135i JB3 Track Day, Monza F1, Nurburgring Porsche GT3 Co-Pilot Lap, Frankfurt AS

[Whisler 117]

Hey everyone. I'm an extremely frequent visitor of Bimmerpost and have been for a very long time. A couple good friends have M3s, 135is, 335is, blah blah blah. I myself have a 2005 330Ci ZHP. I'm an avid enthusiast and love the site. One of my best friends owns a JB4 chipped 135i. We we're able to attend a track day with it and I thought I could share that, as well as my other automotive related adventures throughout Europe as I am studying abroad right now!!

Before I left for Bonn, Germany, I was able to go on a track day at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway with HG Motorsports located in San Diego and I rode in my friends chipped 135i which, as you will see, is quite fast. The car had no issues keeping up in a straight line. It was extremely fast and the boost was instantaneous. The cars limitations were mainly the stock suspension which felt floaty at high speeds as well as the tires which overheated quickly and caused a lot of lost traction. Whats great about track days like this is that you can really see what the car needs to get it to where you need it or want it. Overall, the day was incredible and we did a couple 20 minute stints around the track.

Once I left for Europe, I knew that I would be travelling to the holy grail of automotive history. Being in Germany was good enough, but the close proximity to Italy, France, etc. proved extremely rewarding. So far, I have had the chance to see a Formula 1 race at Monza, go to the Frankfurt auto show, sit shotgun in a full out lap around the Nurburgring, and will soon be going to the BMW museum in Munich. Its safe to say that this trip has been worthy enough just by the plethora of automotive related activities in and of itself!

I traveled from Bonn, Germany where my study abroad program was located and traveled to Monza to see the F1 race with a last minute GA ticket. It was a 14 hour train ride from the Bonn Hbf to Milano Centrale. The train traveled through the Alps where we saw some of the most impressive terrain I've ever seen. Once in Milan we had a day to explore in which we used to see the cathedral and the city center.

The next morning, we left for Monza via free train to Biassano Lesmo. We arrived alongside hundreds of other extremely enthusiastic F1 fans and the atmosphere was unbelievable. We entered through Entrance B and we could hear the sounds of the Formula 3 cars running their race before the Porsche's and F1 cars ran their's. It sent tingles down everyone's spines. We trekked through the inner part of the track which is a thick forest until we found ourselves along the back straight right at the entrance to Ascari Turn.

We had 2 different spots at the entrance and exit of the Ascari turn. The entrance was very cool to watch as the cars we're downshifting right in front of you and preparing to negotiate the corner with the desired speed and line. The exit was by far the coolest part. From my vantage point, I could see the cars enter the turn, negotiate the corner, and come rocketing out at over 100 mph. It was a fantastic race that Vettel (of course) took. This is something I'm absolutely doing it again. Monaco perhaps? :4ngie:

The very next weekend I was able to travel to the Nurburgring. After false information, a 90 euro cab ride, a 13 kilometer walk, and a hellofalot of anticipation...I arrived at the Nurburgring Nordschleife entrance. Upon walking in I was greeted by dozens and dozens of high performance cars, M3 CSLs, 458s, GT2RSs, R8s, GTRs, the M3 Ring Taxis and on and on. I was amazed and felt like I had finally reached heaven while still alive. I amde my way to the Nurburgring event stand where I checked in, suited up in full racing gear, and met my driver. My driver was a Porsche test driver as well as a participant in multiple 24 hour races named William. He had over 1000 laps around the ring and was a surprisingly older man. His looks fooled no one though.

I climbed into the race prepped GT3 and my lap began. It was a packed day and each minute went by in seconds! Being on the track in person had to have been one of the coolest things I've ever done. We blasted on to the first straight, tackled the first corner at high speed hard over the curbs, and then flew through the first section of the track. As we careened through the Flugplatz and began to rip through the back section of the track I failed to notice how fast time was flying by. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face the entire time. Once we arrived at the Carousel I was surprised at how much different it looked from an in car perspective even compared to the likes of Forza and GT5. We hammered our way through the last section of the track and ended up hitting 160mph on the back straight before we had to pull in and I had to go. I cannot wait to drive around it myself. I know fully understand why the Nurburgring is hailed as one of the greatest tracks in the world.

After my lap I began my walk back to Adenau which was 13 kilometers away. But along the way I stopped and took pictures from different vantage points around the track.

The very next day, I hit the Frankfurt Auto Show where I saw a ton of cool concepts and new major players in the high performance market. It was easily the busiest and largest auto show I've ever attended. BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche all commanded massive crowds. I got up close and personal with many of the new concepts like the i8, F10 M5, Aventador, new Porsche 911, Lotus Exige, Audi Quattro, Radical SR3 SL, Aston Zagato V12, and many others. I was very happy to see that BMWs display was both extremely cool and very VERY well attended.

And that is all for now! Next will be the BMW Museum and possibly even another race somewhere in there. Enjoy all the videos and pictures and make sure to watch in HD!

CVR Track Day Video

Monza F1 GP Video

Nurburgring Porsche GT3 Lap

Outside the Nurburgring

Pictures
Chuckwalla Valley Raceway























Post track day the car was quite beat up. A simple buffing took the majority of it out but the lesson was learned...respect the blue tape.





Monza Formula 1 Grand Prix

[Whisler 117]

Nurburgring













The Porsche I got to sit shotgun in for the lap.


































Frankfurt Auto Show

[MMMCOOKIES55]

Nice pictures

[Elsabor67]

Awesome pics and vids!!

[datbimmerdoe]

sweet!!! thx 4 shar'n

LOL @ the bus on the ring

[mjpapa]

They are gorgeous~!

[Focusedintntions]

weeee!!

[GTAutoConcepts]

awesome

[Pangloss]

Thanks for the post.

[Whisler 117]

Thanks for all the comments guys! In the next month i will be doing a factory and museum tour of BMW HQ in Munich as well as tours of Mercedes and Porsche in Stuttgart.