derBayerische July/August 2024 - 30

The Competitor Within
By Musab Alkateeb | Photos as credited
T
he long hibernation of the off
season is a time for reflection
about track adventures to
come. A time for granting the imagination
free rein to contemplate the
possibilities of improving the track
day steed, and excitedly embracing
thoughts of fulfilling potential of
driver skill. Discarding others as
the mind's eye roams along the endless
manifestations of improving the
machine to match the driver's cut
and thrust of the season's first event.
Poring over track maps to visualize
the twisted black ribbon from a
bird's eye view while gauging
elevation changes, hitting the apex
perfectly while matching gear selection
and braking points. The early
morning stillness in the paddock
shattered by an uncorked engine
barking to life, the smell of high30
octane
fuel, the glorious spring
weather - a delicious wakeful dream
at the track which many track day
enthusiasts have had at one time or
another.
But what makes a track day
enthusiast? After all, High-Performance
Driver Education (HPDE)
events are non-competitive and
lacking in wheel-to-wheel competition
where the focus is mainly on the
" E " for education. Yet, HPDE events
can be found virtually anywhere
across the country, accessible by
car clubs and organizations such as
BMW CCA among others, and the
venerable Sports Car Club of
America (SCCA) which commands
legions of members. There are
dyed-in-the-wool car enthusiasts
who have dual enrollments in BMW
CCA and SCCA and this article features
three, each of whom has a different
track day journey as well as
differing goals they individually
hope to achieve from their participation
in HPDE events.
Amr Alkhateeb, owner of
Bimmer Werks in Beltsville,
Maryland, is an avowed fan of all
things BMW, and is the only one of
trio who has a track-day-only 199x
BMW M3 sedan (E36) which has
been lightened with removal of
interior carpet and seats, featuring
MCS coilover suspension, a pair of
racing seats, and an unmodified
engine. Amr is among the " intermediate "
group of drivers.
Mike Cole has decades of
track-day experience having taken a
hiatus of two decades to raise
children but has made a triumphant
return to a hobby close to his heart
for the last couple of years. Mike
drives a 2004 BMW 330i ZHP (e46)
which features BC coilovers mounted
to E46 M3 suspension (front and
rear), M3 Competition brakes (front
and rear), a limited-slip differential
(LSD) with 3.62 final-drive ratio
from an E46 M3,(the stock ratio for
the ZHP was 3.07) and a set of
wheels and tires for track events.
Otherwise the car is equipped with
the original engine, transmission
and unmodified exhaust system.
Mike is also in the " intermediate "
group.
Sean Marks recently embraced
track day activities and on this
SCCA sanctioned event he performed
corner work on Saturday,
which he was glad for since the track
was rain soaked, and he continued
in that capacity on the second day.
derBayerische
derBayerische July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of derBayerische July/August 2024
