Scuderia Asino Grigio

Those were the days...a field of 50 cars, going at it with hammer and tongs around the beautiful kettle moraine countryside. Plus a grid with David Hobbs, Paul Newman, and who could forget Willy T. Ribbs. Enjoy!

The cold days and snow are starting to drag me down, so I thought it might be best to start thinking about, and planning for, the warmer days ahead. (Hopefully dry and warm days ahead)

So to that end I starting compiling a master schedule of Mid-Western/Great Lakes HPDE's for 2010. Looking forward to seeing you at the track in 2010 and don't forget to check out the rest of ScuderiaAsinoGrigio.

PLEASE POST CHANGES / ADDITIONS IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW!

Image via (Road America on Facebook)

April 3-4 - Gingerman - Gingerman Open Track Weekend

April 9-11 - Mid-Ohio- NASA GL

April 10 - Gingerman.- 3BallsRacing

April 10-11 - Putnam Park- MVP Tracktime

April 17-18 – Gateway International - NASA

May 1-2 – Autobahn CC - Windy City BMW

May 15-16 - Putnam Park - NASA

May 15-16 – Autobahn CC - Northwoods Region Shelby Club

May 22-23 – Brainerd International - NASA

May 22-23 - Autobahn CC - TrackDaze

June 7- Autobahn Country Club (FULL 3.56 mile track) MVP Tracktime

June 12-13 - Blackhawk Farms - NASA

June 14 - Blackhawk Farms - Badger Bimmers

June 26-27 – Gingerman - Windy City BMW

July 2-4 - Gingerman - SEMPCA

July 12 - Blackhawk Farms - Badger Bimmers

July 12-13 - Road America - PCA Nord Stern DE

July 17, 18 - Autobahn Country Club- NASA

July 23-25 - Mid-Ohio- NASA GL

August 9- Autobahn Country Club (FULL 3.56 mile track) MVP Tracktime

August 13-15 - Mid-Ohio- NASA GL

August 21-22 – Putnam Park- NASA

August 23-28 - Road America - BMWCCA Octoberfest - Badger Bimmers

August 28-29 - Calabogie- 3BallsRacing

September 3-5 - Road America - PCA-Chicago TRAC

September 11-12 - Autobahn CC - NASA

September 18-19 – Eagles Canyon TX MVP Tracktime

September 26-27 - Putnam Park - Windy City BMW

October 1-3 - Road America - BMW Octoberfast- Badger Bimmers

October 9-10- Putnam Park- NASA

October 16-17 -Road America - MVP Tracktime

November 20-21 –Road Atlanta - MVP Tracktime

For the first time since 1956 it looks like the no-wiper, solid-axle and carburetor gang will be holding a national-series race at Road America. Thanks to AutoJava for the tip.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 21, 2009) – NASCAR announced today that it will continue its 17-year streak of racing on a national-series level in Wisconsin with the addition of the historic Road America course to its 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

The Road America 200 at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn track located in Elkhart Lake, Wis., replaces the event previously scheduled at the Milwaukee Mile and will be run on Saturday, June 19. “We’re excited to be staying in Wisconsin and racing in front of the passionate fans there at a historic venue that’s new to our NASCAR Nationwide Series,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s vice president of racing operations.

While Road America is new to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, it’s not the first time NASCAR has raced there. On Aug. 12, 1956, Tim Flock won the only other NASCAR national series race, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, at the then one-year-old track. In 2001, current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver – and Eau Claire, Wis. native – Paul Menard won there in the former NASCAR Re/Max Challenge Series.

“It’s a really great race track,” Menard said. “It’s in a very picturesque setting in the Wisconsin countryside. It has every kind of corner you can imagine. When I was a kid, my dad would take me to Road America. The fans love it there.

“By the second practice, I’m sure everyone will be up to speed because the drivers are so good in the Nationwide Series. Braking will be the hardest aspect. Strategy will play a big part in this race. I’m really excited about (the series) running there.”

Road America will be the third road course on the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. The series also will race at Watkins Glen International and at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. As recently as the 2007-08 seasons, the NASCAR Nationwide Series also had three road courses on its schedule, racing at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City in addition to The Glen and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
“Road America is a very unique track that will provide great racing and will test driver skill and ability on what is a very large course,” said Joe Balash, director of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. “And yes, we’ll be prepared to race in the rain if necessary,” he said, in reference to the series’ last two races in wet weather in Montreal. The 2008 event was the first NASCAR national series points race contested in the rain.

The Scuderia finished up the 2009 Midwestern track season with a three-day home stand at the friendly confines of Road America in lovely Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The Badger Bimmers Fall event is know to attract drivers from around the region and from across the country to this extremely friendly and well-run HPDE. While this event is traditionally held in September, schedule fallout from the SCCA run-offs, as well as a planned BMWCCA national Octoberfest planned for 2010 contributed to a shift in dates to the second weekend in October.

Historically this weekend treats us to temps in the mid 60's to low 70's with lots of Autumn sun. This wasn't the case this year with hotel parking lot temps ranging between 32 and 28 degrees welcoming us to the Dairy State, and variable snow showers testing the fortitude of the drivers, corner workers, and safety crews throughout the day on Saturday.

One thing that makes this weekend worth the trip (aside from a great breakfast at The All-Season Restaurant with the corner workers) is the wide range of metal that shows up for this event. This year there were some of the usual suspects (for this event) Ferrari 333sp, a handful of race prepared Corvettes, a Porsche Cup Car, multiple Porsche Turbos, and Prepared M3's, but this year they were joined by a Radical SR3, Viper ACR and Porsche GT-2 (in black/orange RS colors )

The weekend ended with a minimum of incidents, given the prevailing weather conditions, with all of the Scuderia able to drive off and/or able to mount a trailer on their own power. Looking forward to seeing you at Road America in 2010. Maybe you too can get some experience with the snow-line, or find out what slicks are like in the snow at 140mph, its worth the trip.

Some amazing footage of the 4.01 mile wonder that is Road America from the days before ARMCO barriers, harnesses or proper helmets. Some great Elva, Porsche and Cobra action as well from Bob Holbert, Ken Miles and Augie Pabst. Enjoy!

(via William Stenson and Jalopnik)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

View it live here!

http://www.speedcasttv.com/

It should be an exciting weekend.

Schedule for the weekend.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES

ALL RACES 13 LAPS OR 40 MIN., WHICHEVER ELAPSES FIRST.

RACE TIMES ARE GREEN FLAG TIMES.

FRI 9/25 SAT 9/26 SUN 9/27

8:30 GTL T3/SSB FE

9:30 CSR FM GT2

10:30 T2 SM F500

11:30 S2 SRF HP

LUNCH

1:30 AS FV FF

2:30 SSC T1 GT1

3:30 FP FC DSR

4:30 FA GT3 EP

Brilliant Lap! As clean as they come. Enjoy!

One of the great things about the Kohler International Challenge hosted by Brian Redman, (aside from the opportunity to see Can-Am, Formula One, IMSA and SCCA cars running at speed as god intended) is that on Friday evening after the practice sessions, many of the race cars are led onto the streets of Elkhart Wisconsin for a parade downtown and a concours (hosted by Road and Track) in front of the Siebkins Bar/Hotel/Condos.

Once the cars are in place spectators are invited to view and browse the cars. Local bands play in the courtyard and beer and wine is served from vendors on the sidewalk. On a hot July night, nothing can be better.

This street forms part of the original road course that existed in Elkhart Lake, and the final left turn in the video was a turn on the course known as "the Hard Left" an off camber 90 degree corner intended to provide maximum excitement for the summer tourists.

I will admit that these aren't the fastest video I've ever posted, but take a look at the cars lined up for the parade at the start and end of the video. See how many you can identify. (BTW- I count at least 2 BMW 3.0 CSL's a scarab and a group c car )Enjoy.

Turn Up the volumefor this one.

For anyone that has every sat in T12 at Road America (aka Canada Corner) you know that the racing surface is about 100 feet out and 8 to 10 feet down from the viewing area.

Well, an ambitious Ferrari Challenge driver has succeeded in bringing the racing action to the fans. It is my understanding that the car was coming into Canada way too fast, skimmed across the gravel, dug in and vaulted over the tire wall and catch fence.

I haven't seen any thing that wasn't built by Boeing cover that kind of height and distance with such a short take-off roll.

Impressive!

Photos by redwe-in-wi

Welcome to the end of a cold, wet weekend at Road America. Bad news
was no real dry laps-- Good news, the Crappies were biting at turn 3.

So while the balance of the weekend here at Road America has been a washout, the Friday afternoon enduro offered some brilliant racing action with Fall-Line motorsports fielding a team of Grand-Am BMW M3's, and the always amazing Randy Pobst putting on a driving clinic in his GT3 Cup car. The footage below shows the speed disparity, as well as the driving prowess differences between Mr. Pobst and a rookie 944 Spec driver. So just when you think you are going pretty fast out there, there is always someone to alter your perspective. Thanks Randy and Billy Newport. Enjoy!

I thought that I should also include some Road America footage before heading off for the weekend. Alex King provides some great views from along-side his 1969 Brabham BT29. The camera placement for this video provides a helpful visual perspective so that the multiple elevation changes that make up Road America can be understood and appreciated, and it almost reminds me from some of the footage from the movie "Gran Prix!" Enjoy!

On-Board Camera at Road America with James King in a Brabham BT29 from Mito.Media on Vimeo.

Heading up to Road America in beautiful Elkhart Lake Wisconsin this weekend for the first track weekend of the year. Time to shake off the rust of the Midwestern winter to get some hot laps in with NASA Midwest.

The good news is that the Team Scuderia Asino Grigio M3 is back from the shop with fresh fluids, (Castrol SRF, and Castrol TWS) as well as one the best alignments (feels perfect) that the car has ever had. I have a shiny new set of Brembo's on the car, some new Nitto NT01's and fresh set of PFC01's all ready to go. So any apparent lack of speed will likely not be the car's fault.

The bad news is that a car porter, backed a Mini Cooper into the passenger door while it was in the shop and wrinkled the sheet metal pretty well. So for the first time ever, I have to deal with the 50/50 rule, (body damage must not be noticeable at 50 feet when the car is going 50mph). Not the best case scenario, but the folks at the dealership are handling the situation very professionally.

So this is the yin and yang of the first track weekend of the year. Hopefully I'll have much to share upon my return. Peace.

With the time change around the corner and Spring in the air I can almost taste the track season ahead. Time to order some fresh R-comps and PFC-01's and dig out the helmet and HANS.

That being said enjoy some fast driving and superb lines through the rolling kettle moraine that is Road America through the windshield of a 997 GT3 Cup car and start the countdown. Enjoy.

I came across this well crafted write-up on data-analysis on another forum and thought that it should be shared, (with the permission of the author, Collin Mizeur).

Most posts that I have seen on the topic show the raw data, but a little thin in identifying how to use to improve performance. Collin's write-up provides some nuance into how you turn Traqmate data into faster lap-times.

Thanks again to Collin Mizeur (aka Hornswoggler) for the write-up.

Finding time around Road America using Traqmate data:

Just for example, this is how I use Traqmate data and their traqview software to find opportunities for going faster. The tools are slightly different but the concepts and goals can be the same. (not trying to compare the two data acq products, just talking through how I use data acq and what I look for..)

Same track: Road America. Data is from a month earlier (with NASA Midwest). Creating similar segments to yours, my difference from theoretical best lap (TBL) to best is also around 2 seconds per lap. Using TBL is the reference, we know the car can do it, and we know the driver has done it (atleast once, haha), so how do we identify those areas to focus on for next lap? Data can explain what happened!

The below screenshot is velocity (mph) vs distance travelled. I use distance instead of time because time can shift, but distance is fairly constant no matter the laptime. Red is my fastest lap of the session (2:41.251) vs my TBL that session (2:39.215). The question is this: where did those two seconds go??

I also add a graph called Time Gap, which you'll see at the bottom. Where velocity vs distance shows me where I was slower, time gap can help quantify exactly how much time was lost (or gained) due to the difference in mph at a given point.

Thanks to a higher min speed in turn 3 (59 mph vs 54 mph), I was able to carry a slight mph advantage down the straight heading into turn 5. Up until the braking zone, this was worth .2 seconds.

By starting my Turn 5 braking zone 50 feet later, TBL made the largest single gain of .6 seconds. This is why I find braking references so important... you can make or break a single lap by just the slightest inconsistency in where you begin braking. 0.6 seconds is HUGE! Data has made me a believer in braking late and braking hard!

The next big gain comes from getting a better corner launch out of turn 8. I carry that speed into and through the carousel. It is worth about .5 seconds.

Coming into the Turn 12 braking zone, I must have hit some traffic on TBL as I start slowing much sooner than usual, and not as hard on the brakes. This was worth about .2 seconds. (in favor of my fastest lap)

Carrying more speed (83 mph vs 79 mph) through turn 13 gained me .2 seconds carrying that momentum all the way to turn 14.

Summary against TBL: (in order of opportunity)
Braking 50 feet later into Turn 5 is worth 0.6 seconds
Higher Turn 8 exit speed is worth 0.5 seconds
Higher Turn 3 min speed (59 mph) is worth 0.2 seconds
Higher min speed for Turn 13 (83 mph) is worth 0.2 seconds

If I can remember the top three things on my list next sessions, I may be able to pick up 1.3 second! I still need to find another 0.3 seconds though to take first place in TTC... so I keep digging using other tools!

Next tool I use is lateral g's vs distance. This is where I look to see if I am using maximum lateral grip in the corners. For the slow stuff, this is pretty easy.. but it takes a pretty brave person to discover these limits without (or even with) data acq.

Looking at my lateral g's vs distance, I notice my right-hand turns can sometimes hit 1.2 g's. So, I look at what non-event corners (meaning corners not immediately after a braking zone) do I not hit 1.2 g's? Both Turn 1 and The Kink stand out as I only sustain about 1.08 g's in those corners. Both of these corners are hairy for pushing harder, but my data shows the tires can handle a little more speed.

In order to quantify how much time I might be able to gain in turns 1 and 11 (kink), I load up all my data from the weekend to see if I had even one "Superman" run through there. If so, I might be able to compare segment times vs best lap of the weekend. Turns out I never took turn 1 over 70 mph, so inconclusive using my own data. Next step is to use data from a better driver in similar car (sharing is easy with the traqmate) and was lucky enough to find someone who took the kink a bit faster (they also had different tires, so not exactly apples-to-apples). From a 98 mph kink min speed to 103 mph, there is gains of atleast .25 seconds.

Below graph shows my plot as blue, and a kind data sharing person in pink. Highlighted is the difference in kink speeds and lateral grip utilized:

I hope this post gets the wheels turning on ideas and ways to use the data for performance gain. Again, this is just me typing outloud what I look for and how I would adapt my driving after seeing the data.

Whichever of these data acq tools we choose to use, the power is there.. just gotta take the time to understand and interpret it. Data by itself is just data, the real value is the information you can derive from the data, which can be converted into real-world gains on the racetrack.

__________________
Collin Mizeur

At the risk of being too heavily focused on Road America, I thought that I would share a few clips from glory days of Can-Am, when cars were light and powerful and the driver's cockpit was large enough to accommodate a large set of male attachments.

For those of you familiar with the 4 - mile wonder of the North that is Road America, check out the distinct lack of concrete barriers, catch-fences, and the tiny gravel traps that all but ensure that a tree will be the device that arrests your forward progress.

Enjoy! Thanks to BMWizardofOz for the video.

Part 1

Part 2

While reading through some back issues of Roundel magazine I noticed that many of the letters addressed to the editor were negative and some were truly nasty. Most of the negative ones were complaints about the cars themselves, i.e., the look of the cars, the feel of the cars, how the cars had grown to be too big, or how some models were too small inside. Some folks complained about the transmission, or squeaks behind the dashboard, or uneven tire wear, the list seemed to go on forever. Still others complained about the club itself. How it didn't provide enough of one thing or another

I was saddened by their comments, not only because their grew boring quickly, but because my experiences as a BMWCCA member have been completely different from theirs. In the short three years that I have been with the BMWCCA I have had the opportunity to,

Meet Steve Dinan and have him show me downloads from their Grand-Am program as well as invite me to Morgan Hill to drive a M5 prototype
Have Sabine Schmitz as a driving instructor at Road America with the Badger Bimmers (thanks again to Jeff Joy)
Tour the Team PTG paddock with Tom Milner and meet Bill Auberlen, Joey Hand, Justin Marks, and Tom Milner Jr.
Meet the Bimmerworld team, James Clay and Seth Thomas,
Learn car control and become a better driver
Meet a bunch of non-famous, but really decent people.

I hope that the folks that take to the time complain about the club experience end up finding something to like about the club. I know I have. It's not that hard to find something you like, and I was able to do all of these things without a lot of effort on my part.

And in the interest of providing some example of the things that make the BMWCCA a blast I thought that I would post a couple of clips of drivers that I have had the opportunity to meet and chat with. One from Bill Auberlen, factory BMW pilot, and another from James Clay, who started his career as a BMW Club Racer and progressed from there.

Here's Bill Auberlen at Road America

Here is James Clay at Sebring

The short days and snow are starting to drag me down, so I thought it might be best to start thinking about, and planning for, the warmer days ahead. So to that end I starting compiling a master schedule of Mid-Western/Great Lakes HPDE's for 2009. Looking forward to seeing you at the track in 2009 and don't forget to check out the rest of ScuderiaAsinoGrigio.

PLEASE POST CHANGES / ADDITIONS IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW!

UPDATED 2-24-2009

April 4-5 - Gingerman - Gingerman Open Track Weekend

April 4, 5, 6 - Autobahn CC - Chicago Audi Club

April 10,11,12 - Mid-Ohio- NASA

April 11,12 - Mid-America Motorplex - Find The Line

April 11,12 - Putnam Park - Hoosier Chapter BMWCCA

April 15-17 - Mid Ohio– MORPCA

April 18-19 - Putnam Park- MVP Tracktime

April 18-19 - Road America - Midwest F-Body Association

April 25 - Gingerman.- 3BallsRacing

April 24,25,26 - Road America- NASA (Racing/DE)

May 3 - Waterford Hills - Waterford Hills Open track day

May 8,9 - Road America - PCA-Milwaukee

May 9 Grattan- 3BallsRacing

May 8-10 - Mid Ohio - Potomac PCA

May 15 -17 - Heartland Park - Audi Club NA KC & STL

May 16-17 - Autobahn - Northwoods Region Shelby Club

May 16,17 - Putnam Park - NASA

May 22,23,24 - Road America PCA-Chicago D/E

May 30,31 - Autobahn CC - TrackDaze

May 31 - Waterford Hills - Waterford Hills Open track day

June 1 - Blackhawk Farms - Badger Bimmers

June 1- Autobahn Country Club (FULL 3.56 mile track) MVP Tracktime

June 5,6,7 - BlueGrass Motorsports - NASA

June 5-7 - Gingerman - N.A.R.R.A.

June 12- Waterford Hills- 3BallsRacing

June 13,14 - Blackhawk Farms - NASA

June 27, 28- Gingerman- Windy City BMW

July 3-5 - Gingerman - SEMPCA

July 10-12 - Putnam Park - MORPCA

July 10,11,12 - Mid-Ohio- NASA

July 13 - Blackhawk Farms - Badger Bimmers

July 13, 14 - Road America - PCA Nord Stern DE

July 17, 18,19 - Autobahn Country Club- NASA

June 25-26 - Grattan (Reverse on Sunday) - 3BallsRacing

July 30- Aug 1 - Road America - Ferrari Club of America

July 31- Aug 2 - Bluegrass Motorsports Club - Asphalt Ventures

August 3- Autobahn Country Club (FULL 3.56 mile track) MVP Tracktime

Aug 7- Blackhawk Farms- Badger Bimmers

August 7-9 - Road America - Northwoods Region Shelby Club

August 8,9 - Blackhawk Farms- NASA

August 14,15,16 - Mid-Ohio- NASA

August 22-23 - Mid Ohio Weekend - MORPCA

August 22-23 - Putnam Park - Windy City BMW

August 29-30 - Mid Ohio - Buckeye BMW

August 29- 30 - Calabogie- 3BallsRacing

August 29-30 - Autobahn CC - NASA

August 31- Sept 1- Road America - Chicago Audi Club

September 5-6 -Blackhawk Farms - MVP Tracktime

September 4,5,6 - Gingerman- NASA

September 5 - Waterford Hills - Waterford Hills Open track day

September 4,5,6,7 - Road America - PCA-Chicago TRAC

September 12, 13- Autobahn CC - (FULL 3.56 mile track) Trackdaze

September 26 - Waterford Hills - Waterford Hills Open track day

October 9, 10, 11 - Road America - BMW Octoberfast- Badger Bimmers

October 10,11 - Putnam Park- NASA

October 10-11 - Grattan - Alfa Romeo Club of Detroit

October 16-18 – Bluegrass Motorsports Club - MORPCA

October 17 -Gingerman- 3BallsRacing

October 17-18 - Mid Ohio - MVP Tracktime

October 24-25 - Mid Ohio - Buckeye BMW

I was reading about Paul Newman today, and it turns out he was a man that believed in luck. He believed that it was always good to have talent and to be well prepared, but with all things being equal, it was better to be the guy who was lucky.

I thought that the clip below sums up the the critical importance of luck. You can be the best driver in the world, and still never have a situation like this come out this well.

Having seen plenty of post-kink damage, it usually involves hitting at least one wall, at least one time. Check out the clip, and decide, "is it better to be lucky or good?"

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Monday, December 28, 2009

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Monday, October 5, 2009

Friday, September 25, 2009

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Friday, July 24, 2009

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Monday, December 22, 2008

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