Progress on the bmw1602.com car ...** UPDATED 09/16/24 *

[bmw1602.com]

You can nearly see it.... the last time my car was at Buttonwillow raceway was for British Extravaganza 2007!! Hoping to be there this weekend !! I DNF’d last time.... hoping for a fun clean weekend of racing. Here we go! 

[bmw1602.com]

Never a dull moment. Instead of being at the track testing today ..... woke up early and went to @iemotorsports to pickup a new clutch as we are thinking the vibration I am feeling might be coming from the clutch coming apart?? The clutch is 15-20yrs old anyway, so I did the smart thing and decided to skip the test day and maybe change something that might DNF me. Slowly replacing all the old legacy parts. 

 

 

Tranny is out and new clutch installed....maybe I can still make it to the track in time for 1 test run?

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These headers are a mess...this is the 4th time welding cracks in this header... we had to pound the headers in more because they still contacting the steering arms..... now it clears.... but just barely.... I REALLY need some quality headers. Tired of dealing with this....

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I made it to the track just in time to do 3 laps....was enough to allow me to sleep better at night

 

enjoy the paddock....

 

Transporter game strong ??

 

 

also 

“Pre-war” race class looking sharp!

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March F1 car, BMW V12 powered. Origianl engine was Ford DFV but since those are so expensive he modified a BMW V12 out of a 750 to fit in teh chassis. makes for much cheaper running and still makes prety good power. Downside is longer wheelbase....altough he says makes the car a bit More stable in fast corners.

[bmw1602.com]

Track setup on point ?

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Shawn Essex amazing tube frame 2800cs race car

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Took 40years to get here.... taking a moment as the sun sets to be proud of myself and take it all in...... today was a great day very much looking forward to tomorrow.... ?

 

What you see in these pictures is much more than just a nice pit/items/stuff.......it represents 12 years of my hard work since the last tiem I ran the car in 2007.....I was out here on a shoestring sleeping in a tent....DNF'ing every race because I was cutting corners. I'm proud I was able to build a carreer and then a business in that time. Now I can come back to my passion with a bit more comfort and enjoy every day a bit more.....

[bmw1602.com]

 

Morning practice was cut short with a bad fuel pump which was probably also the culprit of my fuel issues at the last race....incredibly looks like my brand new holly fuel pressure regulator also was bad. As luck would have it another fellow racer just happened to have a identical spare fuel pump and I threw on my old FPR.... never a dull moment!!! Got her all fixed up just in time for the race!! Let’s do this!! ...

[bmw1602.com]

 

What a way to end the weekend! The borrowed fuel pump worked perfect and the car finally ran flawless for the first time!!! Right when it counted too, I managed to slide in behind Jeff Ireland and stick with him long enough to learn a few things and managed to drop 4 seconds of my best time on Saturday!! .... I’d like to thank Matt @roninautowerks for the last min work last week, my friend Pat for helping me change the clutch last min on Friday, the guys @iemotorsports for having the right things in stock and most of all my fellow vara competitors that came over and helped and loaned me parts that enable me to have a car to even race. Another awesome weekend with @vara_racing !!!

 

Was surprised to get the awards plaque....it is kinda nice to go home with something....after all the decades of sweat, tears and dollars....it's nice to go home with something to put in my office and remind me of why I'm working 

[bmw1602.com]

 

 

Perfect end to any race weekend.... 2 happy racers driving home with their cars the same way the came..... minus some dead bugs ? the weather was perfect, the food tasty, people were all smiles thank you to @vara_racing for putting on an amazing event. The British carshow had some gorgeous machines, the pre-war cars were a sight to see and I just love the variety of cars around the paddock. Better yet to see and hear them on the track. 

 

In case you were wondering about lap times .... set my PB during the flag race on Sunday. Felt good to knock off 4 seconds over the course of the weekend. Now that the “fat” is trimmed so to speak, looking forward to coming back here and trying to break the 2:10 mark, I know there is plenty to improve in my driving and the car so I know I can get there and I’m very looking forward to getting the chance to do it again at Octoberfest! 

[bmw1602.com]

 

Here are the highlights from British Extravaganza BSedan flag race. It was a bit of a hectic start, was in the wrong gear and dropped down at the last min! Then going into the “buttonhook” (slow dogleg type corner) I put myself in a bad spot, sometimes you have a split second to make a decision and you make the wrong one, This is vintage racing and there is no place for dive bomb passes but the mini braked early I went to the inside and for some reason thought I had time to get by instead of just braking and falling in behind him..... I found myself out of racing room and ran out of room quickly and found myself in a place I shouldn’t have put myself in. Luckily I was very aware that he hadn’t seen me and I made some room on the inside and avoided any contact. I just learned a valuable lesson for future starts as I lost all momentum, found myself in the wrong gear and the whole situation was just unnecessary and super counter productive to say the least. Luckily didn’t result in any harm done, just lessons learned. Well after that I fell into my groove, Jeff Ireland passed me and I slotted in behind him to see if I could keep up and learn a few things. I did.... managed to put in some consistent fast laps culminating in my PB of the weekend. Eventually he slowly opened a large gap. Later #22 passed me as he was setting the fastest lap in the race and it was great to follow him a bit also..... all in all the car ran perfect for the first time ever and it was just pure joy to focus and driving and working the car around the racetrack. Racing, learning, improving with a big smile on my face. 

 

 

 

[bmw1602.com]

Finally I get to combine my love of cars and cameras! its just a preview but really cool to be on a racetrack in a car I built following a truck I paid for with parts we made and will soon be selling to filmmakers around the world. Cameras, cars and speed. hard to beat combination! Here is a taste of all I have been working on last few months..... lots of cool stuff ready to ship in the next few weeks
Soon available and shipping worldwide at: @cinemilled Massive shoutout to Tim Herren @ alltimeracing for allowing me to play a bit during his spring fling event. Forever grateful 

 

 

[bmw1602.com]

My only goal this year is to make it to every event and finish every race. Between running my own business and enjoying my 16m old daughter just carving out the time and the funds to go to all 5 events is no small feat!! I love my time at the track with. My friends and love putting my car and myself to the test in the heat of competition. It’s awesome to place well but that said as long as I get to “race” anyone for position a great time is had. The best part is putting the car on the trailer on Sunday afternoon and heading home with a huge smile on my face and heart. Sept.14 couldn’t get here fast enough!!! I miss it!! 

[bmw1602.com]

New fuel pump and new regulator.... added a 90 degree elbow so I can see the gauge easier....I can even see it with the hood on now!