Monday, November 24, 2003
I just spent 2 full days at Laguna Seca with the BMW Club of LA. It was LOTS of fun. Highlights:
1. Awesome cars. Lots and lots of M3s. Porshe GT2 and GT3. Ferrari F355. BMW M1. 700hp Supra. Lancer Evo.
2. Luckily it didn't rain at all but it was COLD. We all got free BMWCCA LA fleeces.
3. I won a coffee mug/car cup thing in the raffle
4. Two cars actually crashed! One car on turn 6 spun and hit a tire wall. Later another car spun on turn 11 and hit a wall! Probably $15-20k damage to each.
5. Another car spun on turn 11 and missed the wall by a couple feet
6. Late in the day an m3 engine blew on the cork screw.
7. Since this was an actual BMW event, it had more people with expensive, awesome cars. It also had more random drivers who don't care about performance too much, but want to learn more about their cars. What you learn on the track definitely makes you a better driver on the street.
8. Horsepower and straight line speed don't mean shit. There were guys out there with old BMWs putting out half as much power as me, and they could take me. And I had no problem passing some E46 M3s with 100hp more than me.
9. At the event they were filming a new TV show for Speed channel. Maybe I'll be on TV in a few months!
Overall the event was awesome. Driving on the track is the only way to see what a car is really capable of. It's amazing that these cars can take the abuse they get on the track.
The event was very well organized and the instructors were good, but I don't think I'll ever do a BMWCCA event again. It was more expensive and more restrictive than the other events I have done. In other events you spend more time driving, or at least riding with other drivers.
Click here for pictures
1. Awesome cars. Lots and lots of M3s. Porshe GT2 and GT3. Ferrari F355. BMW M1. 700hp Supra. Lancer Evo.
2. Luckily it didn't rain at all but it was COLD. We all got free BMWCCA LA fleeces.
3. I won a coffee mug/car cup thing in the raffle
4. Two cars actually crashed! One car on turn 6 spun and hit a tire wall. Later another car spun on turn 11 and hit a wall! Probably $15-20k damage to each.
5. Another car spun on turn 11 and missed the wall by a couple feet
6. Late in the day an m3 engine blew on the cork screw.
7. Since this was an actual BMW event, it had more people with expensive, awesome cars. It also had more random drivers who don't care about performance too much, but want to learn more about their cars. What you learn on the track definitely makes you a better driver on the street.
8. Horsepower and straight line speed don't mean shit. There were guys out there with old BMWs putting out half as much power as me, and they could take me. And I had no problem passing some E46 M3s with 100hp more than me.
9. At the event they were filming a new TV show for Speed channel. Maybe I'll be on TV in a few months!
Overall the event was awesome. Driving on the track is the only way to see what a car is really capable of. It's amazing that these cars can take the abuse they get on the track.
The event was very well organized and the instructors were good, but I don't think I'll ever do a BMWCCA event again. It was more expensive and more restrictive than the other events I have done. In other events you spend more time driving, or at least riding with other drivers.
Click here for pictures