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Bimmerworld Team Battles the Heat of Cleveland for a Season Best Finish

Cleveland_bigWith high temperatures and strong competition BimmerWorld Racing once again finishes with two drivers in the top 10 at the exciting Grand Prix of Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio.

The BimmerWorld Racing team arrived in Cleveland fresh and ready to race after the one month break in the Speed Touring Car schedule and it showed in the consistent performance of the cars throughout the weekend.  Even with little time on this new course the BimmerWorld team was able to dial in the cars and help to place all three drivers in the top half of the field on the starting grid.  #36 James Clay stated “the crew was amazing on getting the cars up to speed with minimal practice time – the car was very good.” The qualifying position and excellent start had all three BimmerWorld drivers in the top 10 going into turn one off the start.

Seth Thomas in the #38 BimmerWorld Racing 325i had an excellent race in Cleveland with a 15th position on the starting grid becoming a 4th place overall finish, collecting both the B&M HoleShot and Sunoco Hard Charger awards for his brilliant drive.  Heat played a major role in the race. Seth explains, “the crew fought the immense heat to give me a car that handled flawlessly throughout the race.  My tires started to overheat which caused me to back off for a few laps but when the tires came back I was able to turn lap times faster then my qualifying time.”

It was a homecoming race of sorts for Matt Richmond in the #37 BimmerWorld Racing 325i who placed his car in the 11th spot of the starting grid and had a smooth drive to a great finish in the race.  “I always love coming back to Cleveland so racing here was a real treat. The BimmerWorld crew did a fantastic job to give me a super-consistent car that helped me to get another top 10 finish” proclaimed Richmond.  Matt drove into an 8th place finish overall in a race that had few incidents and ran full green.

The #36 BimmerWorld Racing 325i of James Clay had a race with numerous interruptions but luckily no damage incurred as he qualified in 10th but was quickly moved back in the pack due to traffic at turn one. James Clay explains “I had a fantastic start, but a car parked it in front of me in the first turn and I lost the positions I gained and more.” After numerous interruptions with spinning cars in the very fast chicane Clay persevered through thick traffic to scramble his car into a finish of 12th overall. James later said “no excuses, that is part of racing and I have ended up on the good side of it also.  [It is] frustrating but I am glad my team mates finished well. The crew was amazing in getting the cars up to speed with minimal practice time.”

The BimmerWorld Racing team continues to carry the flag for BMW as the leading European team in manufacturers points with all 3 driver’s now in the top ten in overall points. Matt Richmond is in 8th (85), Seth Thomas in 9th (73), and James Clay in 10th (71) after 5 races of the 2005 season.

Round 5 from Cleveland, Ohio was shown live on Speed Channel so if you missed the race be sure to catch up with the action in the next event. Speed World Challenge racing will continue in Round 6 at the scenic Lime Rock Park in conjunction with the ALMS series in Lakeville, Connecticut July 1-4.

The 2005 BimmerWorld Racing World Challenge team is sponsored by Ground Control, Hawk Performance, StopTech, Silkolene, Eibach, Rogue Engineering, Bimmerforums.com, and The Wheelchair Foundation. For more information on BimmerWorld Racing please visit www.bimmerworldracing.com

Photos by Jimmy Sykes.

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Bimmerworld Racing Donates Winnings to Wheelchair Foundation

BimmerWorld_Wheelchair_checkBimmerWorld Racing drivers Seth Thomas, James Clay and Matt Richmond donated $7,500 of the team’s winnings to the Wheelchair Foundation in a check presentation ceremony following the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car race Sunday, Oct. 17 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Thomas and Clay presented the check to Jason Katz, Associate Director of Community Relations for the Wheelchair Foundation, which will be used to purchase 100 new wheelchairs for those in need.

“The Wheelchair Foundation is grateful for the support that BimmerWorld Racing has shown us,” Katz said. “Their donation means granting the gift of mobility to those who need it most. We are pleasantly surprised at the generous amount that BimmerWorld was able to donate and we look forward to a continued relationship with BimmerWorld Racing.”

“You really can’t describe in words how this affects the kids and the families until you see their faces,” Thomas said describing the impact of the team’s donation. “The Wheelchair Foundation is an organization that does a lot of good for people throughout the world. We’re just glad that we can be a part of it and that we can help them out. We want to help kids and adults have fun with their lives, while we’re having fun racing. It’s just something that we can give back.”

The Wheelchair Foundation has delivered more than 300,000 wheelchairs in 129 countries to adults, teens and children and distributes an average of 10,000 wheelchairs each month. A $75 tax-deductible donation can help deliver one wheelchair to a recipient in need.

The Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one. For these people, the Wheelchair Foundation delivers Hope, Mobility and Freedom.

For more information about the Wheelchair Foundation, visit www.wheelchairfoundation.org or call 877-378-3839.

For more information on BimmerWorld Racing, visit www.bimmerworldracing.com

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High-Speed Racing Helps Wheels to Roll

bimmerBimmerworld Racing has teamed up with the Wheelchair Foundation to grant mobility to those in need. Team Bimmerworld has finished a pulse pounding season of adventures on the race track. Driving with passion and skill, the team from Bimmerwold has had a successful race season this year.

Making it even more of a success was the generous gift Bimmerworld donated to the Wheelchair Foundation. On Sunday Oct 17, at Laguna Seca raceway in Salinas Ca, Bimmerworld finished the last race in a 10 race season. In a post race ceremony, Seth Thomas, a driver with team Bimmerwold presented the Wheelchair Foundation with a check for $7,500.

“We are happy that we can help people all over the world gain mobility. With this donation, the Wheelchair Foundation can give 100 people wheelchairs.” James Clay, also a driver and the team owner, was excited to share his team’s success with the Wheelchair Foundation.  “It is a great cause and we were happy to help.”

Special thanks go to Seth Thomas, James Clay and Matt Richmond. Their passion for racing has helped people gain mobility. The Wheelchair Foundation was excited to hear that team Bimmerworld will continue their sponsorship of our program next season!

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Bimmerworld Racing Updates

another_shotBIMMERWORLD RACING LOOKS TOWARD SPEED TOURING CAR QUALIFYING AT ROAD ATLANTA

Bimmerworld Racing drivers James Clay, of Blacksburg, Va., Matt Richmond, of Mooresville, N.C., Seth Thomas, of Cumming, Ga., and the rest of the Bimmerworld Racing team had a solid day of practice Wednesday at Road Atlanta, in preparation for Friday’s Round Nine SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car race at Road Atlanta.

In the teams’ return to Road Atlanta, after finishing 2-3-4 in the SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Sport Compact GP back in April, they took the first step toward replicating that effort when the hit the track for Wednesday’s practice sessions.

Piloting the No. 36 Bimmerworld/Ground Control/Wheel Chair Foundation BMW 325i, Clay was seventh fastest on the day following the combined practice sessions. Clay turned his fast lap of 1:36.042 (95.208 mph) during the morning session under cooler conditions.

“The first session out went really well,” Clay said. “We had some decent tires on the car and we’d been working to get it to handle [a little better]. In the second session, the tires starting going away a little bit. We made some changes and the car is starting to feel better and better. I am really excited about tomorrow.

“There have been huge changes on the car,” Clay said commenting on what the team has changed on the car since they were last at Road Atlanta. “Back in April, we were still scrambling to get the cars dialed in. That was the second event on the cars. We’ve made major changes every weekend [since]. Now we’re getting to the point where we’re making only minor changes.”

Richmond, driving the No. 37 Bimmerworld/Ground Control/Wheelchair Foundation BMW 325i, turned in the 14th quickest combined practice time of 1:36.546 (94.711 mph), which he set in the afternoon session. Richmond improved on his morning session time by nearly two hundredths of a second.

“I am happy to be where I am,” Richmond said of his practice times. “I’m getting everything I can out of the car. I’m hanging it out and doing what I can. I am not discouraged. I am driving it to the limit.

“The car is always under development and there are always little tricks we are trying [to get more speed],” Richmond added. “But, what is almost as important as being fast, is bringing the car home in one piece after each session. We’ve had success here in the past. And, to just not give the crew a heck of a workload, like they’ve had just about every weekend, is important. We want the crew to have a good time and to make this what it is supposed to be – which is fun for everybody. Moral boosting is almost as important as the result at the end of the weekend.”

Thomas improved on his morning practice time by nearly three full seconds in the afternoon session. He clicked off a lap of 1:37.224 (94.050 mph) in his No. 38 Bimmerworld/Ground Control/Wheel Chair Foundation BMW 325i.

“In the morning session, I didn’t have the best tires on the car, whereas in the afternoon session I had a good set of tires,” Thomas said describing the difference in his practice times. “That made a huge difference in the car. The car is setup really nice. Come tomorrow, I think the car will do well.”

The team takes the track for SPEED Touring Car Round Nine qualifying at 1:20 p.m. (EDT) Thursday, Sept. 23. For live timing and scoring visit www.world-challenge.com.

For more information on Bimmerworld Racing, visit www.bimmerworldracing.com.

 

SPEED Touring Car Qualifying

 

1. Justin Marks, BMW 325i
2. Pierre Kleinubing, Acura TSX
3. Nic Jonsson, BMW 325Ci
4. Bob Stretch, BMW 325Ci
5. Dino Crescentini, BMW 325i
7. James Clay, BMW 325i
14. Matt Richmond, BMW 325i
18. Seth Thomas, BMW 325i

 

BIMMERWORLD RACING QUALIFIES SIXTH, TENTH AND TWELFTH AT ROAD ATLANTA

BRASELTON, Ga. (Sept. 23, 2004) – Bimmerworld drivers James Clay, of Blacksburg, Va., Matt Richmond, of Mooresville, N.C., and Seth Thomas, of Cumming, Ga., qualified sixth, 10th and 12th, respectively, Thursday at Road Atlanta, in preparation for Friday’s Round Nine SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car race.
In the teams’ return to Road Atlanta, after finishing 2-3-4 in the SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Sport Compact GP back in April, they look to replicate that effort when the hit the track for Friday’s race.
Driving the No. 36 Bimmerwold/Ground Control/Wheel Chair Foundation BMW 325i, Clay led the way for the Bimmerworld team turning a lap of 1:35.777 (95.471 mph) around the 12-turn, 2.54-mile circuit.
“Sixth wasn’t as really as good as I had hoped to do,” Clay said. “I didn’t want to roll the car like I did at the beginning of qualifying at Road America. So, I approached it [qualifying] with a little more room left in the car. On my second lap, which was my fastest lap, I did find some extra speed. I think we are definitely ready for race day.”
Thomas turned a fast lap of 1:36.070 (95.80 mph) in his No. 38 Bimmerwold/Ground Control/Wheel Chair Foundation BMW 325i, which helped him earn a career-best starting position of 10th. Thomas recorded his fast lap early on in the 20-minute qualifying session.
“I am definitely happy with it,” Thomas said about his qualifying run. “But, I was hoping for a little bit faster time. I got held up in a few spots by some of the same cars that Matt [Richmond] did at the beginning of the session, which is when I set my fastest lap. The car is definitely faster than what the results show.”
Richmond, who is coming off of back-to-back sixth-place finishes at Mosport and Road America, will have to skillfully work his way through the field from his 12th starting spot to find his way to the podium.
“Circumstances didn’t permit me to run the fastest qualifying lap I could have turned,” Richmond said about his qualifying effort in the No. 37 Bimmerwold/Ground Control/Wheel Chair Foundation BMW 325i. “But, I am pretty happy with 12th. I’m proud of my teammates for having a clean weekend so far. I am real proud of Seth because he is up in the top-10 and James is sixth. Hopefully we can bring it home in one piece tomorrow.”
The team takes the track for Round Nine of the SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championships at 11:10 a.m. (EDT) Friday, Sept. 24. For live timing, visit www.world-challenge.com.
For more information on Bimmerworld Racing, visit www.bimmerworldracing.com.

 

SCCA SPEED Touring Car Qualifying

 

1. Peter Cunningham, Nissan Sentra SE-R, 1:35.272 (95.977mph)
2. Pierre Kleinubing, Acura TSX, 1:35.417 (95.832 mph)
3. Bill Auberlen, BMW 325i, 1:35.551 (95.697 mph)
4. Bob Stretch, BMW 325Ci, 1:35.619, (95.629 mph)
5. Shauna Marinus, Mazda 6, 1:35.715 (95.533 mph)
6. James Clay, BMW 325i, 1:35.777 (95.471 mph)
7. Nic Jonsson, BMW 325Ci, 1:35.787 (95.461 mph)
8. Charles Espenlaub, Mazda ProtegeES, 1:35.788 (95.460 mph)
9. Justin Marks, BMW 325i, 1:35.998 (95.252 mph)
10. Seth Thomas(R), BMW 325i, 1:36.070 (95.180 mph)
12. Matt Richmond, BMW 325i, 1:36.413 (94.842 mph)

 

BIMMERWORLD RACING PUTS ALL THREE DRIVERS IN TOP FIVE AT ROAD ATLANTA
CLAY, THOMAS, RICHMOND GET CAREER-BEST FINISHES

BRASELTON, Ga. (Sept. 25, 2004) – Bimmerworld Racing drivers James Clay, of Blacksburg, Va., rookie Seth Thomas, of Cumming, Ga., and Matt Richmond, of Mooresville, N.C., finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Round Nine race at Road Atlanta Friday, as part of the Chevy Presents Petit Le Mans weekend.

Heading into the penultimate round of the SPEED Touring Car season at Road Atlanta, the Bimmerworld Racing team had high expectations of putting all three drivers in the top five and that’s exactly what happened.

On the team’s home track, Clay led the way from his sixth starting position in his No. 36 Bimmerworld/Ground Control BMW 325i. By lap seven, Clay had moved to third, but spent most of the race battling to keep that position. In fact, Clay and SPEED Touring Car point leader Bill Auberlen battled each other for 11 laps before Auberlen came into the pits with overheating problems. After Auberlen came into the pits, Clay then had to battle Jeff Altenburg and Justin Marks over the next couple of laps for third place. On lap 19, Clay dropped to fourth, as his car appeared to have handling issues. But, on lap 22, Altenburg, who was second at the time, was having gearbox problems and dropped to fourth, which moved Clay up to third.

“It was about half way through the race, the rear end starting coming out from me,” Clay said of his car’s performance. “We thought that might have been a problem. But, when I saw other drivers dropping out, I figured we needed a podium finish this year and this was the one track we could do it. I just put it on autopilot and got it done.

“To pick up a podium is pretty exciting. That’s what we’ve been working toward all season. We’re not on the top yet, but next year we will be.”

Clay’s third place performance was his career-best SPEED Touring Car finish, beating his previous career-best of ninth, which he established earlier this year in Round Two at Lime Rock Park.

Starting from 10th on the grid, driving the No. 38 Bimmerworld/Ground Control BMW 325i, Thomas clearly showed his familiarity with his home track, as he set a new fast race lap record with a 1:35.712 (95.536 mph) en route to winning the urbanracer.com Hot Lap Award.

“I tell you what, the Bimmerworld No. 38 car was awesome today,” Thomas said. “We had an engineer work with us this weekend and he did a sweet job on the car. He got it hooked up for us. We turned the fastest race lap and we had another consecutive finish here [Bimmerworld cars finishing third through fifth] and it’s great. You can’t beat it.

“I’m pretty pumped,” Thomas added about his career-best finish. “It’s one of those things that we’ve been striving for all season. It’s been a goal that I set at Sebring. And, we finally got it here in the next to last race of the season and it’s an awesome feeling. I look forward to being up there more.”

Thomas’ fourth place finish was a new career-best. His previous career-best finish was an 11th place performance at Road America in August. 

Richmond, who is coming off two consecutive sixth-place performances in as many races, proved once again how consistent he can be in his No. 37 Bimmerworld/Ground Control BMW 325i by turning in a season-best fifth place finish. Richmond, who started 12th, benefited from the combination of having a fast car (Richmond turned the third fastest race lap with a 1:35.981, 95.268 mph) and some driver attrition to finish fifth.

“I’m so proud of this team,” Richmond said of his teams’ performance. “It all came together this weekend. Everything went smoothly, everyone was comfortable and everyone did their job. I’m just glad we could bring it home all in the top five. We’re really looking forward to Laguna [Round Ten at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca] and next season. We really have a great package and it’s coming together.

“Who knows what it is?,” Richmond added about how consistent he has been in the last three races. “You just have to get into the mindset to be smooth, be consistent and stay out of trouble. Attrition is part of the game. It happens to me. It happens to everybody, so I’ll take whatever I can get. That’s how it is in racing.”

Richmond tied his career-best finish of fifth, which he also set in Puerto Rico in 2003.

Friday’s Round Nine SPEED Touring Car race will air at 12 p.m. (EDT) Sunday, Sept. 26 on SPEED Channel.

The Bimmerworld Racing team next heads to the beautiful Monterey Peninsula and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the SPEED Touring Car season finale Oct. 15-17.

For more information on Bimmerworld Racing, visit www.bimmerworldracing.com.

 

SCCA SPEED Touring Car Round Nine Results

 

1. Pierre Kleinubing, Acura TSX, 1:36.201, 95.051 mph
2. Justin Marks, BMW 325i, 1:35.918, 95.331 mph
3. James Clay, BMW 325i, 1:36.265, 94.987 mph
4. Seth Thomas(R), BMW 325i, 1:35.712*, 95.536 mph
5. Matt Richmond, BMW 325i, 1:35.981, 95.268 mph
6. Bob Stretch, BMW 325Ci, 1:36.371, 94.883 mph
7. Matt Plumb, Acura TSX, 1:36.941, 94.325 mph
8. Jeff Altenburg, Mazda 6, 1:36.058, 95.192 mph
9. Dino Crescentini, BMW 325i, 1:36.940, 94.326 mph
10. Nic Jonsson, BMW 325Ci, 1:36.232, 95.020 mph

* – Denotes fast race lap record

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BimmerWorld Racing Team for the Wheelchair Foundation

another_shotThe following report was given by Seth Thomas, the driver of Bimmerworld Racing car #38:

Hey Everyone.  It has been a while since I last wrote a report on the racing season and all the events happening there.  There has been a lot of development in both happenings with the team and the cars.  We have both exciting news and bad news.  Most of you know the reason I haven’t been able to send out a report is because we have been gone out to the West Coast for a 3-race tour.  We had 2 races at Infineon Raceway and one race at Portland International Raceway during that time.  We had a lot of fun out there but we also tested the patience of the crew and James’ (the team owner/driver/CEO).  On that note lets get started with the news.

First let’s start with the good news though.  BimmerWorld Racing and the Wheelchair Foundation have agreed on a partnership to help further awareness and to provide monetary support to further the Wheelchair Foundation’s effort.  For those that aren’t familiar with the Wheelchair Foundation (www.wheelchairfoundation.org), they are a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one. For these people, the Wheelchair Foundation delivers Hope, Mobility and Freedom.  The basics for most people are they match donations dollar for dollar to help provide people with a mobility problem a wheelchair.  A simple $75 donation to the organization will be matched by their $75 and a person in need will get a wheelchair.  All three drivers have agreed to donate a portion of their earnings from the season to the Wheelchair Foundation.  We have also donated sponsorship space on the cars to the Wheelchair Foundation.  This is going to be a very good partnership.  Since we are traveling to city’s all over the country we are able to hand out information trying to further the base of people that know about the Wheelchair Foundation and hopefully help to raise money to further their efforts. 

Okay let’s start-talking racing!  Our first stop put us in Sonoma, CA at Infineon Raceway.  Infineon, or Sears Point as it used to be called, is an amazing track.  It is a 12-trun, 2.7mile track that features the most elevation changes I have ever seen.  I thought Road Atlanta was hilly but it has nothing on Infineon.  The first 3 turns are blind turns where you point your car and hope you have it pointed in the right direction because you can’t see over the crest of the hill.  Turn 1 and 2 are the best examples.  Turn 1 is a fast left hand corner that is taken flat on the throttle while you are going up a mountain.  It is steep enough that you really don’t have to use the brakes to slow the car down to top the hill in turn 2, downshift to third and hope the car is headed in the right direction.  The next turn is the same way but the track drops away (downhill) as the car is drifting to the outside of the track.  The rest of the track has more gentle slopes to it but is still very high speed and changing in elevation every turn.  The first day there was a blast as we had testing and I finally got to see why this track was so much fun firsthand.  And we were pretty fast that day too.  The whole day we were in the top 15 fastest testing and our times were improving every session.  The team worked extra hard to get the cars up to speed as us drivers were working on how to drive the cars their fastest.  It was a lot of work for everyone but it was paying off.  Friday afternoon was qualifying for the race 1 that weekend, James qualified 8th, Matt 12th, and I qualified 14th.  This was our best qualifying results as a team all year and the race was looking to be very promising for us. 

On Saturday we started the morning out with qualifying for Sunday’s (race 2).  Once again we made a good showing and had good results again with Matt qualifying 9th, James 15th, and I 17th.  The weekend was all set and we were ready to race.  The cars were all fast and the drivers are all confident about how the next two races were going to go.  Race time comes for the first race Saturday afternoon.  As most of you know we do a standing start for our races and we go when a couple sets of lights go out.  So the lights are lit up, the motors rev, and every racer is ready to go.  The lights go out, I drop the clutch and go.  Right off the line I get a good start on the cars around me including my teammate, Matt Richmond, in front of me.  He pops out to the middle of the track and I follow so we can work together on the first lap to gain as many positions as possible.  Just as I get right up on his rear bumper he taps his brakes and that is where the trouble starts.  James’ car had somehow not made it off the line and was stalled there on the grid.  Matt couldn’t see that James was sitting still on the grid as the car in front of him blocked his view until the last minute and moves out of the way.  Matt is then coming up on the rear of James’ stalled car with me following right behind.  He clips James’ left rear and I hit Matt.  The initial collision with James caused the rear of Matt’s car to raise up in the air for a brief second.  That is the moment I my front end collides with Matt.  My car pushed under him and lifted him on my hood.  I was then hit in the rear by another car pushing Matt up and over my hood causing him his car to roll over on its top.  The Audi helped push me through the mayhem and I was going to try to make it a lap around into the pits.  I couldn’t though because right as I go through turn 1 coolant starts spewing on my windshield.  I am done for the day and pull it off to the side.  All three BimmerWorld cars are out of the race within a few seconds of the start.  It was shocking and thanks to Matt Richmond it was turned into a good situation.  As he is helped out of his overturned car, the crowd cheers he is okay and he takes it to the next level.  He jumps on top of the car, points his hands up in the air and then pumps his fist all the enjoyment of the crowd and the TV audience. 

Now we are looking at each other and wondering what in the world just happened.  At that point though we really could care less, as we have 3 cars we have to get back together for the next days race.  James did an awesome job of rounding up the parts and accessing what was needed to fix all three cars.  The dark cloud of the day was still hanging over us though as the inspection of Matt’s car revealed that the rollcage in his car was compromised a tiny bit in the rollover.  The main hoop had been crinkled about .5” deep along a 5” area.  This meant his car was the new BimmerWorld parts car.  This was somewhat lucky for us as his car had taken little damage in the front and the parts off it could be used to fix my car or James’.  My car needed almost the whole front end off Matt’s car.  We used his hood, radiator support, radiator, oil cooler, intake, and headlights.  So the crew got busy so we would be able to race the next day.  All I can say from here is the crew members of BimmerWorld are the most amazing guys I know.  All this happened about 5 o’clock on Saturday afternoon.  When we get back to the track Sunday morning both cars are ready to go racing!!!!  They needed a few little tweaks to be done that morning but they looked like new cars.  No more body damage.  I honestly can’t thank them enough for the hard work they put in prior to this happening, stepping up a notch even though they were tired, and doing all they can to get the cars ready.  Thanks again guys.  And thanks to James Clay, being the best team leader/owner/CEO/driver in World Challenge, for making the decision to put Matt in his car and let Matt race Sunday instead of himself. 

Matt and I get ready for the race Sunday doing our best to get Saturday’s incident out of our minds.  No problem either.  Matt has to start the race in the back of the field in 32nd position due to him using James’ car and not the car he originally qualified in.  The pressure is off him at the start too as he doesn’t have to worry about me hitting him again since he is at the back of the field.  Once again we get ready to go.  The lights are on, the motors rev, the lights are off and we go!  Clean start this time and I pick up a couple spots at the start.  The race goes on a couple laps when disaster almost strikes us again.  Matt goes into turn 10 and finds there is oil on the track.  His car spins out of control and into a tire wall right beside another car.  He backs out, looks in his rearview to see another car spinning in the same oil heading straight for him.  He does his best attempt to launch the car out of the dirt onto the track.  The car spins right behind him missing him by inches as he gets his car moving and on the track.  This off course brings out a full course caution.  We go a few laps under caution and it is go time again.  The green flag drops and we are racing again.  Coming out of turn 2 I find 3 time Touring Car champion, Pierre Kleinubing on the outside of me.  We head into turn 3 touching mirrors and he has the inside line for the first part and I have it for the second.  No way I am backing down now and we head into the second part side by side.  As I go to turn in I see him doing the same except right into me.  We collide and I spin out.  I get the car going and go to join back up with the back of the field.  No big deal on the spin except I learned a valuable rookie mistake.  Never give anybody any racing room or they are going to take advantage of it and he did.  I work my way back up to 17th position and Matt did the same up to 14th position.  Great finish for us especially considering the shape the cars were in the day before.  We didn’t win the race but this was a win in our eyes and for the crew. 

Now we are off to Portland for our next race.  None of the guys have ever been to Portland and driven the track so we didn’t know what to expect until we get there.  We get there, get setup, and walk to the track scope things out.  The track has a nice layout with two long straights and some long right hand turns.  From the first look, it appears like it is going to be a fun track with lots of speed to stretch the legs of the BMWs.  Oh but that won’t happen just yet.  The SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. Decided the BMWs where too fast and wanted to even the field up a little.  The strapped on us 100 extra pounds of weight, lowered our engines RPM limit 500 RPMs to 7700, and decided they needed a minimum weight distribution of 52% to the front.  We made these adjustments to our car and got ready to see how it and the track would be.  Matt and I go out the first session and are pretty fast our first time out but we left a lot on the table as we were just learning the track.  Throughout the test day we got a lot faster and were working on getting the cars in the top 10.  Matt did manage to the fastest time in practice for one of the sessions but had to admit to everyone he didn’t earn it honestly.  He straight-shotted one of the turns and made it into a short cut.  That cut a couple of seconds off his time.  We qualified Saturday morning and had another set of good results.  Matt qualified 13th and I qualified 14th.  Next we had to get ready for the race.  This proved quite difficult as Portland was experiencing a heat wave that weekend.  We were there the weekend mother nature decided to grace Portland with a heat wave, an all-time record setting heat wave.  Air temps were in the neighborhood of 100 degrees and pavement temps were around 150 degrees.  This proved to be a test on the drivers and crew at staying hydrated.  All in all that weekend we drank 10 cases of water and 5 cases of Gatorade.  That is between about 12 people. 

Race time comes around Saturday afternoon, the hottest day of the weekend.  Matt and I get in the cars and head to the grid.  At this point the interiors of the cars are so hot that you can’t touch the rollcage without your hand burning a little.  Guess it is a good thing we don’t touch it while we are racing.  We line up in our spots, the lights go on, the motors rev, and they are out.  We both get good launches at the start and we are off.  To make sure we don’t collide with one another once again we both went opposite directions at the start, Matt to the right and I to the left.  We both gain a some positions at the start and set in to conserve out cars and ourselves for the race. 

We both had planned that from the start to make sure we would have good finishes and if in contention for passes at the end we would have the tires to do it.  This didn’t present itself to us though as we finished the race 12th and 13th with me in 13th.  This once again was a good race and thanks again to the crew for putting in another amazing effort that weekend.  They had to change the motor on Matt’s car Friday night so he could qualify Saturday morning.  And once again come Saturday morning the car is ready to go. 

This West Coast tour proved to be a good test of how strong of a team we are.  We had some very good moments and some very bad moments.  The crew did their job without a complaint and did it without a glitch.  Matt and I wouldn’t have had the successful races we had if it weren’t for the crew that we have.  We definitely owe it all to them.  Out next race will have us traveling up north to Bowmanville, Ontario for round 7 of the Speed World Challenge Touring Car series.  WE are all looking forward this race and to having James back as a driver in the new replacement car BimmerWorld will have ready in about a weeks time.  Be sure to tune into the Portland race on the Speed Channel this Sunday, August 1st as it will feature Matt with an in-car and roof camera.  We have been promised to get some good TV coverage.  Also if you have some time surfing the web we have a new website up with in car videos from our last three races including the crash at www.bimmerworldracing.com. 

Thanks for reading,

Seth Thomas, Driver
Bimmerworld Racing #38

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