Narrr - you don't want to go racing, it costs a fortune........................................... .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ....................................doh!

Looks good fella - that series is very popular and pretty friendly I've been told

120bhp? That's not a huge amount, but it's all about momentum!

Do they race all over the country?

 

Yes, they visit plenty of circuits but there does seem to be a southern bias this year which I'm not complaining about

 

Well the Caterham's now gone and I finally got the drive the BMW at Snetterton yesterday.

It started snowing in Norfolk Friday evening so we were half expecting another cancellation but persevered and it went ahead albeit with a delayed start due to ice on the track.

Not a good start, on the 3rd sighting lap I changed down to 3rd for Sear and started to accelerate very gently round the corner when there was an almighty bang from the rear.

I thought a wheel had come off or something equally nasty so didn't have any choice but to pull off and wait for recovery.

The wheel hadn't come off, so back in the paddock, after speculation about broken diffs, my brother diagnosed a knackered drive shaft.

We happened to have a couple of spares so he got to work replacing it and I had the easy job of running up and down the paddock sourcing all those tools you need for a particular job but never seem to have in your toolbox.

Before lunchtime, it was back up and running, ready to get on with the job in hand.

 

The very first impression of it, when you're driving briskly but not giving it any real stick, is that it's a complete nail, vague steering, floaty handling, wandering about etc.

But when you start to push it, it all starts to come together

It's not going to set the world on fire with it's spec, but the handling was great. Incredibly well balanced with no real vices. No excessive understeer or oversteer, just small amount of both when you'd expect them.

It's also very forgiving, I made a few mistakes that would've had me off in the Caterham but in this you had a bit of a wobble, lost some speed and then just got on with it.

There's only so hard you can push on a track day so more may become apparent as I go try to go quicker but I seem to have bought a very well sorted car.

There were a few PBMW competitors there who recognised the car and confirmed that it's a goodun'. So no pressure on me then

The engine's smooth and happy to rev and makes lovely six cylinder noise that makes it sound a lot faster than it is, probably a good thing.

Gearbox is pretty good too.

It would be even better with an LSD but it's not a big deal to learn a little patience with the throttle and everyone's in the same boat.

Pretty happy then

I'm not sure how much of it is inherent E30 and how much is down to the previous owner's set up but I have to say it's a damn good choice for a track car. It does also highlight what happens to road manners when you take a road car and modify to work properly on the track, something it was never intended for.

 

This sounds like a cost effective way of keeping your eye in, Graham

 

That's the idea but it's hardly going to give me the incentive to get the Caterham sorted out quickly.

It's a hard life

 

Well they're sorting out the entries for the first half of the year.

It's massively oversubscribed, they're having to put on extra races, spill over into other races and move people around just to make sure people get a drive

I don't think I'm going to have any trouble shifting the car when I'm done with it

This is going to be so different to what I'm used to.

The question is, am I going to want to go back to a more open series after this?

 

Be part of a pack all the time, always having someone to race wherever you are on the grid, no-one gets a big advantage by chucking loads of cash at the car, never spending a whole race without an overtaking opportunity.....


What do you think?

 

I think I need to do a few races before I commit to a very expensive Caterham build