Hey guys

My last race week-end of 2009........

What a track.....what an event, what a nice group a people. Some close friends shared that on with me, yeah !  

More than 70 racers in two groups ( IP and up and JP down )

My goals were met;

First, I wanted to get close to 2008 DM lap record of 1min 35 something ( Big Mike A ! ) and did a 1min 34,7. Still I ended up being 2 sec/lap slower than Akard a Poelt  . Understandable because the Petit Le Mans preceded us on track and left a lot of rubber so the track was very grippy

Second I wanted to finish those 3 races, stay on the black stuff and not make a fool of myself. Job done

Me being me, I forgot to put fuel in the car for the first race   but ended up with an 8th overall and third in class for that feature race because.....I was lucky ! A lot of the front runners missed the black flag all and ended up behind the line. And the BFA was long enough so I made it to the finish line on fumes ( 1/4 gal left ).

I also had mecanical issues in race #3, ran hot while drafting, had to lift and barely made it to the checker again !

Here are the 3 races on vimeo. Nothing to write home about but some good dicing and playing around 

Can't wait for the next one

Jean Luc

 Hi All;

In the first week-end of sept 2009 was held the ICAR Sundown 80 min enduro and the 2009 finale for the Federation sport-auto Quebec GT Sprint serie

Gorgeous weather, technical track and a good crowd made for a great racing week-end

I raced my E30M3 for the first time.....Very stiff and light ( 2200 pounds ), it performed very well even if it is not highly strung yet ! The engine is a stock S50B30, stock Getrag gearbox, Sachs clutch, 3,46 diff, 10yo Bilstein sport suspension. I raced on Hoosier DOTs.

Some great racing against Jean Marc Alcaraz Gulf E30M3 with its 320HP S14 engine and Motons suspension. The car was driven by pro driver Marc Antoine Camirand for the first stint of the enduro. They had some issues with the rear susp bottoming out though

The enduro's rules said a 2 min pitstop was mandatory for all, and it had to be done after the first 45 min

Notice at the beginning of the enduro, air found its way in my clutch hydraulic lowering the friction point to the floor!.....It took me a few laps of pumping before it eventually got back

Enjoy

Taken from Jacques R in car camcorder

Here is a good example of what to do by Tim P's

Spin was induced by a closing radius between apex and track out, then the rear wheels hit the grass accelerating the spin and making it a 720 deg one

Keeping both feet in  during a spin is a must, to keep a predictable trajectory for othe racers.

Notice how Mike G stays cool during the first spin till he hit the panic button realizing that thing won't stop turning. Ends up with a souvenir imprint on the bodywork of the right side of his car.....

OK all; We are back from Tremblant club race and we had a blast. Great people as usual, better weather than expected and a gorgeous track. I had noise issues though. 92 db was the max allowed and my car produced 93 db ( with 2 mufflers and a tip pointing down.... ) so I suffered 2 black flags. I experimented with a staggered tire combo and spent quite a bit of energy setting the chassis. No mecanical issue for a change though. My 3 qualification times ( 1min 48,595, 1min 48,570 and 1min 48,582 ) were very close. Good for 2nd, 2nd and 1st ex-aequo with Ike !!!!! My best laptime was 1min 48,28, a DM record ? I finished the 2 points race in 2nd and 3rd. DNF the fun race because of a black flag for noise while in 2nd position and a few laps to go. Only 30 cars on such a long track means a lot of solo lapping so I edited my videos and made one for the whole week-end Enjoy

y

That event was held in july 2009.

About 30 racers on the grid.

I use the #111 car in class D modified. This chassis is very well tuned and the engine is fresh. I use Dunlop slicks with 8 heat cylces in race #1 and new in race 2 and 3

Day #1

I qualified in 2min 16,000 sec in fourth place. 

At very start the rear end of the car felt a bit weird and loose. I almost spun it on two occasions, then felt a wobble at the RR corner, then smoke etc...

My mecanic convinced me to come in and play safe. I did. And I was told by tech that they were about to black flag me for smoke....I had cooked the RR wheel  bearing.......DNF     

Day #2;

We changed the 2 rear wheel bearings and then the car felt great in practice.

 I gridded early and had two laps without traffic on fresh slicks, and it worked fine. I qualify 3rd in 2min 15,45 sec, a probable DM lap record at this track.

The race was thrilling and scary because  when we started the track was dry ( everybody was on dry tires ) and then we had to compose with some intermittent rain showers.... 

Finished 3rd overall and first in class because Alan had to lift having no wiper, and no Rain-X !

For the 3rd day;

No qualification for this feature 45 min race. My 3rd place in yesterday's race gives me the 3rd spot on the grid

I aim for a 4th place overall and 1st in class because three fast CM cars and drivers should go to war in front of me.

Mark's spin in turn #5 will change the course of this race. Peter was very close to the rear bumper of Mark during the spin and had to take evasive actions through the grass. That will put me in the lead temporaly in front of Allan L who is closing fast on me till they throw a double-yellow to pick-up Mark's car because it would not start.   

Then, I will screw the restart being in fith instead of third gear     and give the lead to Allan. Peter will put pressure on me producing my 2 fastest laps of the week-end. Proving a fresh DM can hold its own against a tired CM ( Till the S54 to come restore the usual hierarchy.....).

His laptimes were better than mine though and Allan was taking advantage of the situation, creating a bigger gap at each lap. 

My crew then started to give shit because I was 1st in class by some 20 seconds and they felt my battle with Peter was putting a lot of stress on the machinery....

Of course they were right, and I let Peter around giving him a chance to get back at allan. I then chose a rythm that would protect my lead while being easier on the car. 

Brain over balls has to make sense sometimes....I guess....

Hi everyone;

So I made it back from June 2009 NJ BMW CCA club race.

I did that race because my #111 car was stored in PA and I had to pick it up for the summer events in Canada.

I was also curious to see that new track.

The engine was freshened with new rings, gaskets and a new mapping

I wanted to use that race week-end to do a proper "shake down".

On the very first session after 6 laps, we had an overheating engine..... We found a faulty 22$ thermostat.... Damage was done and we elected to put a new head on after we found the first one would not hold its head gasket well after running hot....We finished at 22h00 and I promised my team I would bring that car to the front for them !

The next day, I woke up around 5h30 and was alone at the track. I still needed to learn the track so I walked it and then did about 10 laps on a scooter before the first employees started to get in for work. Good for me cause the morning practice session was cancelled because of a bad thunderstorm. They had to bring the corner workers in !

The first full session for me would then be the qualification race. Means I have to start from the back of the pack ( yesterday's mechanical DNS ). Means my finishing position, not my best lap time , would serve to set up grid for the PM Feature race. I will finish 10th in a 15 min heavy rained race. The most interesting fight was between me and my wiper / squeegee.....I lost that one.

The feature race was also interesting because 99% of the track had time to dry by early PM. All racers had to go for dry tires no question about it. Rains would have been destroyed in a few laps in 90 deg weather, and a hot and dry track. Problem arised from the 1% of the track that was still wet. Four puddles ( more than an inch of water crossing the whole width of the track ) made it very tricky. The first one in the fastest braking zone of turn one, the second in the chicane entry, the third one in octopus while fully loaded and the fourth one in the last corner ( a fast left in 5th ! ) before the front straight. You would try to hit those puddles straight for the mandatory aquaplaning on slicks. We would clench our teeth and do the best we could trying to control the car after it regained grip on the dry stuff. 

Started 10th and finished FIRST overall..... What a thrill ! 

I had some help from fast CM cars that decided to take it easy I guess. And from some front runners who went spinning and spinning....

As my grandpa used to say " Better be lucky than good "

Good I don't know but lucky, heck yes !

Big thank to German Motor Werks for their outstanding work and support

 Hi all;

Back from Virginia International Raceway, mid april 2009.

I came down with a racer friend, Olivier Comeau because I had the yellow #222 and the #111 car available.

We did test the #222  on thursday l. After going for hydraulic lifters and Sunbelt cams, the M50B28 was still running hot ( like Sebring ) and we suspect a faulty bloc.

I sold the chassis/cage/metal body and kept all the racing parts on it. Anyway that chassis was getting too soft after 4 years of racing. Let it rest in peace!

I worked a lot on suspension set-ups on the #111 white MIRA car and achieve a very fast chassis for that track.
The engine was down on power ( around 220 instead of 260 RWHP ) and still manage to squeeze a 2min 07sec best laptime during the week-end.

I qualified 16th overall on 52 cars and 4th in class for sprint #1 and finished 16th.

Race management was OK, laptimes regular but I lacked power on the straights and got drafted by strong IP cars.
The engine overheated in the last 2 laps. So I had to lift but made it to the chequered flag.

M Chuck Stickley worked on it thereafter and found 3 cylinders were down on compression (170, 170 135 instead of 220 ). Leak down showed faulty rings. We also found the bloc was cracked. We need a new bloc and a full rebuild.

We did try a quick fix on it to do the enduro and sprint #2 but didn't succeed...

I did succeed in flying off the fast left at 120 mph though! Sorry for all who got worried about me....

Thanks for German Motor Werks for all their devotion during this busy week-end

 Hi All;

I have been asked by some of you what the street circuit felt like at Grand-Prix of Trois-Rivières. Well, like a bowling alley........

This was CTCC 2008 in Super Touring

Was using my white E36 MIRA car ( 2,5L and a Motorsport dog box )

We had a 20 minutes practice to learn the track on friday morning 8h00 AM. I did it behind my teammate David B

It was very dusty and bumpy and needed a soft suspension set-up

Most apexes were blind and quite early

Most of the turn-in , apex and track-out points had concrete walls. Obviously the closer you stayed to these walls, better laptimes you would get !

Controlling and/or limiting your slides on the mandatory Toyos R888s was a must to prevent contacts with the walls.

It also made for a demolition derby during the 2 races. I think only 13 out of 35 cars survived the carnage.

I DNF because of a broken right lower a arm in race#1. It created a  contact with the wall at turn 2

Enjoy

This is a fun one

This will be a sweet revenge !
In sprint #1 I finished 5th 0,15 second behind my friend Louis Payant
In this sprint race, I will fight as hard as I did in the first one, and up to the last corner...
I will finish in front of Louis by 0,02 second!
The closest finish I ever was involved with

Enjoy

Jean Luc 

Hi friends;

This is a BMW CCA Club racing event hold at Mosport in june 2008.
I am driving the #111 DM car. It is my touring 1995 BMW M3 with a stroked 2,5L to 2,8L Stickley engine.I am riding on Dunlop slicks.
I qualified close to the front and had a decent start
I put this in-car video on vimeo because of the interesting dicing with my friend Louis Payant.
He will eventually beat me to the chequered flag by 0,15 seconds...Can you get closer ?

Jean Luc 

OK guys;

This is the second race of the week-end.

 We ran it in the wet. It started to rain heavily 5 min before the start. Just enough time to put full thread tires on ( Toyo R 888 spec tires ). I did not have the chance to change my suspension settings to wet set-up, I guess like most other racers.ICAR circuit has a cement surface. Heavy rain, dry tires, cement and dry set-ups meant very low grip and a lots of action.....
I started 6th and finished 7th. But I was hit about 5 times in the first 30 seconds, the last hit sending me in a spin and in last position.

Took a lot of effort and many passes to regain my position. Note the many offs helping me along the way.
I race to support MIRA foundation.
If you like this video, please give at mira.ca

Enjoy

Jean Luc

Grand-Prix of Mirabel 2008,  Canadian Touring Championship ( CTCC )

Racing happens on the new,slow and highly technical ICAR circuit built on the cement surface of Mirabel airport close to Montreal.

This is the in-car video of race ran saturday 12th july 2008.
I ran a white BMW 328 wearing #77. We ran at 2750 pounds including driver, the car has full Moton suspension, an aluminium M50B25 stroked to 2,8L and a BMW Motorsport dogbox.
This is the first race of the week-end and it was raced in the dry.

I qualified 10th on about 30 cars but had a penalty for PUY and had to start from 15th.

Some banging in turn 1 after the start, catching up thereafter to a 6th finishing position. 

I raced in CTCC to support MIRA foundation.
They train dogs to help improve the quality of life of handicapped and blinds.

 mira.ca
Please give !

Jean Luc 

Hi racers;

This is race #3 at the National event for BMW CCA in 2008 at WGI

After finishing second at yesterday's feature race, we wake up to a very, very wet morning.....
Starting in second spot on the grid the splitter sends the pole to the outside lane ?????
Having a huge fuel cell in the trunk, I filled it up to give me more traction at the start and at corners track out.
I take the lead at the start and keep it for a while.
The downside of having all that weight back there is a lack of front grip at the top of the esses ( turn #4 )
I slid there and lost the lead at the bus stop.
Then a double-yellow.....makes my windshield more foggy than ever. Can't hardly see my hood !
I take the lead again in turn one at the start but I overshoot turn#4 again," kiss " the guard rail, loose my wing and 2 positions...

I will finish 4th, fighting a loose car with no visibility.

Makes for some interesting footage though 

Enjoy

Jean Luc

.

Hi friends;

This is race #2 at the National BMW CCA event sept 2008 at WGI long track

I am racing my yellow #222 with a 2,8L in JP class ( 3000 pounds with driver, 6 points cage without pillars and front struts fixation, DOTs )

I will start in the 13th spot on the grid because it was my finishing position in race #1 ( starting from the back of the pack )
This is the only race of the week-end held in dry condition
After a bad start where I will get caught on the outside line, I will be moving to the front quite well till a double-yellow.
I team up with Fred Ferguson at the restart and protect his position before he helps me move forward.
I end up in the second position 8 seconds behind first.
The first place racer ( David White ) is averaging 1 second a lap faster than me ( 2min 12 and 2min 13sec respectively ), and runs away for the win

Still very happy with that 2nd position

Enjoy

Jean Luc

Hi all;

This is a club race with BMW Car Club of America.

The 2008 National event called OFest held at Watkins Glen long course in september.

I race a Yellow 1995 M3 with a 2,8L engine in JP class.
I qualified 4th/60 cars in group 2
I missed the false grid by a few seconds........ while changing wet to dry tires ( the track was drying... )
Means I have to start from the hot pit
Means I have to move to the front fast because this race finishing position will be our grid for the feature points race.

I will move from 60th to 13th while racing through the slower classes.

Enjoy

Jean Luc

 Hi all

This is a PBOC/BMW CCA sanctionned event held in jan. 2009 at Sebring FL
It consists of a 6 hours enduro, a 90 min enduro and two 30 min sprints.
This one is the first sprint
I am using a rental BMW 328 owned by my support team: German Motor Werks
I qualified 17th over 60 cars at 2min30,1sec and finished 13thn overall and first in my class ( JP )

JP class with BMW CCA means, 2,8L engine with cams only, 6 points cage with no attachement to pillars and front struts, 3000 pounds minimum with driver, DOT tires and no dampers with external canisters. 

I will dice with canadian friends Rob McCauly in the white 328 and Arek W in the red one.
They are in a faster class ( DM ) because they have a full cage, open suspension and racing engine.
But they are on Toyos R888 and I wear Hoosiers R6 ( worth about 2 sec./lap ). Good honest fun....

Enjoy

Jean Luc

The car is a light 1989 E30M3 racer with a S50 engine
It carries 10 pounds per RWHP.
Lap is done on 225's Hankook C51 compound DOTs
The driver/new owner is ICAR "in house" engineer Yvan Turcotte.
We see 1 lap during oct 2008 member's day at this new track designed on the concrete surface of Mirabel airport QC Canada.
Considering no work has been done to set-up the car yet, lap time was pretty impressive...

Enjoy

JLB