TMS Weekly Article 37 | Turner Motorsport

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TMS Weekly Article 37

From Pre-Purchase to Your First Track Day

With our recent victory last week at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the desire to get out on a track has never been higher here among some of us. This got us thinking about all the subjects we’ve covered in Keys to Performance that would help anyone modify their BMW. More than that, though, we started thinking about some advice Don Salama gave us during our interview with him from a few months ago. With all that information, what would it take to just go out and start racing? This week, we’re going to take you back through some of our helpful articles to take you from pre-purchase to your first track day and beyond with all the tips and tricks we’ve picked up over the years.

READ DON SALAMA - INTRO TO RACING

READ DON SALAMA RACE STRATEGY

As we write this, we only have a few more months left in the season for those of us who live in areas that experience winter weather conditions. If someone wanted to start racing this year, chances are, you’ve missed the opportunity to get consistent seat time at multiple events, especially if you don’t have a car yet. That’s ok! What that means is right now is the perfect time to get everything prepared so you can hit every event next season. Don’t put it off: you’re going to need to budget time and money to do this efficiently and correctly.

First, if you want to start racing, you’re going to need a car. Most of us don’t have the cajones to just throw our daily on the track. Initial objections would probably be ‘the car isn’t prepped’ meaning it isn’t stuffed to the gills with performance and race modifications. According to Don Salama in his interview with us, that is actually a good thing. Taking your car to the track for your first experiences should mean your car is essentially stock. But you’re going to need a car.

Right now is the perfect time to start looking for a BMW to use for learning race craft that will keep you from tearing up your daily transportation. With our buyer’s guides, you can make confident purchase decisions. Check out our library of buying advice to help find the right track build for you.

READ E30 BUYERS GUIDE

READ E36 BUYERS GUIDE

READ E46 M3 BUYERS GUIDE

READ E9X N52 BUYERS GUIDE

READ E9X 335 BUYERS GUIDE

READ E9X M3 BUYERS GUIDE

By the time you actually decide on, test drive, and buy a car you’ve decided to use for the track, it’s going to be the end of the season. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get in an AutoX event or an open track day before the weather turns cold. If not, that’s fine, you have a little bit of work to do before the next season opens. Remember, the goal is to spend all winter prepping your car, so don’t rush a purchase because you have your hopes set on hitting a track day, you’ll have a bad time!

With the car in your hands, you’ll undoubtedly be planning all kinds of performance upgrades and mods. You will want to resist those temptations! According to Don Salama, the biggest thing you need to worry about is making sure your car is just in peak shape to perform on the track. This means you should focus exclusively on maintenance. We have articles on all the info you need to prep for the first day on the track. That maintenance should include:

BUSHINGS

CLUTCH

BRAKE UPGRADES

GASKETS

OIL CHANGE

AIR FILTER

COOLING SYSTEM

POWER STEERING

WHEELS/TIRES

All that should keep you busy this winter. You should consider a set of tires oriented for track driving as well as track-designed brake pads and high-temp brake fluid. Other than those upgrades, leave your car stock! Your first track experience will be a pure one and one that allows you to establish a baseline. Remember, the goal is to improve your driving first, not your car. As you progress, you will outgrow the car. When that happens, then you should re-visit Keys to Performance for all the knowledge you need to upgrade your BMW to keep up with your improvement behind the wheel.

FLUID MAINTENANCE / WINTER STORAGE

ULTIMATE TOOL GUIDE

So, if you wanted to be on the track for next season, you need to start now. Get your car, take care of your maintenance, and start talking to anyone you know who drives on the track. Go read our advice from Don Salama and check out our library to satisfy all your performance needs here at Turner Motorsport.