Wed, 25 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes:

I came from....starting with AutoX

AutoX Results Millerton Dam 2000 June 11th, 2000 - Millerton Dam Name Car Make Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Place Wayne Wundrum '88 M3 69.94 68.70 82.98+4 Rick Kapheim '91 318 73.43+1 71.70 69.95 Leslie Miessner '99 Z3 72.10+1 71.27 71.33 John Hyestis '98 M Z3 70.47+1 70.00+2 70.67 Kent Pollack '99 Mustang 65.84 65.95+1 65.56+4 George Aguilar '88 M3 70.24 68.62 +3 72.26 Gary Lencioni '88 M3 65.91 67.73+3 67.61+3 Mike Simanyi '00 M Coupe 65.05 64.65+1 66.78+1 2nd Tom Tatum '00 M Z3 68.70+1 69.00+1 68.96 Maureen Tatum '99 Viper 82.34 79.66 76.64 William Eidson Jetta 75.91 72.47 73.56 Brady Eidson '00 Jetta 75.39 71.46 73.09 Mike Splivalo '00 323i DNF 75.53+1 75.54+2 David Splivalo '84 318i 69.79 68.31 DNF John McBride '97 993 65.23 65.03+3 64.85 1st Jim Driscoll '99 M Coupe 85.60 76.93 76.89+1 John Baird '96 Viper 70.29+6 68.69+1 66.10+2 Rich Yrulegi '84 911 67.38 68.88 67.92 R. Vitkus Z3 67.79 66.56 65.53+1 Brad Homen '00 Viper 70.69 67.84+1 DNF Philip Bogarian '00 M5 73.64 72.54+1 71.67+1 Peter Kwan M3 72.64 70.41 70.44 Eddy Funahashi M3 65.43 65.19 DNF 3rd Jerry Stehman 328is 72.70 68.91 68.78 Tom Bell '98 Z3 66.59 66.50 65.81 Chris Insalaco '63 MGB 71.07 71.47 70.25 Kenshi Nakazana M5 74.83 DNF 74.36 July 16th, 2000 - Millerton Dam Name Car Make Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Place Stephen Johnson Box Blk 87.88 86.84+1 83.83 Tom Tatum MRoadster 84.39 84.05 84.71 Bill Swanson 914 90.64+2 87.69 84.74 Rick Kapheim 91' 318is 87.42+1 86.33 87.39 Kent Pollack Mustang 84.80 82.63 82.13 Lester Shirley MRoadster 82.85+5 84.06 84.13 Kevin Molineaux 911 79.96+3 79.48 DNF 2nd Leslie Miessner Z3 91.80 91.21 90.92 Andrea Shirley MRoadster 88.39+1 89.06 87.10+3 William Eidson Jetta 90.96 88.79+4 Gary Sabbatini 323i 102.38 100.01 98.96+1 Rich Yrulegui 84' 911 86.69 83.48 DNF Debilyn Molineaux 911 90.62+6 83.42+1 79.68+1 Bud Morgan 911 86.52 DNF 85.11+2 John Yakura NSX 84.44+3 85.67 83.94+1 Joe Weatherson BMW 86.84 88.00 85.98 Gary Lencioni M3 82.36+2 84.33 82.94 Peter Lewis 72' tii 83.31 83.98+1 86.98+1 Joe Weatherson 911 91.41+1 91.28 89.61 Eddy Funahashi M3 83.03 81.14 82.27+2 Jim Coon Boxster 80.96 79.86 79.14 1st Peter Kwan M3 85.03 84.42 86.54 Tom Bell Z3 80.85 80.47 84.08+1 3rd Philip Bogarian Z3 86.21 88.04 88.00 September 16th, 2000 - Millerton Dam - NIGHT AutoX Name Car Make Best Daytime Run Night Run 1 Night Run 2 Night Run 3 Place Rick Kapheim 318is 60.22 63.55 64.51 62.06 10 George Aquilar M3 61.45 69.32 65.45 63.10 15 Terry Eidson Jetta 62.94 64.51 65.21 64.74 18 Tod Eidson Civic(gr) 67.14 69.35 66.61 65.58 20 Tina Whitted Civic(wh) 71.66 76.46 83.75 72.43 23 Jim Driscoll Mcoupe 62.11 69.00 66.37 65.43 19 Brady Eidson Jetta 61.47 65.64 66.37 66.66 21 Travis Whitted Civic(wh) 62.90 64.52 61.40 61.09 9 Ron Cortopassi NSX 61.91 66.87 65.74 62.88 13 Gary Lencioni E30M3 58.29 59.98 60.68 59.81 4 Eddie Funihashi E30M3 57.22 61.29 60.58 60.36 6 Peter Kwan E36M3 59.99 66.14 63.92 62.64 11 Tom Bell Z3 56.62 59.60 58.38 57.13 2 Tom Tatum M Roadster 58.94 62.15 61.07 61.37 8 John Hustis M Roadster 61.31 69.27 64.29 17 Wayne Begg Porsche 986 57.93 63.04 60.21 60.00 5 Doug Ceoni '86 944 61.06 69.13 62.98 62.92 14 John McBride Porsche 993 57.84 64.84 59.49 58.78 3 Jim Coon Rod's Boxter 55.57 57.99 57.28 56.82 1 Jerry Stehman E36M3 62.19 62.22 64.25 62.87 12 Wayne Wundram E30M3 60.90 63.56 61.15 60.89 7 Clint Cummins 914 2.0 62.51 66.64 63.75 16 Gary Sabbatini 325 70.56 David Peckham 540 64.87 66.78 66.85 66.34 22 October 8th, 2000 - Millerton Dam (Tom didn't run?) Name Car Make Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Place Leslie Miessner '99 Z3 75.16+4 70.09 67.52 14th Chris Donley E30 M3 68.93 68.98 68.75 15th Mike Splivalo '00 323i 71.07 70.73 68.81 16th Peter Kwan M3 66.13-DNF 64.95-DNF 66.14 6th Eddy Funahashi M3 63.30 63.67+3 63.86 5th Rick Kapheim '91 318 67.32 67.91 66.36+1 13th David Splivalo '84 318i 68.24 66.83 67.35+3 7th George Aguilar '88 M3 67.33-DNF 67.42-DNF 67.59-DNF Gary Lencioni '88 M3 67.21 67.69 67.13+1 12th Mich Fungundus S2000 59.51+4 57.55 57.16+1 3rd Rich Yrulegi '84 911 67.64+4 67.56 67.20 11th Wayne Biggs Boxter 63.94 63.70 66.55+1 4th Kevin Arcane P Car 59.57 58.85 57.43 2nd John Yakura NSX 66.74+6 66.75+4 66.03+1 10th Brady Eidson '00 Jetta 73.83 73.53 66.94 9th Terry Eidson VW 75.63 67.26 66.89 8th Brent Norgaard S2000 57.59+1 57.27+1 57.03 1st Millerton Dam date? photo01 photo02 photo03 photo04 photo06 photo07 photo09 photo10 photo11 photo13 photo14 photo15 photo16 photo17 photo18 photo19 photo21 photo22 photo23 photo24 photo25 photo26 photo27 photo29

then BMW CCA driving schools, then instructor, and now racer :)
I'm sending you some still pics from Sears Point from last year (no wing), then some races....I tried to pick different tracks, Laguna Seca (got that Tom), Willow Springs (no sound +can't edit format), Buttonwillow (I can use the yikes.wmv clip where the other driver gets hit), and Sears Point..... from '06 to' 07 I've made some progress....in the Buttonwillow race I get hit, knocked the rear alignment out to a toe out of 1/2 inch and I continue on and "learn" to drive what I had :) (where in the 22 minutes of the ButtonWillow race do you get hit? how many minutes in? I keep missing it. The other 4 minute video is nice- but needs some kind of narration b/c I can see something happens except driving- which is cool but...)

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes:
Videos are Sony in car video tape camera and then converted....(what is the Sony format native? Avi? Mpeg? gimmie file type?) I need .mov (Quicktime) or .avi -there are others but these are best
The Club Racing Rankings are posted on the BMW CCA Club Racing web site....I race in JP Class... (definition of JP class?)

Anyone can come to the races....it's a fairly laid back deal....some times there is an entry fee of 10 bucks charged by the track, but then you are free to roam around the pits and most racers are approachable and friendly...

Track Videos:
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes:
September 9 2006 Sears Point1 - 42mg download mpeg- it'd be nice to have something about what we see here

KG4R4422 Sears Point 9-9-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: My 98 2.8L Z3 only has 69K on the clock which is low miles....	KG4R4524 Sears Point 9-9-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: ...It is now only driven on the week ends...
KG4R4457 Sears Point 9-9-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: ....and just around in circles :)	KG4R6268 Sears Point 9-9-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: Hey who says the Z3 can't run with the big dogs ????
KG4R6269 Sears Point 9-9-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: Naaahhhh just kidding, but I can't believe the reliability of this thing...	KG4R6292 Sears Point 9-9-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: I run it flat out, wide open and it just keeps on tickin..
KG4R6331 Sears Point 9-9-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: ...we put M3 cams in it last year and my tech guy had me come over and look at the head....it was still shinny, looked brand new...	KG4R6449 Sears Point 9-9-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: I now run it at close to 7ooo RPM for every shift and it's still strong.....yahoooooo

KG4R7380 Sears Point 9-10-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: I'm no longer doing DE Schools as a student and or an instructor....I just race now...	KG4R7466 Sears Point 9-10-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: I'm doing 6 races this year
KG4R7501 Sears Point 9-10-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: This is my 4th season of racing and am now starting to get better and be in the mix	KG4R7537 Sears Point 9-10-06 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: One guy told me at a night enduro that owns a tuner shop, "Bell, you are starting to get into my S#*t!" I considered that a compliment.
KG4R7538 Sears Point 9-10-06 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: Z3 stuff is like good wine, it's best when shared :)	KG4R8747 Sears Point 9-10-06 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: There are not many of us out there racing Z3's....after TC Kline went to Z4's there isn't anyone back east that I know of....
KG4R8748 Sears Point 9-10-06 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: Jay Spurling is the only guy out here and he has only done 2 races (he bought an old TC Kline car)	KG4R8811 Sears Point 9-10-06 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: It really isn't the best platform for racing....but I love this car.
KG4R9848 Sears Point 9-10-06 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: It was my daily driver for 7 years, 'til I turned it into a race car	KG4R9918 Sears Point 9-10-06 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: Now it has no interior, no side windows, no heater
KG4R9919 Sears Point 9-10-06 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: ...in fact has nothing under the dash anymore, no more A/C, no passenger seat, no air bags, no center console, and there went the cup holder :)	KG4R9947 Sears Point 9-10-06 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: ...But it still has personality and makes me smile every time I back it out of the trailer

September 9 2006 Sears Point3- 47mg download mpeg -it'd be nice to have something about what we see here
April 22, 2007 -Laguna Seca (i'm working on the video)

P4210129 4/21/2007 Laguna Seca Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: I thought you'd enjoy a picture of my lil ol Z3 at the Laguna Seca race this past April....

P4210122 4/21/2007 Laguna Seca Tue, 24 Jul 2007 Tom Bell writes: BTW I'm 2nd Nationally on the BMW CCA Club racing web site.....

June 9, 2007 -ButtonWillow- This (15 second, 3.7 mg .wmv, Windows Media) clip was late in the race with one lap to go and Kirk Lachman in the Red E36 in front of me make a huge mistake and spins right in front of me....this is at one of the fastest portions of the track....just coming out of Turn 8 where I'm in 5th gear flat out....Data Acquisition shows me at 132 MPH through Turn 8, then I brake for Turn 9, down to 111 MPH when the incident happened....notice the lights on the dash....the green lights are my throttle...you will notice I stay off the gas till I can decide which way Kirk is going to go.....then I floor it to get around him....turn up the sound and you can hear his tires.....This is fun stuff !!!!!



Wed, 1 Aug 2007 Tom Bell writes:
Sure it's always fun to have people see what this is all about, and Z3ers are always welcome.....My last two races are Thunderhill October 27-28, and Buttonwillow November 10-11.....Again these things are really low key and we are all approachable and more than happy to talk about this passion we all have. Out on the track it's all business and we are competitors....but as soon as we get out of the car it's all high fives and smiles......
The videos do not really give you the sensation of the speed we are doing, except when something goes wrong :)

Wed, 1 Aug 2007 Tom Bell writes:
Yeah it would be best if this were put together as a compilation of the best moments, because as I'm sure you've now seen there are some races were just lap after lap there is no drama.....so maybe the starts of each race and then the highlights......if you did put together such a snippet I would be absolutely thrilled to give you a blow by blow analysis of each clip.....
I would think as far as organization it should be kind of a chronology like the early days...working through the roll bar deal, the auto
crosses, then driving schools, then on to racing....and the racing could be by track....BTW all of these were done by Stathis even
though it says Weber BMW they are my sponsor. Stathis made this for Weber BMW....

*Mirror- the concave mirror is an absolute must to see what is around you...we are wearing the HANS device, so I can't turn my head more than 15 degrees from side to side....but it is cool cuz you can see the cars in the video's behind me....
*Lights- yeah aren't those cool....the top row are the brake lights and the bottom row is my throttle and they are progressive as I push down the go pedal....I use this input to find out where I can go faster in analyzing the tapes after each run....
*Is your freakin car Boston Green????

It's hard to describe what we do....but the video's kind of show the story....as far as cars blocking, yep we do that...we don't want to loose a position, so it's all, I'm gonna kick your ass when we are out there.....but all
smiles and high fives in the pits....great group of guys and gals and a lot of fun....but the adrenaline rush is awesome when we are going side by side at 100+ MPH....

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 Tom Bell writes:
.I pick up my car at the end of this week from doing some more go fast stuff to it...then off to the track next Thursday for a test day on Friday and then race Saturday and Sunday.....really looking forward to it...
Yep down to the home stretch with just two races left for the year...., right now since I haven't raced since August, I've slipped to 3rd in points....so we'll see if I can pick up a spot or two in these races....all I have to do is win.....but no pressure :)

John Heustis:

///Madman on 2007-05-08 on Roadfly.com: Tom Bell Swingset Roll bars give excellent rollover protection for us taller guys.

98 Imola Red ///M Roadster with 'Tom Bell Swingset' Rollbar; Dinan Strut Tower Brace and High-Flow Throttle Body; TC Kline D/A Coilovers with 450f/500r spring rates and Adjustable Camber Plates; Eurosport Cam/Manifold Kit consisting of Shrick 264 Intake/256 Exhaust Cams, 24 lb Injectors, M50 Manifold, Euro High-Flow Air Meter, Conforti CAI, Custom Cam Kit Conforti Shark Injector Software, Electric Radiator Cooling Fan; Euro Aluminum S54 Radiator; UUC Short Shifter with Cartidge Bearing Upgrade and Delrin Carrier Bushing, UUC 'Red' Tranny Mount Enforcer; Ron Stygar Clutch Stop and Delrin Bushing Clutch Pedal Upgrade; Whalen Shift Machine and Seat Bushings; Gary Hansel's Mirror Adaptor and Medium Mirror; Leather Z Custom Imola Red Center Console Cover with ///M Logo; Diversified Cryogenics Frozen Rotors with Euro Two Piece Floating Rotors on front; Performance Friction Z-Rated Street Pads and PF97 Racing Pads; Fischer Stainless Steel Brake Lines; CCW Classic Shot Peened Black Anodized 17" Wheels/Toyo RA1 Tires (235f/255r) for track, Bridgestone Pole Position S03 Tires (235f/255r) for street; Southsport Track Tire Trailer

Another source for track-able Z3 roll bars, www.rollcageguy.com, and here's an ///M coupé with RollCageGuy.com roll cage (there is another coupé currently for sale there.)

Jon Trudel- First Place in his class- NJ Chapter BMW CCA autoX

Ride with JonT AutoX- inside car movie1, inside car movie2

October 27, 2007 JonT writes:
I've been autocrossing since before I got my Z3 2.8l. In the 90's, I was participating in local SCCA events, but I dropped out for a bit. I lost interest, mainly because I was no good.
When I got my car, I just had to get back into it. For my own sake, I got a few upgrades shortly after buying. They included a Dinan CAI, chip upgrade, and Strut Brace. Those upgrades alone were enough upgrades to put me in the SCCA ASP class, where I was hopelessly outclassed the other cars - Vipers, RX-7s, and even an AC Cobra kitcar. However, in 2000, I went to all the events (I was living in the Philadelphia area around that time), and finished in the top 3 in ASP every time, taking 1st once or twice because I was the only one in the class. That year, I gained enough points to beat out everyone else in the class! Persistance and constant attendance paid off. In 2001, it got tougher, and cars that properly qualified in ASP showed up regularly. I was starting to lose interest because I was so outclassed. It also stopped being fun and more cutthroat. I could have used race tires, but unless I got a trailer, a set of 4 are hard to bring to events in a Z3!
Around that time, I got involved in the NJ BMW CCA's autcrosses. I also upgraded to a Dinan stage 2 suspension, which includes new sway bars, springs, shocks and struts. Their autocrosses were more fun, since I was competing against similar BMWs, and we got more runs in. There is no national classification system, but they are a lot more realistic about the situation. I have been mid-pack, but occasionally doing well enough to keep coming back. There's a lot more friendly competition.
Over the past couple of years, I've been happier with it going to the BMW club events, and have taken the time to learn from the guys in the club. The one who usually gets FTD (fastest time of day) drives a 4 door M3, often takes passengers along for the ride. Some go for the thrill of it, but others, like myself, rode along to pick up pointers. These are the sort of thing that you have to experience, and not be told. I was pretty much at the limits of what my car could do, and even though I wasn't the best, I was still having fun.
Up until this year, I was running on stock 16" wheels and tires. As last year's tires were worn out, I chose to finally go with some 17" wheels and tires. I asked other club members for advice, and chose to go with a new model of tire, the Bridgestone RE-01Rs. They are "Ultimate Summer Performance" tires, according to Tire Rack. They have less of a treat life than other high performance tires, but this time, I said, what the heck, and got them.
Since then, I've been placing first or second in my class, pretty consistently. The 17" rear tires are a lot wider, and have more grip (245/40-17s as opposed to the 225/50-16s from before). The back end stays put more, and I have yet to spin out, which happened on the 16s a couple of times. So far, my class's competition has been tough, but the points I'm earning from the wins have made me the top scorer in our chapter's Driver of the Year award, which involves points won from Autocross, two road rallies, and an annual Pinewood Derby competition. If you are interested, feel free to check out the standings at http://www.njbmwcca.org/services/files/list_files.php?type_cd=R
If you want to get involved in autocrossing, you can check out several organizations. The first is to check out your local BMW CCA chapter to see if they run events (http://www.bmwcca.org to find you local chapter). The next is the Sports Car Club of America, found at http://www.scca.org. There are other organizations that also do autocrossing - NASA Racing, and the M-Club come to mind.
Some things to think about. Autocrossing takes time to learn to do well. Spend more money on improving your ability than on upgrading your car. Put the time in, and be ready swallow your pride. When you first start out, don't be put off that you're not as fast as you think you should be. Consider asking for an instructor to ride with you. Instructors will help, and be ready to listen to their advice. Also, don't hesitate to ask them to drive your car. They will surprise you as to how fast they can go in your car. The phrase to learn is "You have to be slow to drive fast". It means that you can't drive harshly or abruptly and expect to win. Smooth driving is the key. The other phrase to remember is "It is a poor man who blames his tools." You can blame your car all you want, but in the end, it's the nut behind the wheel that has the biggest effect on how well you do. I've seen people spend thousands of dollars on modifying their car, but none on improving their skill. I've seen a guy driving a Yugo be faster at an autocross than someone in a modified Porsche 911. In other words, don't rush to modify your car until you have improved. You will honestly see a difference.

Rachel at Derek Daly Driving School:





Rachel at the BMW Ultimate Driving Experience