"BKRM3" (BKRM3)
05/20/2015 at 13:45 • Filed to: None
9
26|
"BKRM3" (BKRM3)
05/20/2015 at 13:45 • Filed to: None | 9
| 26 |
My home chapter of the BMW Car Club of America had its first-ever HPDE this past weekend at the brand new Palmer Motorsports Park. The track, sometimes referred to as “Whiskey Hill Raceway,” is built in a quarry. Cool, right? It looks like this:
They haven’t quite decided whether there are actually 15 turns or 14, because the way the paving is now on 12 an 13 it’s more like a single double-apex corner than two independent corners. Anyway, the first impression really blows your mind. Here’s the view from the paddock.
The main straight is beyond the pit wall to the left, and the huge hill you see in the background is where turn 5 is located. Beyond THAT if you look closely the track goes up even farther. Yes it does. In fact, all told there’s 190-some feet of elevation change here. Dang.
So what’s it like to drive a brand new track? Well, a bit confusing at first. Not even the instructors know what the preferred line is. By the end of the first day of the event I felt like I had developed a reasonably smooth and consistent “default” line, which I tried to drive quicker on the second day and refine a bit here and there. There’s really no substitute for seat time on any given track. I was happy with the progress I was able to make and the lap time I was able to put down, even considering the fact that everyone was being a tad more cautious (and respectful) than usual because the facility is unfinished. Putting a wheel off and kicking up rocks and dirt is bad news for everyone at a place like this because it takes forever to get the track swept off, not to mention puts a lot of windshields and fancy street car paint in danger.
Anyway, this is a session’s worth of onboard from our grocery-getter 330i. It’s still very close to stock in this video. We’re pretty happy with how reliably it performed in back to back sessions (50 minutes at a time on this grueling track!), so we’re eager to get on with the race build. Should be going to the cage builder in a couple weeks, with our sights eventually set on endurance racing and/or Spec E46. This video is just me and a friend (who was trying to get used to a new-to-him M3 track car) having some fun at the end of the event and following each other around. If you want to watch a stock 330 try to keep up with a track prepped E46 M3 being driven conservatively, skip to about the 6 minute mark. One final comment - can’t wait to be back in a HANS and harnesses, it was a real chore trying to hold myself in the seat on this track with the insane corkscrew, carousel, downhill esses and every other thing. Track itself is an absolute 10/10. Can’t wait to go back next year with the curbing, grass and track facilities completed. If you get the chance to try Palmer, do it!!
Wheelerguy
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 13:52 |
|
Wow. Quite the spiffy ribbon you got there. Lots of twisty-turn-y corners.
|
BKRM3
> Wheelerguy
05/20/2015 at 14:03 |
|
Indeed. It feels like it just keeps going and going and going... combined with the elevation change, it’s like riding a rollercoaster that you have to steer. Lots of fun!
CalzoneGolem
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 14:08 |
|
Looks like a rabbit.
nermal
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 14:13 |
|
I love shiny new tracks just as much as the next guy, and the layout here looks fun. It just seems really dangerous though, with all of the walls being extremely close to the track.
Obviously video can skew perception, especially if you’re using a GoPro. What other tracks have you driven? How would you compare the proximity of walls to track on this to others? Did you feel it would be any more or less dangerous than acceptable at speed?
Justin Hughes
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 14:19 |
|
Chin Motorsports
invited me to drive with them at Palmer on July 11-12, which will be my first look at the closest track to my home. I’ll be writing all about it and shooting video as well.
The vastness of the elevation changes doesn’t really show up well in the videos I’ve seen so far. Out of the tracks I’ve driven, Thompson and Gingerman are basically flat, NHMS has a hilly bit, and there’s an uphill and downhill at Lime Rock (which was also a gravel pit in its past life). I’ve never driven a roller coaster like Palmer seems to be. I’m looking forward to it!
|
BKRM3
> CalzoneGolem
05/20/2015 at 14:22 |
|
kinda looks like that crazy rabbit from donnie darko.
|
BKRM3
> nermal
05/20/2015 at 14:34 |
|
I was very comfortable with it as-is, but they’re actually not done with safety. It’s very much in an open-but-not-polished stage at the moment. Once they have curbing and grass I think it will be easier to tell where the runoff really is. On the GoPro (and a bit in person too I guess) everything kinda looks the same color between the dirt and the track and it’s hard to get a sense of space. I will tell you that this track is massively wide compared to somewhere like Summit Point. I think it’s 50+ feet in fact. While there are a couple corners I really wanted to cut, I never felt even close to running out of track on the outside. Wayyyyyyyyyyy more space than the Glen. Being in a quarry, however, it’s never going to be as open as “cornfield” track like NJMP or VIR.
On the short term, they’re going to be replacing some of the gravel on the inside of corners with something safer and adding more feet of tire barriers (currently, 4,800ft of tires I believe). The long term plan is for modern barriers in addition to the tires. All of that is very nice, but in person I can honestly say that nothing felt dangerous except the jersey barriers at pit-in. At least there are some water barrels there... This was pretty much the opposite of the impression I got of the expanded Jefferson Circuit at Summit when I was there last month. There are a couple places there where your car WILL flip if you go off. Palmer has nothing at all like that.
|
BKRM3
> Justin Hughes
05/20/2015 at 14:40 |
|
It was a new experience for me too. You’re going to love it, especially if your car has more horsepower than the 330 I was driving. The hills were pretty brutal lol. My “home” racetracks are the two at NJMP. Palmer might as well have been on the moon compared to those. It was nothing like what I’ve driven prior. It’s SO busy and technical. It’s not as fast as you think, but it’s fast enough to get a little hairy. Great mixture of elements and the geographic setting couldnt be prettier. Some lucky bastard is going to get to drive this thing in the fall! The drive back from New England on a Sunday night after being exhausted from driving on track for two days straight utterly blows, but I can’t wait to do it again next year!
AthomSfere
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 14:54 |
|
I have decided, 14 turns.
|
nermal
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 14:55 |
|
Got it. I’ve had my bike on Summit Main & Jefferson, never felt unsafe at either, with the exception of T4 on Main.
Can’t wait to check out the expansion @ PittRace as well, from the looks of things it’s going to be pretty sweet. I’ve ridden there a bunch of times, no concerns except for the wall that’s extremely close going into T10.
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 15:14 |
|
A track with curves to the right??
But what about all the NASCARS???
|
Justin Hughes
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 15:20 |
|
My BRZ may struggle a bit on the uphills, but at least I’ll have a downhill assist onto the main straightaway to help me pass other cars. I’ve done some track stuff but most of my background is autocross, so I’ll probably feel right at home on a twisty, technical track like this. I’m also only 90 minutes away, even closer than my previous “home” tracks at NHMS and Lime Rock.
Thanks for the sneak preview!
|
BKRM3
> AthomSfere
05/20/2015 at 15:23 |
|
I completely agree and have decided the same myself. That’s how they drew it on their most recent track map that they distributed to us last weekend (but isn’t online yet).
|
BKRM3
> nermal
05/20/2015 at 15:25 |
|
I’ve never been to the Pitt track, even though I’m originally from that side of the state. Once it’s done (I assume it isnt finished yet?) I might have to seek out an event and give it a whirl. I am trying to drive everything within a reasonable distance. That’s probably 4+ hours from me, but without the god awful NJ/NY/New England traffic that you have to fight to get to Palmer and back.
|
nermal
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 15:34 |
|
The track expansion is getting finished now, and is scheduled to be ready in July for the Pgh Vintage Gran Prix. It looks like it’s going to be very fast, with a brutal downhill braking zone. The location is very easy to get to, it’s only 5 minutes off of the Turnpike. You won’t hit any traffic getting there on the weekends.
The existing track is still fun on its own merits, but it’s short, and there are a lot of right hand turns.
GTiceman
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 15:44 |
|
Great writeup as the guy who drives the new to him track prepped M3. 10/10 would drive again!
|
BKRM3
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
05/20/2015 at 16:14 |
|
Believe it or not last year I got to watch an ARCA series race at New Jersey Motorsports Park on the Thunderbolt circuit. I actually saw them turn right with my own eyes! For the first few minutes I was in disbelief, but then I was just drooling on their 800ish horsepower and loose wiring in the cockpit. Those dudes have serious cojones.
|
BKRM3
> Justin Hughes
05/20/2015 at 16:14 |
|
My pleasure. Let us know what you think of it!
|
BKRM3
> nermal
05/20/2015 at 16:16 |
|
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: go drive there and report back with video. I’d love to see the expanded version! Palmer, by the way, at 2.3 miles, SEEMS much longer than it actually is because of how busy and hilly it is.
|
nermal
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 16:44 |
|
I’ll be there this weekend doing the short course. :-)
It's a "Porch-uh"
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 16:58 |
|
Good luck with the build! I’m in the middle of building an E46 M3 for NASA GTS3. Trying to figure out the cage rules so that I don’t do something illegal. NASA CCR is very confusing.
|
BKRM3
> It's a "Porch-uh"
05/20/2015 at 17:37 |
|
Thanks! Awesome about your M3, that’s going to be a hell of a build! We had a simple solution to the cage rules: pay someone who has done a bunch of NASA cages. Are you doing the welding yourself? If so, bravo. It’s so much work. We don’t have the equipment or the requisite skill (it’s our first build) so we punted on that one. Except for that, we’re doing as much wrenching as we can (all of it to date) ourselves. So far almost everything we’ve done has been in the interest of reliability, except for the brake upgrades and ripping out the interior. Our car has 179k miles on it and we picked it up in March for $2k with the dash lit up like a christmas tree. I’d say it performed pretty well at Palmer - it did five and a half hours of track time without a single hiccup!
|
It's a "Porch-uh"
> BKRM3
05/20/2015 at 18:28 |
|
I’m going to pay somebody for the cage, but I want to be as informed as possible before going in so I can be sure they don’t screw it up. Because if they do, I might have a car I can’t use.
I picked up this car as a salvage ($5K) after the PO put it into a curb. Front/passenger fender well needs to be replaced so engine needs to come out. Once the shell is fixed and cage is in, I’m doing everything else. Researching suspension today (MCS would be nice, but expensive... maybe Bilstein Club Sport).
|
BKRM3
> It's a "Porch-uh"
05/20/2015 at 21:49 |
|
Sounds like a fun protect project, wish I had time for a build like that! The E46 M3 is an incredible car. Our car will get MCS singles this winter, it’s the spec E46 suspension. Probably will continue to be a de-only car through next season, though I am using it for bmw club race school in September.
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> BKRM3
05/22/2015 at 11:45 |
|
Looks amazing, but HOLY CRAP BIG ROCKS. Keep it on the track, kids!
|
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> BKRM3
05/22/2015 at 11:47 |
|
Such a great movie.