I am going to be writing an occasional series of articles for the Ultimate Newsletter in order to introduce BMW CCA Club Racing to members of the BMW Club of Canada. Hopefully, my opinions, experiences, and the information I provide will help a few more of us join the ranks of the racing community. I welcome your comments, suggestions, and ideas. Please don't hesitate to drop me a line by phone, fax, or e-mail.

For those of you who don't know me, I am currently a professor at Concordia University in Montréal where I have been teaching since 1980. I was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. While attending university, I drove a taxicab in Manhattan, so I got an early start on my racing career. I moved to Canada in 1972 to attend graduate school and never left. I am now a Canadian citizen, married to Valerie Turner, and have two children, Jessica, age 13, and Allison, age 8. The name of my race "team," JAVA Racing, is taken from their names--Jessica, Allison, and Valerie Abrami.

I bought my first BMW in 1978--a sierra beige E21 320i. Its the only new BMW I've ever been able to afford. Since then, I've owned two 2002tiis, two E30 M3s and lusted after many other Bimmers. My race car is a 1988 silver E30 M3.

I attended my first driving school in the early 80s and was immediately hooked. Several years later, I gleefully agreed to become a driving school instructor and have enjoyed doing so ever since. At present, I instruct for our club as well as several chapters of the BMW CCA and other car clubs in the Northeast. Finally, I participated in my first club race in the Fall of 1996 and have not looked back since.

In this article, I will briefly describe BMW CCA Club Racing before dealing with the first major step in becoming a racer. I will affectionately call this step taking "The Decision".

BMW CCA Club Racing is the brainchild of Scott Hughes. Together with his wife, Fran, Scott has built a vibrant programme from very humble beginnings in 1995. It is a single marque race series meaning a BMW always
takes the checkered flag. It is also designed around vintage racing rules. That means that contact between cars is heavily discouraged. If you drove it to the event, you are supposed to drive it home in the same condition!

How is this done? In two ways. First, there's the overall philosophy which every racer is repeatedly reminded of. Those looking for more "bang" for the buck are politely but firmly asked to seek another series in which to participate. Here's the essence of that philosophy as stated in the latest rules:

"A competitive driving experience for all BMW CCA enthusiasts, in any/all types of BMW's in a fun, safe, and friendly environment where the primary emphasis is on clean driving and machinery preservation."

The second way that contact between cars is discouraged is via the enforcement of the 13/13 rule:

"Conduct which jeopardizes safety or results in dangerous or damaging situations will not be tolerated... the '13/13 rule' of vintage racing will be in effect at all BMW CCA Club Racing Program events... Any driver who is found to be at fault in an incident will be:

1. Excluded from competition for the remainder of the event at which the incident occurs.
2. Subject to suspension from the next BMW CCA Club Racing event in which they could have competed.
3. Placed on probation for a thirteen (13) month period. If during this probation period the driver is involved in another incident, his competition privileges will be suspended for thirteen (13) months."

Club racing is open to any and all BMWs so long as they meet safety requirements. To make participation more fun and to recognize that not all BMWs were created equal, there are a myriad of classes divided into five groups: stock, prepared, modified, super-modified, and historic.

The stock classes feature cars with the fewest mechanical modifications. Within the stock classes, cars are grouped from slowest to fastest generally by considering the ratio of power to weight. For example, the E30 M3, E28 535i, and E36 325 are all grouped together in J-Stock.

The prepared classes are designed for the next level of modifications, with more liberal allowances for mechanical changes. Most club racing entries come from either the prepared or stock classes.

Changes in the modified classes are more radical; super-modified classes are reserved for those few cars which are fully done race cars originally designed to compete in professional series such as IMSA GT, Super Touring, SCCA World Challenge, etc. Finally, historic classes are for true vintage machinery.

Racers are as carefully scrutinized as their cars. The rules require no less than eight full days of track experience within the last 24 months, a signed affidavit from a chapter's chief instructor, and a medical certificate in order to apply for a license. License applications are thoroughly examined by Fran Hughes, who will call references if she has any doubts about the applicant's fitness and readiness to race.

Many club race events are held in conjunction with BMW driving schools. Club racers are assigned their own, segregated run groups in which to practice, qualify, and finally to race. Most races are short sprints lasting 30 minutes or so. Longer endurance races (e.g., one hour duration) are less frequent. When there are a sufficient number of entrants and space on the schedule, the racers are subdivided. Stock and slower prepared cars make up one race group. Faster prepared and modified cars make up a second race group.

In 1998, there were about 25 club racing events held throughout North America. Needless to say, the best of the lot was "Bimmers Across the Border II" a joint driving school and club race weekend held at Le Circuit race track in close proximity to Mt. Tremblant resort. This was the second such event co-organized by the BMW CC and the Boston Chapter of the BMW CCA. The event attracted 140 cars to the track and about 250 guests to the mountain top banquet. Plans are already underway to hold "Bimmers III" next year. And your truly is working with the BMW CC Motorsports Committee to try to arrange for a second club race on Canadian soil in 1999 to be held at Mosport. Stay tuned to learn whether we can pull this off.

The first time I put a car on the track I knew this was going to be my life-long hobby. The exhilaration of going fast, the mental concentration of driving hard, and the satisfaction of being technically proficient, all appealed to me then and continue to provide a challenge today. Most people who take their BMWs to driving schools do so to understand their car's performance capabilities and to learn to be a better driver. Some of these folks also hold a Walter Mitty fantasy about racing. I'll admit it. I fantasized about racing almost from the beginning.

Unfortunately, reality and fantasy are different. The time and expense of preparing a car for racing seemed beyond my means every time I got serious about it. Even today, I'm not a beer budget racer--I can't afford the beer. And even if I had deep pockets, the time required to prepare and fix a banged up car between events was never in the cards for a university professor. So every time I went in search of a GT, IT or Formula car I always came away crashing back to reality. Not enough time and not enough money. And then came the announcement of BMW CCA Club Racing...

For me, the club racing programme is a god-send; it's something I've been waiting to participate in for a long time. But while it can be an economical form of racing, it is neither cheap nor easy on your time. In all respects it is one step up from driving schools.

The reasons I club race have nothing to do with anything tangible. This is an amateur series all the way. As one of our confreres loves to remind us "we're racing for ashtrays". Nevertheless, there is the immense thrill of driving in a race surrounded by others, passing in turns, and dicing for position. And there is the immense satisfaction in doing this
while maintaining control of yourself, your car, and even your surroundings, in particular, watching out for the other guy. Goal number one is to remember you love your car and you want to drive it away the same way you brought it to the track. Finally, I enjoy the challenge of participating on a shoe-string budget.

I am sorry if I cannot put into words some of these feelings more completely and eloquently. For those of you who have taken Turn Two at Mosport at speed or done Le Diable at Le Circuit without lifting, you have a sense of the feeling. Now imagine you were doing the same with cars in front and behind and, yes, maybe even along side. You're going hard, their going hard, and everyone is doing their best to have fun. You don't care about winning but you care about participating and doing your best. It is pure joy. It is the ultimate driving experience.

OK. Time for the reality check. What's this pure joy going to cost? Here's the straight dope.

First, you'll need a BMW in excellent mechanical repair. Age isn't important and the condition of the body doesn't matter too much so long as safety is not compromised. People still race 02s that have already seen years of service in other series. But generally they finish towards the back of the pack. The top finishers are frequently cars in which a considerable sum of money and a great deal of time have been invested. If you want to participate, it isn't going to be a big hit on your wallet. If you want to compete, especially if you want to compete for top spot overall, its gonna cost ya.

Second, participating in competitive events temporarily voids your insurance. If you are involved in an incident you cannot make a legitimate claim to your insurance company for damages. This is different than the situation at driving schools and why timing is so heavily frowned upon at schools. And you can't sue the driver who hit you either. Of course, the entire philosophy of BMW CCA Club Racing is antithetical to racing incidents. Nevertheless, incidents do happen and race cars suffer damage at a higher rate than the incident rate at driving schools.

Third, you have to pay entry fees to race. They are usually about the same as driving school fees. But if you've been instructing for awhile and gotten used to reduced or eliminated fees, race fees are going to be an added expense. Club Racing does not allow racers to instruct during an event since it is impossible to do both well.

Fourth, you can expect the rate of mechanical repair to your track car to increase when you race. Part of the increased cost is attributable to the competition. After all, you're out there with cars and drivers matched to you. You can't avoid thinking about what you can do to make your car a bit quicker and more reliable. Part of the increased cost is attributable to "red mist". "Red mist" is the tendency to push the car a little bit harder because you're racing. Take it from me, you will go harder and faster when you race no matter how many laps you've put in on a familiar track at driving schools. Case in point: I corded a reasonably fresh set of heat cycled BFG R1s in two days at a recent race event.

Fifth, you have to have specific safety equipment. In the 1998 rule book, the minimum safety equipment included: a roll bar, a safety harness, a fire extinguisher, window netting, a 1990 Snell-approved SA helmet, and a proper fire retardant suit, gloves, and socks. You will also need to buy or rent a transponder which is used for timing and scoring.

Finally, you might want to consider buying a trailer and a tow vehicle for the extra tires, spare parts, tools, and the post race beverages. Even some stock competitors trailer their cars. I don't but there are times when I wish I did.