How many of you track/autocross your 128i?

[hoki06]

Originally Posted by Nugget

I've only been going for 2 years, but I've never seen a car totalled at a track event.
Mechanical failures but no collisions or rollovers.
Well one rollover but that was a 1200whp car on a rural airport runway.

I see totaled cars at most events also. This past weekend at NJMP a very nice 997 911 was carried away on a rollback. It happens all the time which is why you need to know and understand the risk. There's a reason I only tracked my old C6 for 1 weekend before buying an E36 M3 to turn into a track car.

I have autox'd my 128i and that's as far as I'll go with it for now. Most time and extra money goes towards the M3 but maybe later down the road I'll mess with the 128 more.

[JimD]

Those of you reporting "totaled" cars, are you speaking of autocrosses or track days? Most autocrosses don't exceed 60 mph or so. Are you saying at that sort of an event, people totaled cars? I can see that in a track day where speeds may be well over 100 mph but not in an autocross at 60mph or less.

The only autocrosses I've been to in my bimmer were at the BMW Performance Center and sponsored by the BMWCCA. I've done them since 2009 and only seen one car experience damage. It was a Z4 (maybe an M, not sure) that went into the guard rail near the mini-leguna seca hill. He must have come up the hill out of control (we were running the track backward). The plastic pieces on the front end were popped out of place but we pushed them back and he drove off. Clearly not "totalled". This is a relatively high speed autocross with peak speeds around 80 mph.

There were also spin outs and lots of cones hit but nobody came close to totalling a car. I guess this is also not an ultra serious autocross with only one car running occasionally that gets trucked in (a race mini that won several years). The rest of us were driving daily drivers mostly on their normal tires.

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by JimD

Those of you reporting "totaled" cars, are you speaking of autocrosses or track days? Most autocrosses don't exceed 60 mph or so. Are you saying at that sort of an event, people totaled cars? I can see that in a track day where speeds may be well over 100 mph but not in an autocross at 60mph or less.

The only autocrosses I've been to in my bimmer were at the BMW Performance Center and sponsored by the BMWCCA. I've done them since 2009 and only seen one car experience damage. It was a Z4 (maybe an M, not sure) that went into the guard rail near the mini-leguna seca hill. He must have come up the hill out of control (we were running the track backward). The plastic pieces on the front end were popped out of place but we pushed them back and he drove off. Clearly not "totalled". This is a relatively high speed autocross with peak speeds around 80 mph.

There were also spin outs and lots of cones hit but nobody came close to totalling a car. I guess this is also not an ultra serious autocross with only one car running occasionally that gets trucked in (a race mini that won several years). The rest of us were driving daily drivers mostly on their normal tires.

I've seen 1 totaled car from autocross (well actually 1 plus a really bad crash).

The totaled car was a noobie and turned off traction in rain/cold. He lost control, tried to save it instead of giving up and ran into a concrete pole (airbags deployed and everything)

On a cold day thought those autocross cones are like rocks. I've seen shattered bumpers before, I actually lost a jackpad this past week from nailing a cone by turning in too early.

On the track though I've seen a miata kiss a wall, a E92 M3 spin into a wall, a 135i go into tires, a 370z oversteer into tires...and that is all me being directly behind the car...not hearing about it later.

The E92 drove off with extensive rear damage, the 135i was basically totaled, and the 370z had bad frame damage and needed to get towed.

[hoki06]

Originally Posted by JimD

Those of you reporting "totaled" cars, are you speaking of autocrosses or track days?

Track days

Cars I've seen totaled at track days since I started in 2011: C6 ZR1, 996/997 911s (several ranging from base to Turbo to GT3), newer GT500, and more I'm forgetting off hand. I've seen countless cars with damage from tire walls and/or towed for mechanical damage.

[kobeballer96]

It happens everywhere off the track too the chances are just a tad higher, know your limits. Insurance will cover the rest. I hope everyone tracks safely out there! This guy I talk to about 10 mins before we got on the track, sad to say he totaled his car.




Another buddy totaled his fully built STI, he was pushing it real hard and rolled it on the turn called the whipperman on the ring. A very dangerous section if you aren't paying attention. Any ways insurance covered it and he was in a new e92 m3 months later lol.

[Kgolf31]

Couple of photos from last weekends event:

[kobeballer96]

I need the secret ingredients to three wheel this damn car around a turn! ^ great shots btw kgolf hope to meet up this fall possibly at some autocross

[tritonx]

I do autocross, we call it autoslalom in Canada ;P.

This year will be my third season, can't wait. The first year I used my '92 325is, then it wasn't ready for last year because racecar. So I used my 128i and it was an awesome year, I participated in about 8 events, I even won one event in my class .

It's much easier in stock class than stx btw... at first I was in stx then moved to stock, my score got a little better.

This is a video of me nearly crashing. An S2000 crashed in the wall few hours later at the same place. That is the event I won.

[Kgolf31]

4th Run on Saturday at Wilmington Match Tour.

Full Description here:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...1#post15776931

[kobeballer96]

here is a short clip of mine, i can post full vid too!

[kobeballer96]

another time i went, this was a nerve wrecking one lol worth watching. i was so scared lol one of my first time out and learning the track!

[JimD]

I run autocrosses with my car in the in-between stability control (push the botton quickly, don't hole it for several seconds to turn it off entirely). When I did the M-school we had to leave it in M-mode which seems similar to this. It will let you slide the rear end a little but normally will prevent a spin. I'm not a great driver but the stock run-flats used to hurt me more than leaving the stability partially engaged IMHO.

I don't think autocrosses are a big risk to our cars but it depends some on the track and probably more on the driver. If you go to have fun and see if you can get a reasonably good time, leaving some protection on, I think your risk is pretty low. If you turn all the nannies off and try to be first, your risk is higher.

[NorthernDancer]

thanks for the 2 videos-enjoyed them very much.

[Kgolf31]

Fastest Scratch from Sunday.

[kobeballer96]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

Fastest Scratch from Sunday.

Yep I saw it on your build thread! Very good control at the end man

[kobeballer96]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

thanks for the 2 videos-enjoyed them very much.

Thanks! More to come I will have a video soon I'm planning a track day for next month and June!

[touge-n00b]

I just finished a half a season in my 128i, came in second at run-offs in D-Street. Pretty good considering I was on the stock run-flats in all the races I competed in (I came from a CS BRZ on R-Comps). The area we work with out here is pretty small, so our courses tend to be a lot tighter and more technical than a lot of the courses I see in the mainalnd, so the 128i is almost perfect out here. It's crazy how competent this car is right out of the box. I can't wait to feel what she feels like on proper tires.




And in case you were wondering, this is what I lost too:


And they're running on BFGoodrich Rivals. The car was actually being co-driven so I beat one of the drivers and got beat by the other. And I'm by no means a fast driver, so the fact that I finished as well as I did shows how good this car is out here. I love it, can't wait for next season already.

[Kgolf31]

WRXs are, IMO the car to beat in D-Street.


Luckily for you, you are now classed to FS, where IMO it will not be competitive.

IMO, they should be GS...but that is a separate discussion

[touge-n00b]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

WRXs are, IMO the car to beat in D-Street.


Luckily for you, you are now classed to FS, where IMO it will not be competitive.

IMO, they should be GS...but that is a separate discussion

Yeah, I wasn't happy with the FS classing when I first read that. I would have preferred to stay in DS because I've had some good battles with the WRX on our courses here.

Was debating between FS and STX for next season, but I think I'll just stick to street because I can't really afford to mod enough to be competitive out here.

[simianspeedster]

I just posted some notes and pics from my first track day with my 128i in the track forum:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...2#post15839932

I had a great time and my car was a perfect track day partner. I'll be going back!

[Obioban]

I think the likelihood of crashing has been exaggerated in this thread. If you look at WHO is crashing, it's...
91% instructor group
6% advanced group
2% intermediate group
1% beginner group

In 10 years of tracking, I have seen ONE crash in beginner group... and it was some wife driving her husbands fully prepped NSX (prepped cars are MUCH harder to drive, and that one had no safety electronics to boot.)

I autoxed until I tried track. After that... seemed pointless.

[TheSt|G]

She was also driving it in the rain.