My BMW M3 race and crash at Lime Rock

[David Fazzino]

Some of you German racers may know me racing in super touring but I started out in BMWCCA. Hope some of my old BMW friends will like this.

This was a BMW E30 M3 J stock race car I rented from Massari Mueller racing for a BMW club race at Lime Rock Park. I had raced my "vintage" 1970 2002 BMW in the new BMW club series but in 1998 I wanted to race a modern M3. I learned quickly on the first day how to drive it flat out by the first race. On the second day I had absolute confidence driving at 110%! My race was with the white M3. He slowed slightly passing TC Kline in the red roadster and opened himself to a apex jumping pass into big bend. The race was aggressive till I over drove into the first corner and lost my momentum allowing the white M3 to pass me entering the uphill. I chased him trying to outbrake and out corner him but my rental M3 was a couple seconds off the leaders pace. I learned that the car had been crashed earlier in Florida and the team rushed the repairs to deliver it to the race in Connecticut. While racing bumper to bumper the manager told me to slow down but I would have nothing with it... I radioed back "yea right" Several laps later the car violently turned right entering the uphill. I discovered the right rear axle CV joint was broken on the undamaged side of the car. I believe the moment after touching the brake to transfer weight to enter the corner I slam my foot onto the gas pedal. It was at that point the CV joint broke and the left axle pushed the car right. They told me later that their pro drivers at the time Randy Probst, Andy Pilgrim and Terry Borcheller watched the tape and said nobody in the room could have driven the car any faster. I was welcome to race at Sebring but I did not have pro funding and the cost of the damage took me out of racing for several years. It was a high and low point in my life..

Dam I could brake late!

 

[JS154]

Some of you German racers may know me racing in super touring but I started out in BMWCCA. Hope some of my old BMW friends will like this.

This was a BMW E30 M3 J stock race car I rented from Massari Mueller racing for a BMW club race at Lime Rock Park. I had raced my "vintage" 1970 2002 BMW in the new BMW club series but in 1998 I wanted to race a modern M3. I learned quickly on the first day how to drive it flat out by the first race. On the second day I had absolute confidence driving at 110%! My race was with the white M3. He slowed slightly passing TC Kline in the red roadster and opened himself to a apex jumping pass into big bend. The race was aggressive till I over drove into the first corner and lost my momentum allowing the white M3 to pass me entering the uphill. I chased him trying to outbrake and out corner him but my rental M3 was a couple seconds off the leaders pace. I learned that the car had been crashed earlier in Florida and the team rushed the repairs to deliver it to the race in Connecticut. While racing bumper to bumper the manager told me to slow down but I would have nothing with it... I radioed back "yea right" Several laps later the car violently turned right entering the uphill. I discovered the right rear axle CV joint was broken on the undamaged side of the car. I believe the moment after touching the brake to transfer weight to enter the corner I slam my foot onto the gas pedal. It was at that point the CV joint broke and the left axle pushed the car right. They told me later that their pro drivers at the time Randy Probst, Andy Pilgrim and Terry Borcheller watched the tape and said nobody in the room could have driven the car any faster. I was welcome to race at Sebring but I did not have pro funding and the cost of the damage took me out of racing for several years. It was a high and low point in my life..

Dam I could brake late!

 

 

Wow that was quite a hit! Good thing you weren't hurt - that was long before HANS was required.

 

On the video - cool find! What was up with the rookie in the E30M3 all over the place in front of you at the start?

In my experience, significant time can be saved (on the track before the re-pave) by braking early and driving into T1, and minimizing distance traveled by taking a tightntidy line in Big Bend and the left hander.

[JS154]

I did some quick looking back at the records.

 

At that race in June 1998

 

Peter Klein in JS E30M3 had the fastest JS race lap of 1:03.084

Kevin Holmes in JS E30M3 has the second fastest lap of 1:04.065

David Fazzino in JS E30M3 had the third fastest lap of 1:04.950

 

The JS track record race is held by Will Turner at 1:02.100 set in 2003

The JS track record qualifying is held by...some guy at 1:01.748 set in 2005

 

All lap times are from before the re-pave.

The top 6 fastest JS race laps are all within less than .200s of each other, all on 15X8 rims and Hoosier 225/45/15 tires.

[David Fazzino]

The Massari BMW's were using Toyo race tires. I remember my team mate purchased a brand new set for this race. This was my first time driving a car with Hawk blue brake pads. I swore by them till the DTC's arrived.