My E90 M3 Dedicated Track build (with pix!)

[Gmark958]

Have you had the cylinder heads ported yet? If not then I’d give Joel Dubose (not sure on spelling) a call. I was in his shop a few years ago and he was developing the nitrous kit and the head porting for the N54 on the Motiv 335i. He had a few blocks laying around as well. Might be worth it to get a spare set done up for the off season.

[Ximian]

Originally Posted by dogbone

I was wondering if the Dell would be painful when making videos with RaceRender. The result was actually quite shocking. I did a side-by-side test between the i9 Mac and the i5 Dell-----the Dell renders RaceRender videos twice as fast as the Mac.......I was like uhhhhhhh wut is happening......I would love to get an explanation of why that is the case.....The Mac should be quite a bit faster.....(I'm typing this post on the Dell. Enjoying it.)

It's the opposite for me. Are you using the native MacOS version of Race Render?

I have a Windows 10 desktop with a fast processor, lots of 32 GB RAM, and NVMe drives, but Race Render is far more responsive and quicker on a 2017 MBP with its single 1 TB SSD. I can't even playback a 4k video with GPS from a GoPro 9 without studdering on the desktop. Seeking through the video makes things much worse. Would be nice to figure out why.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by Gmark958

Have you had the cylinder heads ported yet? If not then I’d give Joel Dubose (not sure on spelling) a call. I was in his shop a few years ago and he was developing the nitrous kit and the head porting for the N54 on the Motiv 335i. He had a few blocks laying around as well. Might be worth it to get a spare set done up for the off season.

I haven't done that. Right now the focus is getting the car working reliably.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by Ximian

It's the opposite for me. Are you using the native MacOS version of Race Render?

I have a Windows 10 desktop with a fast processor, lots of 32 GB RAM, and NVMe drives, but Race Render is far more responsive and quicker on a 2017 MBP with its single 1 TB SSD. I can't even playback a 4k video with GPS from a GoPro 9 without studdering on the desktop. Seeking through the video makes things much worse. Would be nice to figure out why.

Yeah, it's the native Mac version.

hmmm I was going to make a video showing the comparison, but for some reason, now the Dell is hesitating during the render, so it's going slower.....wonder why that's happening. Maybe it's all the stuff I loaded on it. huh. It was rendering videos in under 4 minutes. While the Mac was taking 7 minutes. Now the Dell is taking 10 minutes.......weird. I've restarted the Dell and it's acting the same. Not sure what's going on.

My videos are from a GoPro4 running at 1080 60fps.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by dogbone

I have been trying to figure out the schedule of how to get to Texas for Super Lap. There are some DE events in the weeks prior. Unfortunately, the Chin days are sold out. I've emailed Edge Addicts to see what's the story there, but haven't heard back yet. Anyway, lotttttts to do in the next month.

Logistical issues getting truck/trailer to Super Lap or ? I have time and have towed extensively if you need a driver and it fits my busy retirement schedule (you'd be surprised...).

My rates are very uncompetitive, just like my lap times.

[dogbone]

Let’s file this one under: I know I know, this prep stuff isn’t super exciting, but hey, it’s part of the experience.

I’m signed up for SuperLap Battle at COTA. I’m signed up with Edge Addicts at COTA the weekend before SLB. I’m signed up at Chuckwalla for testing/break-in before leaving CA. EAS has been sorting out a number of tech things with the car. I believe most of my travel logistics are sorted out which involves a surprising number of moving parts.

-Speaking of COTA: I was not aware of it until recently that they are repaving significant portions of the track as we speak. From Turns 2-10, and from Turns 12-15. In 2020, they had just repaved some other sections of the track and they felt great. Looking forward to seeing the new pavement.

-I’ve been setting up my calendar for Texas. Here’s what I’ve put together:
-Mon Feb 7 - Fly to CA and pick up the car from EAS. Drive to Chuckwalla and sleep in a cabin at the track.
-Tues Feb 8 - Drive Chuckwalla to test and break-in clutches.
-Wed/Thurs Feb 9-10 - Drive to Austin, TX.
-Friday-Sunday - Feb 11-13 - Participate in the Edge Addicts 3-day COTA event. Fly home Sunday night.
-Thurs Feb 17 - (my birthday) Fly back to Austin.
-Fri Feb 18 - SLB practice day at COTA.
-Sat/Sun Feb 19-20 - SuperLap Battle competition.
-Mon/Tues Feb 21-22 - Leave Austin and drive the rig to——I don’t know where yet……CO? CA? TBD.

-Edge Addicts event - I was hoping to do an HPDE at COTA before SLB to get back into the flow of the track. Since last year was a bust with my steering issues, it’s basically been 2 years since I’ve driven there. The Chin event was sold out and the timing wasn’t really the best for me.

I’ve never driven with Edge Addicts before. I talked to them on the phone and they seemed quite nice. For this event, they have the track for half the day each of the 3 days. And they’re running two groups. I believe we’ll have 4x30 minutes sessions from 8AM-1PM each day……something like that. The two groups are Advanced and Track Rats. Advanced was sold out. And you couldn’t sign up for Track Rats without talking to EA and being vetted first. Track Rats is limited to 25 cars and the cars have to be able to do at least 2:20. Wow ok.

I was on the phone with them and the EA guy says, “Look, there are going to be some $4 million cars out there in that group. DO NOT DIVE BOMB A $4 MILLION CAR. There are going to be Ex-F1 cars out there. There are going to be…” I said, “I get it. No diving bombing the crazy expensive cars.” I said, “Time Trial is my thing and I’ve spent my life staying away from other cars. So you don’t gotta worry about me doing crap like that.” He continued, “Even if you are on the best lap of your life and you catch someone at Turn 19, you gotta give it up.” haha I said “I understand.” So, after telling them about my various experiences, they let me into the Track Rats group. Very curious to see how that goes. Can someone even name a $4 million car?…….that you would track????…….maybe he was exaggerating, but still…..will be interesting! Anyway, hoping I can get into the flow of COTA over those three days.

-EAS continues to work through a laundry list of items. I did commit to the SSP clutches. They will arrive in early Feb. After the high voltage error that locked up a wheel and flatspotted at least one tire, we have been hunting around the car looking for trouble. Want to thank the EAS guys for diving into this. I know these tasks are not fun. We have been looking at grounding and have replaced some ground straps. We have replaced the wheel speed sensors. We are replacing the Voltphreaks battery with probably an AntiGravity battery because the VoltPhreaks is pulling 15+ volts from the alternator at start up, which is not good (and my VoltPhreaks model is not available due to supply shortages). We are replacing the alternator and voltage regulator with a new genuine BMW alternator and voltage regulator. Unfortunately, this task is really a pain because the supercharger bracket is in the way. Once the SSP clutches go in the car, there needs to be some break in.

-Chuckwalla day - I wanted to be able to run the car around a track before leaving CA to make sure it was good to go. Chuckwalla is on the way to TX, so I’m glad I was able to book time there. The SSP clutches need some kind of break in, so Chuckwalla should be good for that. I will not be trying to set any lap times at Chuckwalla.

-Tires: I have purchased 2 sets of new Pirelli DH. I will run scrubs for most of the Edge Addicts event, but if the EA event has open track and the conditions are right, I will probably run a new set at least once to see what kind of time I can get. As I’ve said before, I think the DH are the fastest tire for my car. Normally, we would need to run Yokohama at SLB, but due to supply shortages, we are allowed to run other brands. I’m hoping this temporary change in rules results in a good lap time. What do I consider a good time? I’m hoping to go under 2:20…..beyond that….no idea.

-OG Shark Motorsport will be doing track/tech support for me again this year at SLB. I hope they are bored off their asses this time, instead of the craziness they had to deal with last year. If something significant goes wrong with the car at Chuckwalla or Edge Addicts, the OG Shark guys have said they’re ready to jump on it to be ready for SLB.

Sponsors/Support: I’ve mentioned before that Titan-7 and Sparco have supported me. I just want to thank them again for their continued support in the new year. If you told me 10 years ago that relationships like this were possible for a guy like me, I would have seriously doubted it. The SLB event marks almost exactly 10 years for me in motorsport.

After SuperLap is over, I have not decided where I am taking the rig. I would like to take it back to CA and try for a full pace hot lap at Buttonwillow 13CW. My tech problems have prevented me from being able to put down a full pace hot lap at Buttonwillow this Winter. But, in the last couple days, a number of things have been put on the family calendar in March, and I don’t think I can get to CA in March at all…..By April, it’s starting to warm up again, and the cherry lap times aren’t really possible, which means I’ll have to wait until Nov/Dec to take a crack at 13CW again. So——I may just return the rig back to Colorado for the summer. We’ll see.

If anyone is interested in checking out SLB and is local to COTA, come out and say hi! They’re selling tickets online—$12 for the weekend ($20 at the gate). SuperLap Tickets In 2020, the event occurred right before covid hit, and it was a really social time. 2021 was a bit less social, plus I was having problems, so I was distracted. Not sure what to expect from 2022, but I’m hoping it can be social! Hey, at least it’s outside!

[Kelse92]

Haha the Track Rats group is real. The members of it are very wealthy individuals driving things like McLaren Senna GTR’s and other wild supercars. They are not all fast drivers, but they drive fast cars and do their own special group (they also pay a high dollar to be in this group, but it helps Edge Addicts subsidize their events some)

If you’re looking for ideas maybe take the rig back to CO and on the way take a detour to Eagles Canyon. Great track and looks like they have a members weekend the 25th you might be able to get a change to drive on if you email and ask, or maybe sc_tr0jan_m3 can bring you as his member guest

Wish you were able to be here for the Chin event this weekend but you’ll have fun with Edge Addicts and good luck at SLB!

[sc_tr0jan_m3]

Yah come on up to Dallas after COTA. You might be bored with next to no traffic during a member day at eagles canyon. 😂

Drop me a line

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by Kelse92

Haha the Track Rats group is real. The members of it are very wealthy individuals driving things like McLaren Senna GTR’s and other wild supercars. They are not all fast drivers, but they drive fast cars and do their own special group (they also pay a high dollar to be in this group, but it helps Edge Addicts subsidize their events some)

If you’re looking for ideas maybe take the rig back to CO and on the way take a detour to Eagles Canyon. Great track and looks like they have a members weekend the 25th you might be able to get a change to drive on if you email and ask, or maybe sc_tr0jan_m3 can bring you as his member guest

Wish you were able to be here for the Chin event this weekend but you’ll have fun with Edge Addicts and good luck at SLB!

haha yeah I have a feeling I will be the runt of the litter in the Track Rats group. Doesn't bother me at all. I'm happy to stay away from everyone and just concentrate on the task at hand.

Appreciate the heads up about Eagles Canyon. Just watched a video of the track now. Looks really fun. Very twisty and a fair amount of elevation change. I actually know sc_tr0jan_m3 from his days at Chuckwalla and Buttonwillow before he moved on to the Lone Star State.

Hope you all have a great weekend at the Chin event!

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by sc_tr0jan_m3

Yah come on up to Dallas after COTA. You might be bored with next to no traffic during a member day at eagles canyon. 😂

Drop me a line

haha that's very nice of you! It all depends on the state of the car and Eagle Canyon's schedule I guess.

How does Eagles Canyon work? Can you show up on any day? Like if I left COTA Sunday could we be there Monday? Or do you have to wait until a weekend event?

[b4hand]

Originally Posted by dogbone

haha that's very nice of you! It all depends on the state of the car and Eagle Canyon's schedule I guess.

How does Eagles Canyon work? Can you show up on any day? Like if I left COTA Sunday could we be there Monday? Or do you have to wait until a weekend event?

Show up on a weekend I think Kelsey can get you on track, she's a member

[Kelse92]

Originally Posted by b4hand

Show up on a weekend I think Kelsey can get you on track, she's a member

I’m not sadly
It feels like I am though because I instruct so often they let me go drive on members days in exchange. Looks like February is still the winter scheduled so only Friday-Sunday driving. They were running Thursday-Monday last year some when it was warmer

[fanatic1]

Originally Posted by dogbone

haha yeah I have a feeling I will be the runt of the litter in the Track Rats group. Doesn't bother me at all. I'm happy to stay away from everyone and just concentrate on the task at hand.

Appreciate the heads up about Eagles Canyon. Just watched a video of the track now. Looks really fun. Very twisty and a fair amount of elevation change. I actually know sc_tr0jan_m3 from his days at Chuckwalla and Buttonwillow before he moved on to the Lone Star State.

Hope you all have a great weekend at the Chin event!

Great to see the progress and good luck at Cota!

Private day at Chuckwalla?

OK being the runt too, but sometimes it gets a little close $/ft

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by fanatic1

Great to see the progress and good luck at Cota!

Private day at Chuckwalla?

OK being the runt too, but sometimes it gets a little close $/ft

Thanks! Hopefully we'll be done with the work soon. The main thing we're waiting on now is the clutches. They should arrive late this week.

Yeah, I'm going to Chuckwalla on a quiet day just to test the car and break the clutches in. I don't want to be noodling around COTA taking it super easy breaking parts in with a bunch of fast cars blasting past me.

haha being the runt is fine. There's always a bigger, or in this case, a faster fish. Seeing that 991 GT3R full race car at VIR flying around the track this summer was definitely a sight.

[dogbone]

Kelse92 and ///Mobbin

How was the new pavement at COTA this past weekend?

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Kelse92 and ///Mobbin

How was the new pavement at COTA this past weekend?

My quick take — extra grippy, extra smooth! I set 4 PR's over the course of the weekend, tweaks have been made to my car and myself though so hard to know for sure but personally felt the grip levels were up and the track was more predictable without the random bumps. They still have the bumps in the braking zone before the turn onto the long straight, not sure why they didn't fix those.

Track generally felt fantastic, kudos to COTA on the improvements!

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by ///Mobbin

My quick take — extra grippy, extra smooth! I set 4 PR's over the course of the weekend, tweaks have been made to my car and myself though so hard to know for sure but personally felt the grip levels were up and the track was more predictable without the random bumps. They still have the bumps in the braking zone before the turn onto the long straight, not sure why they didn't fix those.

Track generally felt fantastic, kudos to COTA on the improvements!

Thanks for the report. Congrats on the new PRs!

Yeah, the approach to T11 was wavy/bumpy a couple years ago. Curious that they ignored that turn on both repaves.....

[Kelse92]

Agreed and nice to meet you ///Mobbin!
T1 Apex I agree is bumpy, you can see it in my video I posted on my youtube yesterday too (I won't clutter up this thread with too much non-bmw content lol). The rest of the track is smooth. Needs a little more rubber and should get what it needs with the SCCA races this weekend to have it ready for you in two weeks.
I was on Yokohama A005 scrubs and they were squealing a little in the esses.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by Kelse92

Agreed and nice to meet you ///Mobbin!
T1 Apex I agree is bumpy, you can see it in my video I posted on my youtube yesterday too (I won't clutter up this thread with too much non-bmw content lol). The rest of the track is smooth. Needs a little more rubber and should get what it needs with the SCCA races this weekend to have it ready for you in two weeks.
I was on Yokohama A005 scrubs and they were squealing a little in the esses.

Thanks for checking in.

T1 or T11 is bumpy?

What's your YouTube page?

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Thanks for checking in.

T1 or T11 is bumpy?

What's your YouTube page?

Both bumpy actually, T1 apex to track-out, and the end of the braking zone before T11. Both manageable but good to keep in mind.

[OG Shark]

Originally Posted by Kelse92

Agreed and nice to meet you ///Mobbin!
T1 Apex I agree is bumpy, you can see it in my video I posted on my youtube yesterday too (I won't clutter up this thread with too much non-bmw content lol). The rest of the track is smooth. Needs a little more rubber and should get what it needs with the SCCA races this weekend to have it ready for you in two weeks.
I was on Yokohama A005 scrubs and they were squealing a little in the esses.

Originally Posted by ///Mobbin

Both bumpy actually, T1 apex to track-out, and the end of the braking zone before T11. Both manageable but good to keep in mind.

Bumpier than it was last year?

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by OG Shark

Bumpier than it was last year?

I think the last time I was at COTA was when we were there together two years ago, T1 apex to track-out felt bumpier to me than at that time and the end of the braking zone before T11 felt the same. For T11 feels like my car hops a bit depending on how hard I brake and at what time I hit the bumps.