Lang Motorsport

2012 Season Schedule is Up!

Hank Wallace — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:50:23 +0000

The schedule of events for 2012 has been posted. The team is busy getting the cars ready for the season. Big changes are planned for the M3 – check back soon for details.

A Beemer Vacation

Lana — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:08:37 +0000

Another February vacation in Florida. I lucked out, because after many days of rain there was finally nothing falling from the sky. I drove to Eagle Rider to pick up the bike that I reserved a month ago. In Florida, they had 10 BMW GSs to rent in that specific location and more BMWs in other locations. Why aren’t there any BMW bikes in MA to rent? Maybe I do not know something.

Anyway, the day was perfect, the bike looked great, and the paperwork took 10 minutes. While waiting for a friend, I took the bike for a couple of spins. It sounded great, but it became obvious very fast that the seat was too high for me. I came back and Eagle Rider’s technicians tried to adjust the height for me. They put the seat in the lowest possible position and put the suspension in Sports mode. This did not change things a lot, but I appreciated them trying.

My riding partner for that day was Mike Ryan. Mike currently works as a dive instructor at Horizon Divers in Key Largo. He is a very interesting person to be around. It seems that his life was never ordinary and shaped him into a unique and strong individual. If you like real life stories, Mike has many of them and he knows how to tell them. If you ever go to Key Largo for diving, make sure to dive with Mike.

That morning Mike showed up on his brand new Honda Touring bike and we drove to the Everglades. We stopped at the Robert Is Here shop, and then drove to the entrance of the Everglades. Between walking on the board walk and driving to the end of the Everglades we chose the latter. We sat for 15 minutes on the bench at the last stop of the park, stared at the peaceful ocean and chatting about why there in no diving on this side of the Keys. We drove back without any stops and had to skip lunch, since I was getting late for my plane. We put 160 miles on bikes that day.

I loved the bike. If I would be shopping for one, I would seriously consider some version of this bike. I could hardly touch the ground with my toes, so it was hard to handle it during stops and backing up, but it was an absolute beauty once you start rolling. It felt stable, powerful, and obedient; great brakes, smooth clutch, and great acceleration.

Looking back, between great diving and riding the BMW (a true Beemer), I remember riding more. I hope Mike will not mind that.

M3 Rear Subframe Bushings

Hank Wallace — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:39:00 +0000

The 135i was at Ace Performance Tuning yesterday having the stock rear subframe bushings replaced with BMW Motorsport M3 bushings. These bushings are much stiffer than the stock ones and should dramatically improve the 135i’s responsiveness and handling. (The image here shows 2, but we had all 4 replaced.)

I had been contemplating doing this work myself, but cannot explain how happy I am that we took it to ACE instead. They of course have a lift, which is a big help, and their tech was able to finish the work much faster than I would have. Special thanks to Hp Autowerks for the bushing tool rental.

Lana’s February Vacation

Lana — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:37:00 +0000

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

Hank Wallace — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:54:53 +0000

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.

Tagged: ncr pca zone1

Borla Exhaust

Hank Wallace — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:50:52 +0000

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

Hank Wallace — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:09:11 +0000

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!

Lana — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 02:20:28 +0000

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.

Hank Wallace — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:27:34 +0000

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!

Hank Wallace — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:35:18 +0000

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.