Global Tuner Grand Prix – Laguna Seca Raceway – Day 2 update (October 23, 2010)
Well….we got the GT3 back on Friday night, and it does run. But, we needed to fix the shifter cable issue that caused all the problems to begin with. But…..we found out, after tearing the car apart late Friday night, that we had the WRONG new set of shifter cables….what to do, what to do. One of the nice things about being at a true race event is that you get full factory support at the races….and Porsche Motorsport was here with their full parts trailer. So, up early on Saturday, and down to the trailer we go, and inside their trailer they have a parts assortment that makes you feel like you are inside a Costco….they have EVERYTHING. And, yes, they have our proper shift cable set. Back to the garages, and flailing mechanics (the BRR crew) can be seen all over the car as we try to get the other 2 cars ready for their sessions, and put the new shift cables into the GT3.
The day is cool…..but CLEAR…..woo hoo. We download the new weather radar app to all our phones, so we can get the weather updates, and although it is raining in the Bay Area, it is missing us for the morning.
The BMW 135i is driven by Bruce Todd for the first 2 practice sessions of the day. The tires are holding up well (Dunlop Direzza’s, shaved), but by the end of the 2nd session, the brakes are toast. A new set of PFC 01 pads goes into the front, and we do a full brake bleed on the car as well. Our times have dropped again today, but so has everyone else. The top 5 cars in our class are all fairly close together, but the TCKline Porsche Boxster Sypder tuned car is flying…..and well it should given its horsepower, balance and WEIGHT…..weight is its big advantage (it is over 500 lbs lighter than our 135i), and nearly 300 lbs lighter than our Cayman S. We fine tune the tire pressures for both the 135i and the Cayman S, change the springs on the 135i to get the balance to shift given the temperatures and track conditions, change all the shock settings, alter the engine tune….and try again.
Now, for the 3rd and 4th sessions of the day, we have Matt Bell (Pro Race driver, Grand-Am series) jump into the 135i, and our times come down even more. We’re close, but still not there.
By the 3rd session, the GT3’s brakes are done (complete TOAST…which was also contributing to the handling issues), and we have to do the same brake job on the GT3 that we did w the 135i at the end of the 2nd session. New pads, bedding, and full brake fluid bleed.
The last session of the day comes, and so does the hint of rain. It had held off all day, but now it just starts drizzling. Not hard, barely getting the ground wet….but the ground is wet. Nonetheless, off we go with all three cars. No stinking rain is going to stop us from playing. The times on the GT3 are coming down now, but the tires are OLD, and don’t have the grip we need. Hoosier is here….but they have NO tires in our sizes….so, we can’t get the fresh rubber we need.
Eddy has also joined the team for the day (From APEX), and we set up our full booth and canopies in front of our garages, and have our tables, parts, wheels all out on display. We get a crowd all day long, and are the second biggest display in the paddock area. We get groups from Japan coming by to take pics of the cars in the garages, we get an Italian couple on their honeymoon, we start supplying help and parts to some of the other teams….it is a very busy and HAPPY day.
End of the day – the 135i handling has improved, and while we have been on the edge w the heating issue as well (just on the edge of over heating the car and going into limp mode…so, we have to monitor all the gauges all the time, and play w throttle to keep it just below where we go into LIMP mode). We’re still off on the right setup, but we have gone as far as we can w the settings available for this weekend. The Cayman S is stable, solid, and performing very well. The GT3 is now coming on, but we’re trying to understand what are the real issues in the handling, vs the tires.
Just as we end the day for our practices……the full rain comes, and it starts to pour. But all in all, a great day…..our two STREET category cars are doing well, and the GT3 is running….that alone is joy and worth celebrating.
However, w the rains coming….what will tomorrow hold? We do NOT have any treaded tires for the GT3…so, if the rains come, the car will be parked. If the rains come for the other two cars, we have fresh rubber (although it is shaved), and we will run rain or shine.
Till tomorrow….thanks for reading.
See our facebook posts as well (under BRracing, the company page, not the BRracing Racing page). We will be adding photo’s and video from the event to both our www, gallery on our website, and to our facebook page…..so, stay tuned.
BRracing – performance at the limit.
See our gallery in our website for a full collection of photos from the event.
On to the race……
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