I participated in the sixth round of the Bimmer Challenge at Willow Springs in Rosamond, CA. It was my third event, and I was determined to redeem myself after finishing fourth in the previous race in Las Vegas. I was competing in the B5 class and had prepared my car by adjusting the alignment and using Maxxis RC-1 tires.
I want to give a huge shoutout to @RaceFFPod Jaime and his fiancee, Caroline, for coming out to support me and help with the car. Their presence made a huge difference in my day. I felt confident this time due to my increased preparation. However, it was also my first time at Streets of Willow CCW, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
I was pleased with the new alignment specs, and the car was performing well, except for the need for higher spring rates. In the beginning, it took a few laps to get out of traffic since the first session wasn't grid-by-time. Once I found some open space, I started to get into a rhythm. The skid pad and the bowl after the back straight were challenging for me, as I needed to get on the gas earlier on corner exit. With each lap, I made progress, but I knew I still had time to gain there. Eventually, I managed to put down a time of 1:27.941.
When I came off the track and checked the results, I was thrilled to see that I was in the first position. The second-place car was over a second slower with a time of 1:29.696. However, my excitement was short-lived when a new challenger emerged in the following session. A driver in a BMW 318ti dropped a blistering time of 1:25.483. It was a significant gap, and I knew I had my work cut out for me. Nevertheless, I believed that I had more to give and was determined to do better.
The second session was at 10:20 am, and I decided to try something different by dropping the tire pressure to 26 PSI cold. I hoped this change would give me more open space on the track. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as planned. I couldn't get on the gas as early as in previous sessions, and the hot track conditions caused the times to drop for everyone. Despite being more consistent, my fastest time was only 1:29.547. It seemed that first place was slipping out of my reach.
However, an unexpected turn of events occurred when the driver of the 318ti approached me. Apparently, others in the class had raised concerns about his car, and he volunteered to be weighed. Then Drama ensued!
30 май 2023
