M3s at Pacific Raceways - In-Car Videos

[FrenchBoy]

Dawgdog, KM3 and I participated to the NW Alfa Club last track day of the year on August 27th at Pacific Raceways, South of Seattle. We were all in the same group and had a great time on and off the track.

Although, KM3 is a seasoned track driver, it was his first time out on a track with his new M3. He did a great job and is a very smooth driver. He also brought along his camera for some in-car footage.

Since we had about the same pace around the track, we decided to go out together with me in front of him. Here are videos of our 3rd session of the day, split in 3 segments. There were a bit a traffic but we had a great time following each other.

Thanks again KM3 for the videos and for uploading them. Hope you guys enjoy them.

Part 1:
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Part 2:
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Part 3:
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[dawgdog]

Great video - particularly for those who have driven at Pacific Raceways. I kept looking for you guys to pass me but I guess I started out behind you. Nice driving.

Karthic - gottta love the extended red leather.
Nicolas - looking forward to lunch on Friday.

[datbimmerdoe]

Awesome vids.

[KM3]

Great driving with you guys - I had a blast! Here's the fourth session:

Part 1:
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Part 2:
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Part 3:
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The car was pretty solid in stock form (well, except for the brakes), but I've got a few things on my to-do list that I'll want to tackle before hitting the track again next season. Really looking forward to it though!

[sandwood]

KM3 - were you shifting well short of redline? you seem to get from 3rd to 5th pretty quickly. what kinds of speeds on the main straight? seems like a really pretty track. thanks for posting.

[KM3]

On the main straight, I was probably shifting from 4th to 5th in the 6k range. Part of the reason for this is because I wasn't going for outright speed (was topping out at around 140), though there's plenty of torque at that engine speed. Another reason is because I'm re-learning my shift pattern for this track (I have a lot of muscle memory to re-train from when I was driving a 335 around PR) - you may have noticed I did some different things during different laps, all of which was either experimentation or regression back to old driving habits.

[MTROIS]

Nice to see that you had a good time and great Videos! This track, with all the trees on the side, elevation changes, etc... looks awesome!!

[von_zoom]

Beautiful track. The off track possibility does not look friendly however. The more the incentive to keep all tires on the smooth part. Thanks for the vids - I enjoyed them - good job.
vz

[KM3]

Thanks for the comments, guys! The track is beautiful - lots of scenery and elevation change. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the best surface (there's a mixture of old and new pavement) and the proximity of the scenery makes off-track excursions potentially serious. But it's still a blast to drive!