[geeks] Race Tracks

[Mike Murphy]

Sheldon T. Hall...

>James Fogg ...
>> [somebody]
> > > I'm rather a fan of large powerful sedans, as well, with a
> > > 2000 BMW M5 being my daily driver, and my cone chaser.
> > > However, due to the rediculous expense of road racing such a
> > > beast, my race cars have been a 1991 Toyota MR2 (SCCA ITS)
> > > and a 1985 VW Golf 8v (SCCA ITA).  I'm not currently road
> > > racing due to job commitments (I travel 100%), but most of my
> > >friends are road racers or autocrossers.
> >
> >
> > I can't imagine slogging through a course with a heavyweight. Sidewall
> > roll, body roll, inertial moment, CG, ugh. Just my opinion.

> Heh.

> Going fast in a big car is different from going fast in a little one, for
> sure.  I've done both, and, frankly, I rather prefer the big'uns.
> Well-set-up "heavyweights" can be remarkably rapid, and not just in a
> straight line.

> When I lived in Atlanta, and drove BMWs, my local BMW shop owner was quite
> the performance nut.  His "Sunday car" was a Ferrari Dino, but his daily
> driver was a 5-body BMW with, essentially, a 745i engine.  I.e. the 3.5
> liter straight-six Dinan-ed to within an inch of its life.  Complete
chassis
> goose-up, of course.  Full roll cage, too, but also working A/C, stereo,
and
> car phone.  Gotta have A/C in Atlanta.

> On a track day at Road Atlanta, I personally saw him lap the course at the
> same speeds as the Formula cars.  I believe he was in the top-10 lap times
> for the day, and the mix of vehicles there included everything you can
think
> of, from Morgan three-wheelers to Formula cars, serious big-bore SCCA
racers
> to a Dyna-Panhard roadster.

> -Shel



What's this geek's list become? My computer is slicker than yours and my car
goes around the bends faster? ;-) ;-)

(daily driver is a Dinan-supercharged M-coupe, though I drive like the geezer
I am and would rather drive my '67 Sprite if the weather would only warm up a
little ;-) P.S., the quick car is in the shop and the loaner Nissan Sentra is
a very nice, high mpg, smooth, quiet, comfortable little car. I certainly am a
geezer, that cinched it.

[demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/ms-tnef which had a name of winmail.dat]