After back to back track weekends, my M3 was coated in brake dust, dust and grime, with a few more extra scars. I used to worry about about keeping my car super clean never drive in the rain because of car shows. I always had to keep them nice so at least it looks “fresh.” I don’t think I can go back to car shows anymore….
The track life has somewhat changed this. Of course I still clean my cars, but I don’t sweat over the stuff that can’t be taken out with soap and a water.
I actually like the rubber markings on the paint from tires sacrificing themselves for more grip. Or the rock chips that pummels the M3 from a dusty track or lead cars throwing up dirt when tracking out.
Cracked lip from a cone that was in the exit corner. These are all serve as memories. Kinda like how a tattoo is a permanent reminder of how you got your tattoo in the first place. Good or bad, its there to stay.
Patina might not win car shows or win hard parking points but you can tall a lot about the way the person drives is by looking at their car. The track patina is a look I dig.
I sure love back to back track days. Last weekend I was Circuit of the Americas and now back in my home track MSR Houston
M Gruppe is a club only for M cars. Some might get butt hurt they can’t join this club but its not like we discriminate. There are other clubs out there too. They host small meet and greets every month but this was the first track day they hosted. It’s was one of the more pricier track days I’ve attended but this was a private track day and not the normal DE events.
The event is more for people who are novices in track experience and want to learn how to the drive their cars properly in a safe environment. We had one on one instructors, with classroom discussion, and instructor ride alongs. Most of the discussions were for the novices, but that doesn’t mean track rats can’t attend. I admit the classroom part was kinda boring and was geared for the novices about handing, braking, etc but it did re-enforce what I’ve learned at the track.
We got free breakfast and lunch! The catered food was a plus, I didn’t take much pictures because I was mostly out driving on the track. Got to make the most of it right?
Our classroom/break room was in the Lotus Driving Academy building. Doesn’t look much outside but the it’s fancy inside with modern touches. I appreiceted the AC while I let my cool door while enjoying some snacks.
The lead instructor was kind enough to let me borrow his expensive lap timer. This can also read your driving data via OB2 port but it wasn’t connected. The lead instructor did ride along with me and gave me some very good advice in braking with smoother weight transfers for faster times. It worked, because I managed to beat my PR and get into the sub 50 sec range! Im just on springs, 200tw tires with stock brakes with race pads!
I usually stayed on the track for 20 mins then cooled the car down for another 15 mins before I went out again. On the last hour I was stayed out for 40 mins and used 1/2 tank of gas! She is a thirsty gal but the M3 stayed strong with no brake fade or engine issues.
What did break with my fuel filler door haha, hence the orange tape lol. I don’t know if the lateral g’s broke something loose in the locking mechanism but I went for a fill and it didn’t want to close. Im really enjoying the M3, the way it was meant to be driven. I love learning with the car and feeling the limits of grip. Some cases I don’t get to the limit becuase Im just too scared. A lot of seat time will make you better driver not just at the track but also on the street. Private track days is the best way to get the most seat time. I hope M Gruppe will host another event again!
What more of a better way to kick off the final series with an exotic! Such a beautiful car with its Italian design. This Lamborgini Hurrican was in the same run group as me but we never passed each other during the session. COTA is such a big track usually you’ll have the track to yourself, with the occasional one or two point byes.
This Mclaren 675 LT (long tail) did pass me, no, I mean it pretty much walked on me. My lap times was a slow 2:51 sec range but this 675 LT was posting 2:19 sec range according to the driver during the drivers meeting. This thing catches you by surprise, you look in your mirrors in one corner and don’t see anyone then next corner you see the a grey 675 LT on your rear end! I had no problems giving the point by since that car has speed and downforce to pass anywhere.
Not just show brakes.
Adaptive wing that’s distracting to see it move at the track hahaha.
The titanium exhaust with the see through engine bay for more cooling.
Then you had this race car 675 LT version. It has center locking wheels, fixed wing, roll cage, striped out interior with carbon fiber goodies.
One thing I noticed with COTA compared to other tracks is it brings the heavy hitter cars…. Not the show cars heavy hitters but the expensive rare exotic cars. It nice seeing them used, and used in they way they where built for. Not garage queens or displays at Cars and Coffee. It’s a damn shame that most the cars I see nowadays are just for show and never really driven to the full potential.
The P cars group. Not really digging the cammo wrap of the GT3 but it does attract attention weather you like it or not. Warping is a smart idea though to protect your paint from the track scars. The cammo GT3 was a slouch either, it passed me every session.
Those Masseratti’s in the background participate in the Pirelli World Challenge series. Meaning those most be pro teams out here.
The grey Beetle is lady driven and in the same run group as me. The body was similar the the RSi Beetle in Europe. In the morning she was changing tires and swapping pads. She was one the slower cars becuase everyone else had higher power cars in the group but had awareness and made passing easy and safe. The blue corvette was in the novice class from the green sticker in the windshield. Sounded good rolling by.
The owner of this blue S2000 was a funny guy. He even has a race Miata that he has done endurance races in.
Speaking of Miatas…. this ND was in my run group also. Mostly stock with tires and wheels. That Miata can sure handle the corners pretty well.
Smart car rolling, I guess the owner bought this to save money on gas for race car spending hahaha.
Showing off my gold hardware.
Chase’s J swap S2000. Interesting choice on the J swap. A lot of people would keep the F20C or even swap a K motor in, but those motors are expensive to buy and maintain. J swaps are cheap junkyard motors but have decent power and not much weight penalty either.
Here is a another J swap, and interestingly its from an NSX! First glance I thought it was a V6 stock C32B motor, but the intake manifold gave it away. The NSX motors are expensive to maintain and buy if you blow one up. Some people put K swaps with boost but that can get expensive as the original NSX motor. J swap is the good practical choice without sacrificing performance.
The interior had some few upgrades to improve driving feel. Im liking the carbon fiber center console sporting a couple gauges with a red switch…. I wonder what that is for.
The booty shot…. Tastefully modded and Im sure it has some track miles under the belt. JDM mods that look like it was imported from Japan! The NSX is owned by Scott who is the head driving instructor for NASA. Basically he is the guy that will give you the final approval to move up DE classes or not. I’ll end it with that! Had a super great time at Circuit of the Americas with NASA. Track is life.
The pictures might not show but the whole weekend was hot and muggy…. The humidity really made it feel like a sauna. Those cool shirts suits putting in work.
Thanks again Michael AKA Mike Jones for the canopy! I really need to buy one so I don’t have to rent a garage at the track.
Lots of different types of cars competing in the same session. Kinda like Le Mans or Pirelli Word Challenge series.
Now thats a tow rig. Race cars are fun to drive at the track but terrible on the street after 5 minutes. A trailer and tow rig would be nice.
With that said, I really like the dual purpose cars. They are track capable and competitive but still retains some street use for every day driving. This R35 GTR was a good example. Better yet its was track modified for ACTUAL track use. Not just for show. This was rocking Volk ZE40, coilovers, brake ducting, and carbon fiber seats. Im sure it has some power too since it was in the TT2 class running in the 2:20 second range!
The carbon fiber seats with minimal padding. Reminded me of the Lamborgini Aventator SV seats. Not sure how comfy they are on long trips.
Here is a Porsche I’ve seen at car meets and I’m pretty sure its boosted. Looks more on the track side of the spectrum then street. Tracking is a slippy slope and next thing you know, your stock car is race car. Im just glad seeing track modded cars thats actually tracked and not just show queens. I know I’m repeating myself but I want to get the point across.
S2000 with some aero and slicks. I believe this is the car that one 1st in it’s class. Not sure but I wouldn’t be surprised.
Miata getting some repairs done.
The driver in the dark purple race car was racing in a spec class. I forgot the model name but they are kit cars. If you have a competition license you can actually buy a kit car and join the series. The driver has numerous racing experiences but its his first year in this class. They are powered by a 4 cylinder Mazda 3 engine but they are lightweight, with aero. I’m sure they make competitive lap times. Since the engine is a Mazda 3, I would think some of the consumables and parts are fairly cheap.
This was my favorite M3 at the track. Was posting pretty fast times, with some tasteful mods that served a purpose.
It wasn’t a full out striped race car interior…. Had some retainability for the street. Has the buckets seats, harness for the driver, rear seat taken out. But overall still had most of the interior intact.
I love how the car is actually track and it shows…. Those battle scars accumulated aver serval track days maybe even years. Nice to see cars actually driven properly and not just show queens.
He was a sure fast driver… There was an M4 GTS owner on slicks that was running the same sessions and told me he could barely keep up. The handling and aero was set up very nicely. One day I’ll get to that level.
Then there was this cool M2 in the same garage paddock. Mostly stock, it just had slicks and a harness for the driver from what I saw. Im sure that was posting fast times also judging the way it went by the main straight.
Nice little MR2 in time trials.
One think for sure is a lot of people brought tires. One thing you’ll definitely need at COTA.
Unfortunately the main pit was closed off by the barrier. Kinda lame, becuase on DE events they are open so you can actually drive through and experience the same thing pro drivers go to pit in.
American muscle.
I’ll end it there for part 3…. stay tuned for part 4!
As I write this I forgot my memory card from my camera, so I’ll just post the photos from my iPhone. Wasn’t much so it wont be too long.
This Porsche GT3 RS was super quick and always lapped me except for my last session. I think I was running faster, and it only caught up to me on the checkered flag. During one of my sessions it passed me on the esses and I just couldn’t keep up. Looks like it has some track ready bolt ones…. some aero mods, slicks and exhaust judging how loud it was at the track. The Porsche PDK transmission proving its worth at the track. Still a street maintaining a full interior.
Group of E46’s and E36s that came from Colorado just to track at COTA. I met one of the drivers, super cool guy that flew in to race. The driver was in time trials for a long time then went into wheel to wheel racing. Currently competes in the German Touring Series, and placed 3rd last year in the NASA Western Regional. He was kind enough to give me some good racing advice. I’ve always believed that if you have a plan and stick it you can accomplish anything.
Another car that passed me. The new Corvettes are built nicely and can take the track abuse straight from the dealership. This was running Forgestar wheels with worn Toyo R888. The guy seemed happy how it performed on track. Everything else looked completely stock.
I thought this pic was cool. The tires get so hot and sticky they literally leave markings on the garage! This is why its important to use the right tires for your application. I hate when people put semi slicks or extreme summer tires on show cars. Just a waste to see them underutilized.
Thats all from my iPhone. Told ya it was a going to be short blog. Part 3 to come with more pics and maybe videos.
This was NASA Texas first time to host a track event at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), and I was excited! I haven’t tracked there in almost 2 years. In matter of fact my very first track day was at COTA. I wasn’t looking forward to the Texas heat and humidity though. May isn’t the hottest month in Texas but its the start of the summer heat. The forecast called for a high of 91 degrees with cloudy skies but sure felt more like 110 with humidity. I was sweating just walking, and sure wasn’t going to easy for the cars either.
I started to regret not renting a garage on my drive to COTA but thankfully Michael had a canopy I could borrow…. Which later got blown away latter in the day and ended up scratching a FRS. It wasn’t anybody’s fault, and accidents happen. I felt sorry for what happened but at least it didn’t get blown into the track or grid area.
But that was the least of my worries. On the first day, I was giving my friend a ride along when I had a low coolant light pop up. The car didn’t go into limp mode or had a overheating warning. The car seem to be running strong but I did cut my session short becuase of the low coolant warning. Totally bummed I pulled into the pits to check out what happened. I could really smell something sweetish when I was parking, and my friend said its probably coolant. Opening up the hood, it looked like coolant sprayed everywhere in the engine bay. I was bummed at this point becuase it was the first session of the day. I was thinking maybe a hose fitting was loose but I wasn’t sure. Being stubborn I topped of the M3 with distilled water and continued my sessions for rest of the day. Each session I would get the low coolant warning but no other hiccups. I always pulled in early but I least had some seat time. Looking back now it wasn’t the best choice but thankful nothing worse happened. The next day got the low coolant light driving back to COTA from my parent house, which they still live in Austin. I got worried again because I put roughly 3 gallons of distilled water already! I know it just sprays everywhere but its not a good thing. When I arrived at track, there was a guy that saw me on the side of the road earlier and was wondering what happen. I did tell him my situation and pointed me to the right direction.
I first went to the tech inspection area to see if my problem could be fixed or I might not be able track. Worst case was not to track the car and just ride as a passenger. The tech guys was very nice but they couldn’t fix the problem but did tell me there was some race teams that had BMWs and they might be able to help me out. I first went to Texas Track Works and they had a bunch of BMWs for the race classes but they only have e46 BMWs. So the next garage was Greg Smith Racing whom I had met before had E92 M3 for time trials. They didn’t bring their E92 M3 for this track weekend but I was hoping they might have E92 M3 parts. Luckily Greg and his team was able to help me out! They first pressurized the cooling system to see if there was a leak. Sure enough the lower radiator hose was spraying! The great thing about a race team is they always have spare parts becuase you just never know.
The culprit. You can see the cut marks on the hose when it was rubbing against the AC pulley. There are two rubber grommets that hold the radiator in place and one of the rubber grommet came lose. Running on certain curbs at COTA is harsh on the car and can loosen things. This made the radiator slide back into the engine causing the lower radiator hose to rub against the AC pulley and eventually the cutting the hose. Thank goodness it was just that and not a blown head gasket. The guys uses a different coolant mixture then OEM becuase in a race you want you car run cool as possible. They used a mixture of Water Wetter and distilled water. I don’t really need anti-freeze in Texas except in the one month that is actually does freeze. I’ll make sure to add antifreeze before that happens.
I did miss my first session of the 2nd day becuase we were fixing the M3, but the rest of the day it ran like a champ with no issues!!! I got ride checked to DE4 and I was able to get a faster top speed at the back straight of 150mph! I just want to thank Greg Smith Racing again for helping me out at the track and being able to fix my car so I can track again. The nice thing about the tracking community is people are willing to help you out!
Last week I went to ABR Houston for a tech inspection just 3 days before track weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), and thinking I would pass, I did it last minute. Thankfully Alex from ABR Houston was able to spot my motor mounts was shot. It was soo bad that the oil pan was rubbing on the skid plate! Not a good thing and glad they found it before race weekend! But it was super last minute and just days away from COTA, I was thinking I might miss the first day of tracking. Alex called up the guys at Vorshlag in Dallas, Tx and overnight shipped the polyurethane mounts. The next day, literally the day before COTA weekend, I received my car with the upgraded mounts. I know the guys at ABR Houston has a full house working on other customers cars but Im glad they was able to fix my car in such short notice. Before, on the stock mounts, I had a hard time finding 2nd or 3rd gear especially at the track. Vorshlag mounts made rowing though the gears a breeze without a noticeable increase in engine vibration. Thank you ABR Houston for fixing my car in such notice and Vorshlag for making a really good product.
I manage to beat my PR by 0.8 seconds! This was during the Drivers Edge HPDE in March https://natsukashigarage.com/2017/03/16/drivers-edge-hpde-at-msrh/. Im really happy I was able to attain that goal since the time is comparable to other M3s with coil overs and sticker tires. I did noticed as my gas level goes down my lap times gets faster too. Im guessing 14 gallon tank weighs a lot more than when you have 5 gallons of fuel. Pretty happy with that time and I hope I can be a better a driver!
Here is the full video but no telemetry though. I have a hard time linking up the go pro with Harry’s Lap to overlay the telemetry. There are some slights and faster cars that pass me so its not totally boring.
This was a really memorable track weekend. It was my first time to track with the DnB crew and most started tracking becuase of me. Its crazy how you show a couple of friends your passion and then next thing you know you have a group of friends that likes to do the same thing. Tracking is soo much more fun with a group of friends. I mean I’ve been to track days just by myself and meet people but its just more special when you have your friends out there doing the same thing you love to to do.
This was a two day event, just days before the track we all getting excited. When the track bug bites yah, you know. You are always itching for the next track event.
The first day it rained and I didn’t take any pics. My camera bag got soaked but thankfully the camera was dry. The first day was a pretty soggy. Lots of cars spun off and few unfortunate crashes. The drivers were okay thankfully. Some of my friends was actually worried tracking in the rain. I get it, becuase you can’t go as fast, and the chances of losing control is higher. I don’t mind a wet track day becuase I learn more as a driver in car control. I’ll get more in depth in a later blog. Since I don’t have any pics of the first day, here is a wet session video. 4 wheel drive cars ruled the tracked.
The second day looked for better track conditions with no forecast of rain. But what I forgot was how cold it was going to be! With daylight savings having to lose an hour of sleep, I woke up late. I barely made it to the drivers meeting! Unfortunately with me rushing to get to the track I didn’t bring a thick enough jacket and I wore shorts with a forecast of 50 degrees, which honestly felt more like 40 degrees. Luckily Mike had a spare jacket, and my nomex race gloves to keep me warm.
As I had some breaks between sessions, I went ahead and took some photos. Most the cars were track oriented but still street driven and registered. I appreciate the people that actually take their car to track instead of doing street races or just being reckless in the street.
Porsche GT4 at the track. Another car that is built for the track but still is streetable for a daily.
You have the lightweights at the track. This Lotus Elise has a few track mods. Sporting a titanium exhaust, Toyo R888 tires and Volk CE28.
I like to see a track modded car out on the track, thats the purpose of track mods right?
Another tracked Volk, this time TE37 mag blue.
Props to the people that bring stock cars out too. You really don’t need to have a fully tuned out car to track. Just bring what you got and develop as a driver. A stock car can teach you a lot at the track. I’ve seen this Mini Cooper in past HPDEs and driven by a older gentleman.
Xerxuz yellow TRD FRS. He was getting faster every session and managed to get under the 2min range! Not bad for the 2nd time on this course. He doesn’t have any power upgrades either. Just coils, rims and street tires.
Dykon coming out into the main pit straight. Even though weather was dry you can tell the track still had some wet spots.
Alex’s M4 avoiding the puddle of water by the apex, left from yesterdays rainstorm.
Lenards 5.0 mustang in action.
Another shot of Alex M4 passing a Porsche 911, or was it the other way around???
Lenard’s Mustang twin…. Mhel’s 5.0 Mustang.
Mike’s recently acquired Porsche 911, I had no idea they come in 4wd also!
More fun when tracking with friends and even better if you in the same run group! Mike in the white Porsche 911 giving Lenard the point by.
Nick’s 370z tastefully modified. I’ve seen soo many riced out 370z that this is refreshing. Nicely lowered on SSR wheels, clean and simple.
Gab Focus ST, and Alex M4 cooling down.
Mike taking shots and Im just behinds the scene.
Lenard prepping himself for the next session. The track bug really bit him! Later in the day he did spin off…. At least you learn from it!
Lotus Evora that parked next to us. The car was in the same run group as me.
Gab’s Focus ST with derpy Jan photobombing in the passenger seat.
Here’s Jan’s G35 booty. He likes to hard park at the track. Shout out for being a babysitter while Dykon was at the track. I know Im not ready for the dad life.
Murdered GT3.
You might be wondering why a lot of the cars are muddy… well most of then didn’t go off track. The reason is the track entrance is under construction and there was a section of mud that all the drivers had to go through.
Seen this M5 before at NASA events. Sporting BBS wheels too.
Sometimes your track day doesn’t go as planned. This BMW wheel stud broke right at the hub. The owner was able to remove the broken stud and replace it before the next session. Always good to have spare parts.
This interior is serious business.
Track dirty GT3, with a color matched roll cage.
A smart car on slicks…. thats a first.
This Alpha Romero sounded really nice, sure didn’t sound like a 4 cylinder motor.
RHD prelude. Seen this car at previous Drivers Edge HPDE.
Has some tasteful JDM mods.
Volk wheels, Spoon brakes, and Advan tires… JDM trifecta?
This white F80 M3 posting pretty fast times… I heard it was running in the 48 sec range on just NT01 tires and camber plates!
Marvin’s R35 GTR looking pretty nice.
We pretty much claimed this spot the first day.
I really had a blast with my track friends. We all got bit by the track bug and got addicted to it. Some of my other friends don’t track and thats okay. Some came out to support us and thanks Karl and Tim for lunch! Its good have a support team too. One day we will all be in the same run group and we’ll be out there in the track passing and pushing each other to go fast.
As Im tracking more, the M3 is slowing becoming more track focus. Last year around October I started shedding weight first with installing a bucket seat on the drivers side. I didn’t weigh the stock seat at the time but sure was heavy!
The beginning of this year I removed my rear seats. They were not as heavy as the the front seat. If I had to guess it probably weighed 40ish lbs and sure opened up the space in the m3. The rear seat is bulky.
I didn’t notice a difference at the track with the weight loss but I cut my times 2 seconds since the last time I was at MSRH! I think its the combination of getting more seat time and the weight loss.
Then I won a eBay bid for a legit Bride seat! I ended paying $250 plus $100 shipping! Not bad for a seat that retails $900 new.
Had the sticker and stitching so I know it was legit.
I rather pay for used legit parts then pay the roughly the same price for new fake ones. Its all about quality. Becuase quality last, and proven.
Looks more track focus now. I have lost functionality of the getting into the back but I lost that when I took out the rear seat. For some reason, if need to, I can still crawl though the center console to get to the back. I did manage to weigh my stock front seat and weighed 65 lbs!! So with the the stock seats removed Ive lost 170lbs (65lbs x 2 for the front seats and 40lbs for the rear seat)!!! But I did add my bucket seats which I weighed 23lbs each with the hardware. So in total with the bucket seats installed I’ve lost 129lbs! Thats like having another passenger haha.
While doing track prep and switching rims I weighed the front stock rim. 49.8 lbs showed for a 18×8.5 rim on 245/40/18 tire! Not terrible but does feel heavy when switching rims.
Whats really impressive is how awesome TE37 weight saving is. Mind you my TE37RT are 18×10.5 with 275/35/18 tires. The scale showed 45 lbs, thats almost 5 lbs lighter per wheel!!! More width with less weight is impressive. You really understand why they are expensive. All that R&D to make a strong lightweight wheel. My TE37 are Ridged Tune meaning they are slightly lighter and stronger then regular TE37. Track proven too. With all these weight loss Im sure my car’s weight is close the $100,000 M3 GTS!
Natsukashi Garage 