Audi BMW

Racing is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s a dangerous, ultra-competitive environment where seconds are the difference between victory and defeat. On the other hand, it is a passion of many and a sport that, while competitive, also returns unrivaled enjoyment for those dedicated few who engage in it.

However, there is at least one racing team that manages to combine both their enthusiasm for cars and racing: BimmerWorld Racing. BimmerWorld is a Dublin, Va-based racing team currently competing in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series, Street Class – a subset of the Grand-AM Series. The BimmerWorld team is running CTSCC-spec BMW E90 328i’s for this year, the inaugural CTSCC season.

Whatsmore – the BimmerWorld team is doing quite well in there near-road spec E90’s up against steep competition. In their first season of the CTSSC, the twin bimmers have racked up a number of top 10 finishes with the #81 Heumann/Thomas E90 landing a top-of-the-podium finish at the famed Mid-Ohio racetrack. Very impressive results considering this is a new series for the team transitioning from sprint races to endurance-style competition.

However, the success of the pair of electric blue and sun yellow BMW sedans stems from a team that has grown from a group of enthusiasts into professionals striving to extract every ounce of performance from their German chariots.

BimmerWorld was founded by James Clay, an electrical engineering major from Virginia Tech and part-time car enthusiast. Clay, along with his friends enjoyed tracking their cars both during and after college – and to demonstrate his dedication to his driving during college James drove a fully caged E30 M3 which was serving full-time track duty on the weekends. In assembling track-ready cars, Clay and his associates began to buy and sell various E30 parts to outfit their cars. Ultimately, these ventures led the group to start the business that would become BimmerWorld, an online parts and equipment store for BMW enthusiasts to buy any and everything needed to upgrade the performance of their cars whether it be for the track or the street.

Clay, being a young entrepreneur, turned the online store into a means of funding a professional race team and thus BimmerWorld Racing was born. The team has since progressed from their initial E36 325is onto a E46 325i and in 2007, into their current chassis – the E90 328i platform for the SPEED Touring Car Series. In 2009, the SPEED Series was concluded and transformed into the Continential Series for the 2010 season and along with it brought a number regulation changes and new challenges to the young team.

I was lucky enough to meet with James Clay at the start of the season for a few moments on the rainy eve of the 2010 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The affable Clay took time out of a celebration after the first race of the season to speak with me about the team, being a BMW enthusiast and life on the racing circuit as one of the few teams that field a Bavarian Motor Works car in a U.S.-based touring car series. During our conversation it was obvious that Mr. Clay has found his ideal job and struck the balance between having a job that pays the bills and having a job you love – a rare, if not nearly impossible feat for car enthusiasts to successfully pull off as Clay has. He is a man that looks quite a home at the track and quite at home with a BMW as he owns a handful of bimmers and, when time permits, enjoys tracking them.

James was kind enough to take time out of running his team, online store and setting up his own car to discuss with BMWBlog how he got into racing and what his progression was from a weekend track enthusiast to professional driver and manager of his own racing team – while maintaining his loyalty and love for the Bavarian brand – both on and off track!

[AM] What got you into racing?

[James Clay] I wanted to learn how to drive a car after demonstrating my lack of skill on the street in a few dumb wrecks. This meant trading a big HP turbo car for a little E30 M3 and doing some driving schools. I did one and I was hooked.

[AM] When do you make the decision to turn professional?

[James Clay] That is a natural progression. At that point, BimmerWorld had started and we were growing as a business and club racing wasn’t as much of a challenge as it was in the past. The next step is a pro series and we dove in on the deep end in World Challenge

[AM] Is it true that in college you drove a fully caged E30 M3 as your daily driver?

[James Clay] LOL. My first BMW! I have a hard time leaving things alone. I was a broke college kid then and the easy way to make the car fast was to make it light, so I stripped it out. I also sold the parts I pulled and that started the business end of things. And yes, the cage went in with the help of a couple of friends and it was my one and only car…

[AM] What is your daily driver of choice?

[James Clay] I have an E92 M3 that I drive most of the time. It is nicely modified and is a lot of fun to drive. I have an E36 and E46 also, but they are a little more over the top and not the thing to climb into on a regular basis. And if it ever stops snowing up here, I picked up a Mercedes Diesel Wagon last fall that will probably be the daily driver – green, good fuel economy and all that…

[AM] Are you able to track any of your own cars personally?

[James Clay] I do bring a street car to the track on occasion. The E92 M3 is great for that because it still has street manners, but I can dial up the Motons and put on tires for track use – and haul the tires in the trunk and back seat. I take the other ones to the track rarely – the E36 Touring (Uberwagen) is a 170MPH car on the track and that just isn’t safe.

[AM] Have you made any modifications to your daily drivers or are they mostly stock?

[James Clay]Even the Mercedes diesel has AMG 18” wheels and cut springs. They stay stock for about a week max around here.

[AM] If it is your personal car – 6 Speed Manual or 7 Speed Dual Clutch Transmission?

[James Clay]The E92 M3 is a 6-speed. The DCT feature is technically cool, but not what I am looking for on the track and not something we intend to develop to race. Most cars I have serve the dual purpose of parts development and for a track vehicle, the 6-speed is the way to go.

[AM] Do you have time for other hobbies outside of being a business owner and professional race car driver?

[James Clay] Hobbies yes – time to enjoy them no. For now I cook/grill and mix in some fun travel with my road schedule. I cycle when I can and other than that, its mostly playing with cars.

[AM] What forms of motorsports inspired you to become involved in racing? Formula One? DTM? ETCC/WTCC? …NASCAR?!

[James Clay] I am not a race fan honestly. I am a little more now, but I like to participate, not watch and that goes to all sports. I did however catch the 2AM rebroadcast of World Challenge back in the 90s on occasion and that was an inspiration.

[AM] How difficult is it for you to wear the hat of team owner and driver? Do you ever see yourself stepping from behind the wheel to strictly focus on team management?

[James Clay] It is a tough job. I approach it by being a team owner up until the event, then passing off most of those responsibilities during a race weekend. I have a lot of really good people around me making all of this happen and I rely on them. If I couldn’t do that, then I wouldn’t be able to pull it off.

[AM] With your ownership of BimmerWorld (the online store) how has this helped develop the team?

[James Clay] Well BimmerWorld parts sales have certainly been a source of funding for the race team, but it is a reciprocal relationship. We couldn’t sell what we do, or at least do a proper job of it, without the experience we get from racing. It is one thing so sell a bushing or a water pump, but our customers rely on us for larger systems purchases and we better know how it all works together and see the big picture to give good guidance

[AM] Is it true that you wouldn’t sell any parts that you wouldn’t trust on your own race cars?

[James Clay] For the most part. We sell some parts that maybe I wouldn’t choose to put on my car, but that are popular – but I have to at least feel there is quality and value added for the customer. I want people to be able to go through our catalog and know that we have access to anything on the market and we choose the parts that we know from experience work or have value.

[AM] A lot of the BMW community enjoyed seeing you and your crew running in the 2008 One Lap of America as a side project in a BimmerWorld-customized 135i. Is there a chance we will get another showing of the BimmerWorld team for One Lap or another similar rally?

[James Clay] I had hoped so and I am sure it will happen again. We had considered taking the E36 wagon and I feel it is up to the task. I had also looked at stripping out the E92 M3 and again, I think it would be awesome. As soon as we find the time…

[AM] With your preparations in place during the off-season and an incredible second place during the first race of the season at Daytona, how do you anticipate your first season in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series will be?

[James Clay] I felt coming into this that we had the experience with the E90 platform and the right people on our team to be successful. I think Daytona proved that and now we just have 9 more races in front of us!

[AM] Are the drivers and crew ready to move from sprint car-style races to endurance races?

[James Clay] Absolutely. We have done longer enduros on the club side for a bunch of years as an end-of-year fun activity and everyone enjoys it. Now we are just putting the extra effort toward it to run that program on the pro level.

[AM]What challenges do you foresee facing you and the team as you transition to a new style of racing? Who do you anticipate being your strongest competition within your class?

[James Clay] I don’t think there will be a transition period. I think we prepared well and came out of the gates at Daytona at 100%. Based on the cars and the results, it looks like the Compass cars will be there in both performance and numbers if I had to choose one team. But certainly APR, Irish Mike’s, and Freedom Autosport are right up in the mix and it is way too early to predict the events of the season.

[AM]During the off-season – what has provided the biggest challenge in terms of dialing in the car for a new series?

[James Clay] This time around, it was just constraining ourselves. Coming our of World Challenge we had a lot of technical freedom and learned a lot. Translating that knowledge with the limitations of the CTSCC rules was a different type of challenge, but definitely not just easier because there is less we can do.

[AM] In European series, BMW E90’s and E92’s are used in many of the endurance races – do you think that the BimmerWorld #80 and #81 will share the same successes as reliable, fast racers on U.S. tracks against front-wheel-drive competition?

[James Clay] I feel like the E90 chassis is solid. We always have to worry about the ability of a front wheel car to recover from contact more quickly, but hopefully that will be an uncommon occurrence going forward. Certainly the cars are well-build and reliable, so I have high expectations

[AM] What are some of the key differences of the E90 328i’s you’re running this year in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series compared to the E90 325i’s BimmerWorld ran previously in the World Challenge series?

[James Clay] Wow. They are really very different. In general, we made about 80% of the parts by number on the World Challenge cars and we are required to use a lot more of the street parts. The Conti cars will be a lot more relevant to a customer’s street car so there is good synergy there. The World Challenge cars got to be an engineering exercise and they taught us a lot, but they were a bit exotic under the stock body lines.

[AM] When we last spoke, we discussed that as production cars are increasingly refined for road-going comfort and consumption. How has this affected BimmerWorld’s ability to successfully setup cars for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge?

[James Clay] Cars are getting heavier with less engineering tolerance built in to give us power capacity and durability for race use. Systems are more complicated and it is often easier to make something rather than integrate stock parts. But this has been a trend and really something we are progressing in all the time. If we had been preparing E30 or E36 cars and suddenly had to build an E90, we would have a little more of a jump, but BimmerWorld has grown along the way, so it is routine at this point.

[AM] As technology becomes a dominant force in the development and performance of cars as well as their onboard management systems, how will these technologies affect BimmerWorld’s car development? Do you find that it causes more compromises in how you can effectively prepare a car for a race series?

[James Clay] For us, technology is an advantage, not a limitation. We partner with companies that are on the cutting edge of their field – brakes, engines, etc. Electronics are by definition one of the most difficult parts, but by integrating the newest components, we run some pretty advanced systems in the cars and I feel it helps the program.

[AM] While BimmerWorld is a non-Works team – What are your thoughts on the BMW North America’s recent announcement of an offer of increased rewards for wins and high-placing finishes? Obviously, first place and podium finishes are the first goal of the team but do these incentives give you something extra to strive for throughout the season? How has being a non-Works team been a benefit or curse?

[James Clay] Not really. We want to win and we are there for that. We don’t budget the prize money and it would be silly to do so in the environment we are in. Certainly though we are appreciative when we receive it and I am really happy BMW is supportive of the teams’ efforts.

[AM] With Virginia International Raceway as the adopted home track for the BimmerWorld team, what other tracks are the drivers most looking forward to this season?

[James Clay] That is kind of hard to say. Mosport, Road America, and Road Atlanta are a few of my favorites from years past and we don’t visit them unfortunately. I think this year is a matter of going out, getting some strong finishes, and making some of the new tracks favorites along the way.

[AM] Will we see any epic rivalries pan out with a BMW vs. Audi season? We have to ask!

[James Clay] No Audis in ST, so chances are slim!

Also, be sure to check out there blog chronicling the season so far on their race team’s site.

(Photos Courtesy of BimmerWorld’s Press Room Photographer Curtis Creager)

There’s no denying the massive success that was the third generation 3 Series enthusiastically and internally known at the E46. The E46 series was a force to be reckoned with both on the track in the ALMS or WTCC and off the track as a class leader of performance and luxury.

Most know of the S54-powered E46 M3, a lucky few of the “ZHP” Performance Package, perhaps fewer know of the 325i Touring with a manual but we’re confident that even less people have heard of the E46 316/318ti aka the “Compact.”

Most Americans are unfamiliar with the quirky model as it was never sold in North America. The E36 318ti was to blame for this as, being of similar design, the two-door hatchback coupe never quite captured the American market during the 1990’s. That said, this most interesting E36 has achieved cult status among diehards as something both unique and a bit of a throwback to the delectable 2002tii Touring. However, due to poor sales of the baby 318ti, the E46 equivalent was doomed for the U.S. before its sheet metal was even stamped.

However, unlike the E36, the E46 “Compact” came with a special exterior design that sets it apart from the E46 coupe/sedan/convertible/wagon variants – though it remains blatantly BMW. Two pairs of rounded out, separated headlamps take place of a full, double-headlamp assembly on either side of the double kidney grill while glancing just below the headlamps a slightly revised, if not sparse, lower spoiler. Along the sides, the Compact somewhat resembled the coupe/sedan door lines but the rear is where the car really distinguishes itself from the pack of sport compacts.

To meet the design needs of heavily truncated rear hatch, the Ti had to forgo the then characteristic L-shaped taillamps for clear, near-triangular taillamps that were retained from the E46 sedan, sans the longitudinal lamps. Needless to say, the littlest Bavarian of its day cut quite an interesting figure across the premium car segment. To motivate Compact, a series of potent engines were fitted behind the quad headlamps such as the 2.5L M54 in the most powerful guise, the 325Ti.

Additionally, the Compact was powered by two versions of the N42 inline-4 cylinder engine in both 316 and 318 form were provided along with small array of 4 cylinder diesel engines.

Though a full 11 inches shorter than the standard E46 Coupe and being the littlest of BMW’s at the time, the Ti still managed to retain both the luxury of its brethren and, most importantly, the driving manners. Some have rumored that the Compact was the precursor to the 1 Series.

In 2002, Automobile Magazine went on to compliment the handling prowess and tactility of the Ti:

“Compared with the rest of the 3-series lineup, the second-generation hatchback has better-balanced power steering that is fifteen percent quicker, much meatier around the straight-ahead position, and more communicative as you wind on lock. These changes have brought back the precise steering feel that used to set the 3-series apart from the competition, and they have eliminated flaws such as excessive kickback on imperfect surfaces and a lack of progression during quick lane changes. The recalibrated helm requires a little more effort at parking speeds, but this is a small price to pay for the transformed handling.”

Proof the Compact was every bit the BMW’s that it stood peers with and its predecessors. For those who needed the extra touch of unique flair could add the M Sport package to the Compact. This extra addition gave buyers the visual distinction over the standard model with special 17 inch M Sport wheels, an M Sport steering wheel, M footrest, and flared side valences and special M bumpers front and rear.

Despite off-beat styling and a cult following, the Compact is a car that enjoyed relative success on its home continent. As a sort of homage to truncated E46’s , Format67 , the European digital film group, has put together a very dramatic film focused around the 318Ti. A fitting tribute to the to a car that – while slightly obscure – has comfortably found its place in the history of the Roundel and continues to do the brand justice.

(Silver E46 Compact courtesy Distant Mirror)

In an effort to cater further to the performance crowd, in recent years BMW has offered up some delectable performance upgrades for its already potent engines such as the twin-turbo N54 found in the 135 and 335 models.

The pre-2011 model year 135i’s came with the award-winning N54 powerplant as BMW’s premier engine for the reintroduction of blown engines to the Bavarian line-up. Our friend Steve Maguire from United BMW of Roswell (and famed co-pilot of the BMW X6 M from One Lap of America) posted up documentation of the first installation of the BMW-approved power kit into one of their long-time customers’ donor 135i.

However, from the video below, it seems that Mr. Woodward, the happy 135i owner, may have been an excellent candidate for the power upgrade as Steve has already has the BMW-spec uprated brakes, short shift kit and a number of other factory-approved modifications.

To test and verify the results of the power kit, Steve and Steve employed the help of a local dyno shop to run three tests both before and after the kit installation. On the first series of dyno pulls, the 135i put down an impressive 290HP to the wheels – which is indicative of the long-rumored underrated engine output typical of BMW. After the kit installation, three more dyno pulls indicated that the 135i pushed 309HP to the rear wheels equating to roughly 350HP before power loss to the wheels.

From watching the video it seems that Steve Woodward is quite a happy 135i with the noticeable performance gains from the power kit. Most important to Steve is the fact that, in addition to a nice power hike, he can also maintain the warranty on the engine as it is a BMW factory power kit. For those interested, the BMW power kit upgrade includes:

1. New electric fan

2. New spark plugs

3. New radiator hoses

4. Secondary radiator

5. New DME

Note:The 1 Series Power Kit also requires the installation of the BMW Performance Air Duct Kit.

The kit should now be available through certified BMW dealerships for those looking enthusiasts for extra power gains from their N54-powered 135/335’s without sacrificing the factory warranty.

(Video and Photos compliments of Steve Maguire and United BMW of Roswell)

The 2010 running of the one Lap of America is now over and we can all return to our respective homes. This was the second year I had competed with Mike on the One Lap and it was just as much fun as the first. It really becomes a club, with long competitors welcoming in the rookies and always willing to help each other, as long as it’s not on the track.

This year the BMW marque was strongly represented with 13 entries ranging from a E30 325is to our X6 M and everything in between.

So how did the BMW teams do?  Very well as you can see below.

•       Anthony Magagnoli and Kevin Kreisa won SSGT2 SB with their E30 325is plus First Rookie and Highest Placed BMW.
•       Dan, Ben, and Nicholas Schaut won Luxury Sedan with their E90 M3
•       Randall Ganz, and Kurt Gibson were third in Luxury Sedan with their E90 M3 Sedan
•       Robin Sparrow and Brian Hair won SSGT1 SB with their E92 335i
•       Neil Simon and Woody Hair were second in SSGT1 SB with their M Coupe
•       Roy Maranhao and Jomo Dillon were seventh in SSGT1 SB with their M3
•       Mike Renner, Thomas Lappin, and Steve Maguire were second in SUV with their X6 M

•       Gary and Stephen Morris were fifth in SSGT2 SB with their M3
•       Eric Holland and Dennis Maddox were seventh in SSGT2 SB with their M3
•       Scott Bock, Nikolay Kostov, and William Pryor were eighth in SSGT2 SB with their M3
•       Greg Morris and Don Maddox were ninth in SSGT2 SB with their M3
•       Matthew and Pete Zekauskas were eigth in Mid Price Sedan with their 328i
•       David and Amanda Cochran were ninth in Mid Price Sedan with their 325i

In addition to our wonderful awards ceremony put on by the One Lap Folks, we also managed to capture some great pictures and footage of a special, unofficial event called the The Smoke Show. This allowed time for everyone to cool down after an incredible week-long event and go out and lay down some serious rubber on the Tire Rack skid pad. This is a great video for those who love BMW’s but also just enjoy seeing how sideways a car can get!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Also, during the event we posted a contest for the fan that could come up with the closest mileage in total for the round trip. After arriving back in Spartanburg, Steve confirmed that the total mileage of 5,364 for a week-long trip blasting across the United States and its most notable tracks!

The nearest guess came in at 5,350 submitted by Sahil who is now the proud new owner of an awesome BMW 8GB Key Fob.

We hope you enjoyed our coverage of the United BMW of Roswell/ BMW Performance Driving School X6 M for the 2010 One Lap of America.

We’d like to take the opportunity to thank Steve Maguire, Tom Lappin and Mike Renner for all of their excellent job on the One Lap and providing the BMW community with a constant flow of information and media.

We here a BMWBLOG look forward to bringing you information on these types of events in the near future!

It may seem like a silly question – especially to enthusiasts – but there has only been one true BMW supercar in the entire history of the company. Yes, they’ve produced sports cars and GT cars with the likes of the M Coupe and M6, respectively, but there hasn’t been a true “supercar” BMW since E26 M1 went out of production in 1981 – leaving its place in history as the first fully developed M car. The E26 M1 was the product of a difficult birth which laid the ground work for a very short production run and racing history.

The M1, based on the BMW Turbo concept of the early 70’s, was penned by car design icon Giorgetto Giugiaro and powered by the “big six” M88 3.5L inline-6 churning out 273HP. Construction and some technical points for the M1 were outsourced to Lamborghini, S.p.A. which went into receivership in 1978 and caused BMW to reportedly steal back M1 blueprints to continue production on their own with Baur – the notable German coach and convertible builder.

While only 456 or so cars were produced the M1 was somewhat mediocre at best in terms of sales – though not a reflection on the car but more the circumstances under which the car was conceived and ultimately produced. While in its time, the M1 didn’t carry a name as revered as it does today but that did not keep it from being an innovative car. The M1 was a mid-engined car, a still relatively new concept as the Lamborghini Miura was the first supercar and first major sports car to introduce the concept and Ferrari had only recently adopted the idea with the Dino 206/246. However, the M1 had its own identity as a supercar of the 1970’s & 80’s bringing its own Teutonic flair to a mid-engine design. It was fast, luxurious and handsome, keeping pace with its Italian rivals to the South. While perhaps the M1 didn’t enjoy the success it now has in the grey market and among enthusiasts, it was still a fantastic piece of engineering and venture into the supercar realm that BMW hasn’t attempted in nearly 30 years.

Throughout the car community and especially among BMW enthusiasts folks have wondered: Why BMW haven’t brought to market a car to battle in this rarefied air? Audi has, quite successfully, built upon the achievement of its subsidiary’s (Lamborghini ironically) Gallardo platform and delivered a more “affordable” supercar vis-a-vis the R8. Mercedes has even more recently rehashed the idea of the defining 300SL Gullwing through the SLS AMG – with BMW being a leader of both engineering and driving prowess – why not something from the Bavarians? BMW has no model to duel with either the R8 or SLS or really any sporting model that sits in the $120,000+ range that deals up an equally delectable dish of performance and finesse.

The public have certainly seen BMW flirt with the idea of a supercar with the M1 Homage seen two years ago and most recently the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. While the M1 Homage is more than likely focused only as a styling exercise/tribute to the original M1 – it is a gorgeous car nonetheless and proof BMW can build a compelling design for the supercar segment. Taking avant garde styling further with a blending of cutting edge efficiency technology the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept(VEDC) was unveiled in late 2009 – a car encapsulating the forefront of BMW’s technologies to reduce harmful byproducts of automobiles while equally reducing reliance upon non-replenishable energy sources. However, the slick trick of the VEDC is that it can deliver performance on par with a current M3 while producing virtually no adverse byproducts and simultaneously acting as a rolling sculpture. The VEDC casts an impressive figure against the automotive landscape with an undulating body putting aerodynamic efficiency as first priority and manages to do so with a result of being incredibly handsome.

So we know BMW car design and build supercars – and attractive, efficient ones at that. The question then falls to if they will or not and what form it would take if they do. Market conditions might dictate that BMW would not build one – but is it worth an endeavor such as the supercar for “goodwill” and bolstering of brand image? The Veyron has reestablished the Bugatti name back into the forefront of automotive legend – and reportedly parent Volkswagen losing a small fortune on each model sold due to staggering development costs.

My only hope is that BMW does what they do best – set trends, not follow them and builds a car that the competition has yet to even consider themselves, make it innovative and advanced but with the true character of a BMW. With companies such as Porsche and Ferrari discussing alternative fuel technologies and exploring hybrids – would enthusiasts be much more open to the use of Efficient Dynamics applications in a supercar platform? Odds would favorite it as it seems an inevitable direction of the automotive powertrains.

With the many options BMW have available at their disposal for the construction of potential super car – both in technology and potential platforms, what do you think a BMW supercar should be? After all, in today’s climate – there is no guarantee that a 2010+ supercar(ala the M1) would resemble anything like the supercar BMW built so many years ago so what should it look like? How should it drive? What do the fans think should be BMW’s solution to the super car issue?

It came down to a near photo finish for the X6 M crew after a full week of competitive racing on the cross-country time trials that are the One Lap of America. The team, consisting of Mike Renner, Tom Lappin and Steve Maguire found themselves ultimately in 2nd in class but an astonishing 18th overall – beating out the likes of Porsches, Corvettes and Vipers!

Most important of all, the heavy, 5,000 lbs SUV that is the X6 M performed flawlessly – the only alterations being heavier, track-duty brake pads, high temperature brake fluid and a fresh set of Dunlop Sport Maxx tires. To see the full, final results for the One Lap of America – you can visit the event website here.

We would like to take the opportunity to thank the BMW Performance Driving School/United BMW of Roswell team of Steve, Tom and Mike for providing us with a steady stream of excellent content and trackside commentary as the event has progressed across the country. Without them and their tireless efforts, our coverage for you, the readers, wouldn’t be possible!

When we awoke it appeared we had gone back in time; well at least 12 months. This time last year it was less than 40 degrees and this year it was the same, the only difference being the winds were stronger and no snowflakes. Today was the first time in 10 days we had the luxury of sleeping in until 7:30am as the skid pad competition would not be
starting until 9:00am.

For the final event we were lined up in reverse order, so we had an opportunity to watch cars from the other end of the field take to the track first, while we stood in the freezing conditions before it was our turn.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The final event was the dry skid pad, with the goal of circulating the concrete in the fastest time and pulling the largest number of G’s. Believe it or not our Dunlop Sport Maxx tires looked to be in the same condition as we left South Carolina 10 days ago. As Mike has stated during in the last few days, that was the good news, the bad news was the tires looked the same as we started! This event really turns out to be a formality unless someone really screws up, but that rarely
happens. In the end we didn’t gain a position, nor did we lose out to anyone else.

As soon as this event was over the fun begin and I think this is what the spectators turnout for; the Tire Rack Smoke Show. As in past years any competitor who wishes to have fun on the skid pad is encouraged to do so and burn off as much rubber as they wish. First off was Brian Hair in Robin Sparrow’s BMW 335i Coupe followed by a Mustang, then
Mike Renner, not in the X6 M, but in Neil Simons supercharged M Z Coupe, and finally Lee Keane in the event winning Porsche 911 GT2. You can see their showman ship below.

As soon as the smoke had cleared we were ushered into the Tire Rack warehouse for the awards banquet. Every year Tire Rack organize a wonderful buffet for the competitors, it make such a nice change to some of the fast food we’ve consumed on the road. This year the theme was local dishes from the states we visited during the week.

As the buffet wound down Brock Jr. started to offer thank to all a people that made the event possible, then introduced the founding father of the event Brock Sr. After a few words from the elder statesman, the awards were handed out for each class, followed by the top 10 overall trophies.

It was soon time to say our goodbyes and exchange contact information and begin our journeys home. One couple had to leave immediately for the their hometown in Texas, and on their return load up their other car and be in Utah for a SCCA event next weekend!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time together as a team and left the event very impressed with the capabilities of the X6 M, both from the exploits on track and the comfort it provided on the transit sections. During the event, the only time we lifted the hood was for inquisitive bystanders, and all we did at each event was check the tire pressures and check the toque of the wheel nuts. It also appears that a number of competitors also recognized how much fun we had with this BMW as during the event, a number of them approached us regarding the potential purchase of this amazing BMW.

Over the last week, if we have peaked your interest in an X6 or any other BMW product contact me, Steve Maguire 678.832.4600 to arrange your purchase or lease and we’ll arrange delivery of your new BMW at the BMW Performance Center with Mike Renner. An experience not to be missed!

To see more of the full coverage of One Lap of America check out our daily reports below!

Day One – Tire Rack Facility

Day Two – Road America

Day Three – Mid America Motorplex

Day Four – Hallett & Tulsa Tracks

Day Five – Gateway International

Day Six – Mid Ohio

Day Seven – New Jersey Motorsports Park

Day Eight – Nelsons Ledge

It is coming down to the home stretch for the One Lap of America with Nelsons Ledge as the penultimate event before the 2010 One Lap of America winds down back at the Tire Rack Facility in South Bend, Indiana. Over the week and through the previous seven days of competition, the X6 M has held its own – both in class and overall. The primary rival, the Mazda 5 in the SUV/Truck class, and the X6 M have been dueling back and forth for dominance in class. Most impressive is that the X6 M has held position overall in the top 20 vehicles – sharing the spotlight with Porsche GT2’s, M3’s, Corvette’s, Turbos and GT3’s.

Check out Steve’s full report from Day 8 below and Mike’s interview with the Brian Hair/Robin Sparrow 335i interview trackside!

Our last track event before returning to the Tire Rack skid-pad was Nelson Ledges, which is a fast and flowing track with minimal evaluation change and loved by club racers. From the stories we’d heard before arrival, we were a little concerned about just how rough the track would be.

Arriving early, we were fortunate to score shelter in the tech shed as rain had been forecasted to arrive at some point in the day. Mike set off on his customary track walk; leaving us to unload our baggage, check tire pressures and wheel nuts one more time. We also setup the laptop and found video of Nelson Ledges so Mike could gain additional familiarity with the layout after his walk. On his return Mike indicated that the track surface was not as bad as had been reported, at least for our X6 M, but he did think the configuration and Nelson Ledges which used to be Jason Sani’s home track (at the security gate, a sign displayed “Welcome home Jason”), would favor the Mazda.

As has been the norm for the week, the Mazda ran in the group prior to us and recorded a 3:51.458, good enough for 9^th O/A. Our turn soon came and Mike ran his session recording a 4:09.567. On returning to the paddock Mike was pleased with his run, though felt he could certainly do better in the afternoon session, recognizing a few places where he lost a little time. Finishing second to the Mazda meant we were now level on points for the class.

The afternoon session was a pretty much a repeat of the morning, but Mike did improve his time by 5 seconds to record a time of 4:04.461, good for 19^th overall for today.

Leaving Nelson Ledges we had a short drive of 290 miles back to South Bend to close out the One Lap of America and determine who would take victory in our class!

Today we brought news that the soon-to-be-see Z4  sDrive35is will soon debut a special edition called the Z4 sDrive35is: Limited Edition Mille Miglia. The car certainly will not disappoint either – with 340HP, Dual-clutch transmission, custom 19 inch wheels and a revised M-designed body kit – in addition to a number of other sporting aspects both inside an out to distinguish the standard “iS” Z4 over the Limited Edition.

For those unaware, the Mille Miglia(meaning One Thousand Miles) was a famous, world-renown race focused around sports car racing not unlike an older version of the WRC combined with GT racing across the open Italian countryside. While it was an excelerating testament to man and machine it was also an often deadly, unecessarily risky venture resulting in the death of drivers and bystanders alike.

However, despite the danger, there was a long line of drivers and manufacturers lining up to prove themselves against the clock and each other – storming across the idyllic countryside, juxtaposed to the brutal racing that would be carried out on the narrow Italian roads. The “MM” as the race was known saw the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz  and many others entering to demonstrate what their best engineering could do over a 1,000 mile endurance race. It was the kind of race that drivers of today would never consider entering just due to the potential dangers that lay at every turn.

BMW generated quite a name for themselves in the pre-World War II era with the iconic 328 winning its class for the 1938 Mille Miglia and then going on to an overall victory in 1940 as the tides of war began to sweep across Europe. Needless to say, BMW developed a reputation as a world-class competitor for major sportscar events ( this isn’t including the BMW 328’s victory first in class/fifth overall victory at the 1940 Le Mans). So if you think about it – the Mille Miglia name should stand for quite a lot to BMW as a defining racer early on in the company’s legacy as a manufacturer of sporting cars.

So why is it that the “Mille Miglia” name, with such a presence in the history of the brand, is being attached to the special edition of the hotted-up Z4? I have no doubt that the Z4 sDrive35is will be an incredible car( I’m itching to get my hands on it) but that being said, why couldn’t we just have a “streetable” verison of the 328 Mille Miglia Concept Coupe that debuted at the decadent Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2006?

In looking at BMW’s existing line-up, there is  no flagship vehicle that could tie in the principles of the company to an elegant yet sexy design – especially a coupe. In the 1990’s the 8 Series ( an incredible car hampered in sales due to poor economic timing) and in the early 2000’s we had the Z8 – a veritable throwback to the legendary 507. Retro is a played out theme in the automotive world right now thanks to Ford, GM and Chrysler cashing in on their respective styling heritage of the late 1960’s but the 328 MM Coupe Concept just oozes with panache and style that manage to set it apart from anything else out there right now – retro or not  - with a strong mix of avant garde cues such as the striking slash across the body denoting the brake lamps.

The 328 MM Coupe Concept(based on the previous E85 platform, first generation Z4) debuted at the 2006 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este – Lake Como, Italy to us common folk  -  and widely received acclaim for its near-timeless design as a throwback to the legacy of the 1930’s and ’40’s but with a modern styling flair from the era of Banglian design that has forever altered the path of BMW’s exterior renderings. The underpinnings of the car (drivetrain, platform, etc.) came straight from a E85 Z4 M Coupe – a suitable donor if ever one – to motivate the 328 MM Coupe Concept.

Click here to view the embedded video.

With that said, why attach the Mille Miglia name to a “Limited Edition” of a car that has barely been released in the United States and Europe?

I suppose I understand the correlation between the drop-dead gorgeous drophead that is the E89 Z4 and the historic 328 Coupe open-top( it was success as both the coupe and open racer) but why cash in historic relevance on a successful name on such an early model that will surely be successful like the Z4 sDrive35is?

Why not just give the world what it wants and provide a flagship or one-off model?

Something unique, brilliant, elegant and high performance. With the Z8, it was a Heidi Klum of early 2000’s sportscars when it came out – many would directly compare it to the Mercedes-Benz SL Class but the Z8 was truly a class of its own with its rugged, masculine looks but with a penchant for history in its cues – a car for both past and present and one that lives on as a special car denoted through its near-new grey market pricing.. Bring back this magic with the 328 Mille Miglia Coupe Concept in the form of a production car to lead at the head of the pack of an already impressive line of brooding Bavarians.

Give us the avante garde styling and sculpted, deeply creased lines of the coupe with its GINA-Concept-influenced body with the guts of a champion sports car – perhaps something like a Z4 sDrive35is?

Call it a suggestion, but either give us our flagship or reserve the name deep-rooted in a motoring history for a true soul successor to the original 328 Mille Miglia of pre-war legend!

We are drawing to the final stages of the 2010 One Lap of America. Over the week, the BMW Performance Driving School/United BMW of Roswell X6 M has been performing quite well, staying near the top overall and fighting for first place in the SUV/Truck class.

The latest report has the team winding down the event at the New Jersey Motorsports Park Lightning course before heading to Nelson Ledges and back to the Tire Rack Facility in South Bend, Indiana for the final day. Check out Steve’s report below to see the pitched battle between the X6 M and Mazda 5 for class dominance!

It looks like the battle for the SUV class on the 2010 One Lap of America is going down to the final event when we return to Tire Rack in South Bend on Saturday, at least if we can’t take multiple wins at Nelson Ledges tomorrow.

Today we were in New Jersey running the Lightning course at New Jersey Motorsports Park, another new track for Mike to learn! We arrived bright and early determined to stage a comeback after the disappointment of the Mid Ohio results. On our transit section from Mid Ohio I found some video on the web of the Lightning course for Mike to study. With the scores so close we were looking for any minute advantage we could find.

We arrived at the track soon after the gates opened, so we could get the track walk in and then relax prior to his run. After reviewing the walk and the information found on the web Mike believed the track geometry and sweeping banked corners of the Lightning circuit was a perfect opportunity to make full use of the X6 M’s 550 Bavarian horses on offer and claw back the points lost yesterday, keeping us in contention for the class win.

At this stage of the competition, competitors really start to feel the pressure and know any mistake could cost them dearly in the final results. Taking it too easy and you lose time; pushing too hard and the possibility of a mistake looms large. With only five events left, you have to find that perfect medium.

In the first session Mike had the advantage of knowing his competition’s bogey time as the Mazda ran in a group ahead of us setting a time of 4:05.502 minutes, and we also heard a report the Mazda had slight off-track excursion. So now it was all up to Mike to lay down a series of clean laps and beat the Mazda’s time.

At the end of 3 laps our stopwatch displayed a time just under 4:05 minutes, so now we just had to confirm this with the official score keepers, and they confirmed our time as 4:04.104. We had beaten them by 1.398 seconds!

One down, and one to go…at least for today!

Throughout the week we’ve been covering the ground covered by the BMW Performance Driving School/ United BMW of Roswell X6 M driven by Mike Renner, Tom Lappin and Steve Maguire in the 2010 One Lap of America.

The X6 M has been performing quite well over the course of the week – yesterday reaching as high as 18th place overall and that’s an incredible result for a 5,000+ lbs SUV(SAC for those keeping track!).

However, during their on-hand interviews at Mid Ohio, Steve took the opportunity to speak with the seemingly endless number of drivers competing in One Lap of America BMW’s. In the video below, Steve talks with a handful of the fellow BMW drivers and how they’re progressing through One Lap.

Some of the BMW’s we’ve seen in scanning through the list of entrants stretch across decades of BMW history as we’ve listed below:

- E90 BMW M3’s

- E36 M3’s

-  Z3 M Coupe (Clown shoe!)

- E90/92 335i’s

-E46 325i’s and 328i’s

-  E30 325iS

- MINI Cooper S

As you can see from the list above and the Entrant List, there are BMWs spanning over many models and decades being represented in the 2010 One Lap of America.  The cars represent nearly every class available for One Lap of America – from Mid Priced Sedans to the Small Bore SSGT1 class to SUV/Truck to Luxury Sedan class. The list reveals that it doesn’t seem that any other brand is as well-represented as BMW and across such a wide range of classes – it would seem that the Joy of Driving is alive and wheel across the United States!

From listening to the interviews of the fellow BMW drivers it seems that the M3 is quite the popular weapon of choice and from looking at the leaderboards thus far there are a number of BMW’s that have taken the lead in their respective class. We wanted to take the opportunity to recognize the many BMW’s through Steve’s pictures from the week of One Lap of America thus far.