track days...the fact that you are out there driving a BMW as it was intended to be used is all that matters!  EVERY BMW deserves track time!!!!

 

great pics AVG!!!!  so cool to see you and your car out there having fun!

 

Edited September 13, 2018 by mlytle

[AustrianVespaGuy]

10 hours ago, mlytle said:

bottom line though..doesn't matter what the speed is relative to the other cars on track at track days...the fact that you are out there driving a BMW as it was intended to be used is all that matters!  EVERY BMW deserves track time!!!!

Thanks Marshall, that was indeed the heart of it for me!

 

There was such a wide range of cars and drivers out there it is kinda pointless to try to compare.  A Corvette pointed me by a few times that was clearly a bit lost, and there was an old RX-7 with a talented momentum driver that I couldn't manage to keep up with.  But in general I held up basically no one in the corners and then I let almost all of the newer cars by on the back straight, as I had no reason to push 4th all the way up and it was a nice chance to let the brakes cool a little to be ready for the next lap.  As I recall that white Miata *should* have pointed me by but didn't, although he wasn't so slow that it really aggravated me either; we were a pretty close match.

Personally I think that RA is better suited to a more powerful car; there's lots of fast sections.  AMP on the other hand is much tighter and more technical, and in my opinion there more horsepower is much less advantageous.  Either way, the E30 is gonna be great for both!

[RussTii]

In the bigger scheme of things both the 02 and the E30 are momentum cars. I have both , each significantly modified and they are different driving experiences. The torque of the M20 and the inherent stiffness of the E30 versus the 02 come immediately to mind, whereas the 02 seems more tossable which of course would be an advantage at a technical track such as AMP. Yes, the long back straight at RA does favor cars with more power but the ability to carry speed through the fast corners when the horsepower guys are unwilling or unable to do the same can be a great equalizer.

 

At a recent JTI event at RA I pitted next to a guy with an E46 M3 who came back in after the first session wanting to know which flavor of twincam six I was running in my E30. He was disappointed when I pulled off the hood and showed him a 2.5 Litre M20. He would catch me at the end of the straights only to see me leave him off the corners. He didn't understand how this old crock driven by an even older driver could possibly stay in front of him with his 300 plus horseponies. We had a little discussion about Power to weight ratios, driving lines, track familiarity, etc and by the end of the day he was faster if not a little less scary to the rest of us. I actually have no problem following someone as long as they are fast enough that I can learn something and I can feel reasonably certain they won't involve both of us in an Oopsy. Watched a guy with a rental car Mustang kiss the wall and blow the airbags at the start/finish line at RA from about 50 yards back in this same JTI event.