der Bayerische May/June 2020 - 32

HPDE. Frankly, it kinda scared me and did not inspire me to get right back
out there.
Several years later, I attended the BMW CCA Chapterfest at Bowie
Baysox (in 2009, I think). I was only going as a spectator to see the cars
and check out the autocross event (whatever that was), and no kidding it
changed my life, at least with regards to motorsports. Autocross looked
like the most fun thing I'd ever seen someone do with a car. I had no idea
what it took to get involved, but it just looked like the perfect fit for me all the dynamics of high-performance driving in a convenient package that
didn't require nights in a hotel, a tow vehicle, trailer, or dedicated race car.
I think I joined the BMW CCA that day or shortly thereafter and began talking to people and scouring the online forums about what the "best car for
autocross" was since I (shamefully) was driving an SUV at the time. Wow
- best car for autocross - don't ask too many people that question, or
you'll never commit to anything due to all the conflicting help you'll get.
Since I had just joined the club in which I saw the participants having all
the fun - BMW CCA - I knew it would be a BMW. I didn't realize that my
autocross car didn't have to be a BMW in order to participate in NCC's
events, but at least that narrowed my choices. I settled on an E36 M3
because I wasn't yet addicted and wasn't yet ready to put a disproportionate amount of income towards having fun with cars, although that
discipline has since left me. In retrospect, I couldn't have made a better
choice, regardless of budget. The first three years or so, I was in full-on
student mode, keeping the car stock while focusing on my own skills, but
I never looked back after that Chapterfest. That event hooked me
without even being in a car.

skills grew over time as I "became one with the car". I learned to drive it
in completely stock trim. Then I learned to drive it with 200 treadwear
tires. Each winter for a few years I put a little money into it: camber plates,
coilovers, sway bars, a more aggressive differential, and a better seat and
harness to keep me properly seated in it. Handling was always the
priority over power. Every upgrade meant re-learning how to drive the car,
learning to squeeze out the extra speed made possible by the small
improvements. It was such a great car because its limits are reachable
within the bounds of autocross driving. You can use all of the car's
capability, and that makes it very rewarding on those rare occasions when
you manage to do everything just right on the course.

dB: What's your all-time favorite personal car for motorsports?

dB: How did you come to be so involved in NCC autocross?

Jeff: That '98 M3 is unquestionably my favorite car ever. My autocross

Jeff: I jumped in with both feet in the first year, getting to the events early

dB: What were your criteria for selecting your current car?
Jeff: I'm driving a '17 M2 now - it was my new street car before I started
using it for autocross. Because of its originally intended purpose, I
wanted something that would be great for road trips but still satisfying for
what some call "spirited driving". I wanted Bluetooth and some other
creature comforts. Simply put, the M2 was the new BMW that best
provided the feeling of my analog M3, but with modern conveniences.
I didn't plan on making it my autocross car, but an off-track excursion
resulted in the loss of the E36, so the M2 was called in as the replacement.
It's a great car, but you never forget your first love. I may go back to an
E36 again for autocross if the right situation presents itself. Meanwhile,
the M2 is really good in stock(ish) form, but at this point I've yet to really
fully exploit its capabilities.

(Below) Here's Jeff cornering hard in his beloved E36 M3.

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