Lana’s February Vacation
February is typically not a good month for a peaceful bike ride — at least in Massachusetts. However, I had to fly to Florida for a HIMSS conference and that’s where riding was just fine. First step was to find a place to rent a bike. There are many Eagle Rider locations around the US and one was found close to where I would be staying. This one was not a typical Eagle Rider, where one can find endless Harley Davidson’s of various models, years, and conditions. This place seemed to be privately held by a person who was renting out his own Triumphs. Well, we all have our preferences, right? I had never ridden one, but I was up for trying something new. Good reliable bike, but not for me. Thank you for the person who let me rent it. It was a good experience. I learned more about what I appreciate in bikes.
By the way, it was almost too hot in a helmet. February….. Bike…. Too hot…..I still struggle to comprehend this.
PCA Zone1 Pictures
Lana and I were asked to help the NCR team at this year’s PCA Zone1 competition. Lana impressed everyone by winning her class by a large margin in a Porsche GT3 RS, while I just missed first place by .4 seconds in my class driving a Porsche C2S. It was a close finish, but the NCR team came away with the win! Congrats to the whole NCR team!
Below are a few pictures of the event. That’s Lana in the Viper Green GT3 RS and me in the (mostly) Black C2S. Click on any of them to see the picture gallery on Flickr.
Borla Exhaust
The quest to drop weight from the M3 continues. A Borla Cat-back Muffler has been installed. The Turner web site states that it will result in a 5 hp increase, but I am just as interested in it being 26 lbs lighter than the stock system. It’s built from 
T-304 stainless steel (inside and outsize) and comes with a 1,000,000 mile warranty. It is a bit louder than stock, but not so much that it will wake the neighbors.
Installation was quite easy. I consider myself lucky that the bolts for the stock exhaust, although rusty, were removed without incident.
Here are the "before and after” videos (taken with my iPhone 3GS).
Lightweight Battery Installed
In an effort to reduce the weight of the M3, I’ve installed a Russ Wiles battery box from BimmerHaus along with a Hawker Odyssey battery. The battery box is designed to hold this small battery and be mounted in the stock location using factory cables and hold down clamp.
The stock battery weighted 43 lbs. The new battery box + battery weighs 18 lbs.
135 is here!
Finally, after ordering the car on 12/29/09, driving it all over Germany, Austria, and Czech Republic in early April, not hearing from a dealer for 2 weeks after the car was delivered to Boston, it finally parked in my driveway as of late May.
The car is amazing, powerful, smooth, playful, and fun. I could go on, but after the run-flat tires and original suspension are changed, it should be even more fun.
BMW Motorsport parts now available in the U.S.
Weekend racers can now buy BMW Motorsport parts at four locations in the U.S. Parts catalogs are available at BMW Motorsport or by visiting one of four BMW centers in IL, GA, NH, and OH. Catalogs are available for the 2008 BMW Z4, 1995-present BMW M3, and 2006+ 3 Series Sedan. Read more here.
2010 Season Schedule is Up!
The schedule of events for 2010 has been posted. The team is busy getting the #49 car ready and planning for the new 135 that Lana will be picking up soon. In addition to autocross events, there are a number of schools where Hank and Lana will be instructing and a few track sessions at NHMS.
Aug 1 Pictures
Here are a few pictures from the Boston BMWCCA Autocross School where Lana was instructing. All of the pictures from the event are here. If you zoom in on the 2nd picture, you will notice the passenger front tire is about 2” off the ground.
NESHOC event
we were asked to come to that event as instructors. NESHOC is an amazing club. with more than 30 novices registered for the event, i was asked to instruct no more than 5 times for the whole day…. I guess my priorities on competing, improving, and winning do not have to match all other clubs’ priorities.
