E30 Zone

Having said to Kos that my gratitude for his immense dollup of help in turning my M3 project nightmare into a blissful final chapter would extend to being first to drive my car at a trackday as soon as we can arrange it after shaking the car down at Bruntingthorpe, it occurred to me that if the Zone hasnt done one before, why not set up a track day for those that are into the idea?

I looked into this when i ran the MCARS Online Community, but i had to shut the site down before i got the chance to organise one, however one of my oldest mates runs a pukka LMP2 Le Mans car and he hired Snetterton in 2004 for the day and got other teams to pitch in and share the cost, it was within the racing season too and didnt cost that much, something like Ԛ£4000.00 for the full day i think.... but if we could get one in before the season starts in earnest which is mid march I think, then it would i imagine be a fair bit cheaper!

Mallory Park or Snetterton or Goodwood are the best options, you cant get Brands or Silverstone, they already make too much money from Corporate "buy someone 2 laps in a ferrari for Ԛ£500 kind of days - (wank!)" days but the smaller tracks are doable im sure of it!!!

So, if we could get the meanest bunch of cars (no disrespect but we're talking those that are gonna be able to actually use the track without getting terminal and dangerous brake fade within 2 laps or falling off at every corner) say about 25-30 or so then it would be totally doable and affordable, i myself would consider a whole day of hammering around without idiots in Sierra Cosworths going off into the hedge every 5 minutes and red flagging every session, for about Ԛ£150 to be a real bargain!! Wouldnt you??

Well if you feel the same way then lets get a list going and i will start trying to get some dates and prices for us all to look at ok?

Also how does everyone feel about spicing things up a bit by letting in a few other hot MCARS? So we keep it STRICTLY a Beemer-only affair, but i myself think it would be really cool to have a few E34 M5's and E36 M3's and even a few more exotic examples as well to add some variety and excitement to the mix... what think you all to this suggestion? It might also naturally help the numbers too!!!

Let me know what you all think of the idea...

is it "Our survey said 'DING'" or "Our survey said 'Uh Errr'"

LOL

///MFree

there have been a few thought on this befor, but we could do a whole event at one of these tracks,with trade stands, show display and track, no bmw show covers all aspects, the only one that comes close is what been organised at santapod for this september!!

my answer DING!!!

I agree... it was my aim for my MCARS Community and remember i still have ALL 100 contacts which contain a whole lotta LUSH E30 M3's in there too like Karims supercharged ones and Rudi's race replica etc

Thats a good number to mail to initially and I can get a Website up and running and searchable for it within a week right?

I agree... there might have been a few thoughts on this before but as i said earlier, talk is cheap - follow through is what separates the men from the boys right fella?

Lets meet up tomorrow if poss and hammer out a starter for 10 plan!

Till then...

Edit: BTW to the boss-men of the Zone, don't shet one about us trying to set something up thats separate from the Zone and poaching members for it... I think it should be something entirely conjoined to the Zone in some way, its just that the Zone *IS* its members, thats the community, other than that its just a bulletin board application anyone can install for $100.00! Im just suggesting that we do it properly and I'll build a pukka website for it for nothing... I think if its a collaboration between the Zone and other specific BMW model based online communities it will have alot more leverage and appeal thats all... traders are much more likely to show up if the audience and market is numerous BMW models not just the E30 thats what im thinking...

done!!

till tomorrow


off to sleep now

already there....

[yawn]

MFree wrote:already there....

[yawn]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[sound of solid happy sleeping with the occasional snore-ette]

suddenly "agh... kwuh... huh..oooOOOERAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"ARGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

what is it, what IS IT??? Why the screaming Rob??? (says my G/F)

"Oh God, I was having this err um, this *Terrible* scary dream that my M3 had been raped and ruined by a series of crooks like GTS Motorsport and Stratos and just when I thought i'd sorted it out then along came anoth.... uh....

[moment of reality check]

oh.... god

NoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Ive started to get a plan document together...

How you fixed today?

With Ԛ£150 i would rather go to the Ring.

Andrew

You'll need a bit more than that!

I'd be interested.. If only to see who/how and what woops my car...

Plus: Who can drive their E30 even 9/10'ths on the road? I could my MK1 fiesta, not my E30!

Jai

I'd be interested.. If only to see who/how and what woops my car...

Plus: Who can drive their E30 even 9/10'ths on the road? I could my MK1 fiesta, not my E30!

Jai

Demlotcrew - cheer up mate! Its Friday!

Yeah the petrol would cost you that unless your car has become chitty chitty bang bang overnight...

Well all i can say is that i hope you are in the minority, I think with a good range of trade stands, competitions, properly organised sessions with cars grouped according to power to weight ratios, doughnut area in the paddock etc etc that we could put something together that offers real value for money and a great day out! (i.e the Antithesis of most trackday experiences which are in my experience largely a joke!)

It remains to be seen. Kos and i will come up with a structure and plan for the event on paper and see what the response is like ok? I think aiming for a quarterly event would be an excellent way of everyone staying in touch and getting together... I am thinking about doing the first one just before the Racing season begins in earnest so the middle of March or so...

More when we have it...

MFree

davetouring wrote:You'll need a bit more than that!

For a one day return trip?

Andrew

Not really, with you for Ԛ£150 you get access to the track for one day, thats maybe 9-5 with a hours brake for lunch. That doesnt include any petrol costs for getting there, then going round the track.

Davetouring is planning a three day trip to the Ring in April, so i wont be able to make your track day in march.

Last year we went to the ring for three days and i spent Ԛ£300 in total.

Andrew

Sounds great to me, 150 is less than the going rate for the majority of track days so im sure most people will be up for it.

I wouldnt put my car in the "mean" catagory but im sure it could hold its own against some of the slower cars

When you have a definate date and location il speak to my dad about bringing our dtm car along if its allowed on the track

Get the prices from the tracks, I'm sure it will cost a lot more than Ԛ£4k... I helped organise the E30 bash at Rockingham raceway back in 2004, we paid Ԛ£8k i think for the day, then they charge you for garaging, opening the petrol station, canteen, trade stands etc.

I bet the track wants the money up front too!

This takes a lot of organising, if near me (South) then depending upon availability at the time I might be able to give you a hand on the day with any organisation / marshaling that you will need.

I'd be interested.. If only to see who/how and what woops my car...

Plus: Who can drive their E30 even 9/10'ths on the road? I could my MK1 fiesta, not my E30!

Jai

everyone slow down a bit... blimey! We only just suggested the idea and everyone is either throwing in their tuppence now or sharpening it and aiming at my eye!!! I was just thinking of ball park figures and the price i quoted for the track hire was 2004 and its not a question of you thinking it will cost more than that, im telling you that is what it cost THEN, but thats not now, it was THEN. Please give us some time to do the research and come up with a good proposal and set of costs/plans...

I would be very happy to hear suggestions for things to do on the day though if anyone wants to get creative with this as opposed to slating it out of hand and saying that they cant make it even though we've got no firm date AT ALL yet and no clue about prices either...

Demlotcrew - is your brusque tone and seeming negativity since I turned down your kind offer to help with my car due to that or are you just having a bad day?? It wasn't personal I assure you and look i REALLY appreciate your offer to help, it was really kind of you, it was simply that as i said I felt that given how many troughs ive ended up in with so few peaks to mitigate the project, I felt i HAD to go with someone that had a reputation and a working history that I had SOME kind of personal assurance about, which I did through Kos who Ive met and really get on with, which is why im using his guy Phil Crouch who is working on his car now. I hope that explains my motivations which were totally positive in Phils direction and in no way negative towards anyone else's offers...

Cheers

MFree

Demlotcrew wrote:With Ԛ£150 i would rather go to the Ring.

Andrew

Off you go then. There's a ring thread running elsewhere.

MFREE. Sounds like a top idea, I would be very intrested.

Just a thought....... There is poll on having an organised day at Portsmouth, which is bit far South for a lot of people.... could the powers that be not pool your resources and join forces to organise one event a bit more central, at a track with trade stands etc.????

Just a thought...... (the only one I will have today....)

Demlotcrew wrote:With Ԛ£150 i would rather go to the Ring.

Andrew

Massively overated IMO, unless your on a non public day

JimmyC wrote:

Demlotcrew wrote:With Ԛ£150 i would rather go to the Ring.

Andrew

Massively overated IMO, unless your on a non public day

There is loads to do while at the ring not just driving the track.

MFree wrote:Demlotcrew - is your brusque tone and seeming negativity since I turned down your kind offer to help with my car due to that or are you just having a bad day??

MFree

I dont remember you turning me down (didnt have time to read all of your replies)

My offer to help you was not due to my kind nature, but stems from my need to pay for my credit card bills. I know these cars inside out, and i could have the work finished on your car very quickly as im not a garage or a BMW specialist by trade so i would have been able to spend all my time on your car till it was finished.

Anyway good luck with your track day.

Andrew

whatever mate. Well I went with Kos's guy as my posting after yours stated so I guess its a turning down by implication of the fact that Im going to use someone else.

I have alot of respect for guys like you and Ian who do all the work themselves on their cars, I wish i had to space and facilities to do it, I have changed engines in old cars of mine before and gearboxes and even built a bespoke engine installation as well a while ago, but my back is very bad now due to genetic disease so i cant do the work myself really even if i did have the space!

cheers for wishing us luck with the trackday but as i said before, Kos and i first discussed the idea LAST NIGHT so its not even got out of the starting blocks yet as ive been trying to say here...

Good luck with your ring journey...

MFree...

I'm up for a track day...prefer a southern circuit (Goodwood is a peach of a track), but would be prepared to travel for a Ԛ£150 open pit lane day...

Goodwood is one we are looking at but also Snetterton and Mallory park. I was explaining to Kos that other than the high cost of the place because of its facilities (and the fact they are HUGELY in debt so need to make all the money they can!), rockingham is not a good option because it has SO many mickey mouse infield sections which are very hard on the brakes having driven a radical round there, its all medium and short spurt straights into tight hairpins and tight corners, which unless you have some seriously big brakes all the cars will end up with bad brake fade in a very short time thus ruining the rest of their day! Also its a featureless characterless track with only the chicane at the end of the main straight being any kind of challenging corner (and that will be coned off for a test day). Whereas Mallory for example has a decent length pit straight then a fast flowing corner Gerrads which is a lift or small brake, then the back straight again is medium length, a medium speed chicane, another short straight then a hairpin (which isnt a big stop as the straight after the chicane isnt long enoughh to allow you to reach high speeds before stopping for the chicane. Then its onto the pit straight again. Snetterton is also quite flowing not lots of big stops from high speeds into slow hairpins.

It all comes down to availability and cost. Mallory is quite centrally located for north and south dwellers whereas Snetterton is in Norfolk!
Three sisters is a cheap option too but quite northerly.I will post an outline of what the proposal is for the day when i have met up with Kos about it ok?

cheers all

MFree...

whats up with donnington park i go there a lot cheep and one of the best tracks in the country imho, i was going to go today but the hangover beat me

up for this if its gonna happen

and the ring cost me 500 last year includin fuel a hotel all food (steak in germany is amazing) and goin round the ring. expensive for a weekend away but so so so worth it should be there this year gotta see wat the e30/charade will do depending on which i go in (more than likely the beemer as no heaters or sound proofing in the charade make it more of a local fun car)