Peachtree CCA HPDE, Road Atlanta, 6-8 March

[Mortis]

Any fellow M3/M4 addicts attending ?

[1sickm2]

I'll be attending this

[SherM4n]

I'll be there in a red TT RS.

[Mortis]

Great ! Look forward to meeting you guys.

[Mortis]

Does anyone have advice on driving Road Atlanta in a BMW M3/4 (current/older generation)?

[lutfy]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Does anyone have advice on driving Road Atlanta in a BMW M3/4 (current/older generation)?

Enjoy. Action starts after the 1 min + mark. I love this track, will be back in Sept of this year.

Lutfy

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by lutfy

Enjoy. Action starts after the 1 min + mark. I love this track, will be back in Sept of this year.

Lutfy

Very cool - thanks for sharing. I have to admit, turn 12 makes me nervous...

[SherM4n]

T12's threading-the-needle demeanor definitely makes it an intimidating corner. Have you been on RA before?

[S54dan]

T12 can be intimidating, just don't lift and you should be fine...

[S54dan]

Forgot to mention that by "don't lift" I don't mean floor it, feel it out but never lift (at speed) lol

[lutfy]

Originally Posted by S54dan

Forgot to mention that by "don't lift" I don't mean floor it, feel it out but never lift (at speed) lol

S54dan, Best avatar ever!! I have seen a lot of them but yours takes the cakes and eats it

to OP: Modulate but never lift After 10A it should be flat out but these cars you gotta modulate through 10B, then flat all the way down entry of 12, half throttle to apex then power down.

I suggest taking Mike McCoy or Geordie Johnson (registrar Anna's husband) out in your car and have them show you around. Could try Dave Harrison too (Chief Instructor). They are all very helpful.

Have fun this is a FANTASTIC track bar none and let us know how it went.

Regards,

Lutfy

[Mortis]

S54dan and lutfy: thanks so much for the advice. I will be religious about not lifting

Thanks also for the references - I will definitely reach out to them, and very much look forward to meeting the Peachtree CCA team.

This is my first time on RA, and very much looking forward to it - I've heard so much about this track. Will definitely report.

Cheers!

[S54dan]

Originally Posted by lutfy

S54dan, Best avatar ever!! I have seen a lot of them but yours takes the cakes and eats it

Originally Posted by Mortis

S54dan and lutfy: thanks so much for the advice. I will be religious about not lifting

Thanks also for the references - I will definitely reach out to them, and very much look forward to meeting the Peachtree CCA team.

This is my first time on RA, and very much looking forward to it - I've heard so much about this track. Will definitely report.

Cheers!

Geordie is awesome, take up on the suggestion if he has time. Most instructors will have two students that weekend, one in A/B Group and one in C or D.

Also, since you're driving from a distance, do yourself a favor and buy the track insurance. Not to scare you but RA is unforgiving, I'd hate to not recommend it.

Enjoy your weekend!

[SherM4n]

Well today's winter storm warning was apparently a good prediction; snow is still coming down. The trip to the track may end up being more exciting than the track time itself...

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by SherM4n

Well today's winter storm warning was apparently a good prediction; snow is still coming down. The trip to the track may end up being more exciting than the track time itself...

Well put. I'm looking forward to the warmer weather of Georgia!

[evilspiritM3]

I'll be out there in my E90 M3. Looks like good weather for a change.

[Mortis]

Hi friends,

As promised, am reporting back on what was an absolutely fantastic weekend at Road Atlanta. Thanks to all for the tips - which definitely came in handy (also got the track insurance!).

To begin with, the drive from DC to RA. One word: hairy. We got approx. 5 inches of snow the night before, and when I set off very early the next morning there was a nice layer of ice on the roads, including sections of I-95. I took it REAL slow and was impressed by the car's traction and handling. Didn't slip or slide once.

RA was a blast. I was running in C group, and was extremely nervous the first session. My shifting was all over the place as I learned the line, but luckily I had an awesome instructor who gave perfect advice and helped me gain confidence. By the third session, I was doing much, much better. I basically kept it in 3rd most of the time, up-shifting to 4 between T5 - T6, after T7 (to 5), and between T12 and T1.

The M4 is an absolute beast and could clearly handle much more than I was capable of pushing it. This being my second time tracking the car, I kept within my comfort zone and did not try pushing my luck. I ran on MDM the entire time, and by my final sessions it was not kicking in as aggressively, which means hopefully that I was learning something. What was weird is that the DSC light would flash on WOT after T7 and at several points along the back-straight. Does this mean I would have spun the wheels with all the nannies off at those points?

T12 is awesome. First couple of times my heart was definitely in my throat, but once I got the line down fairly well, it became exciting--as opposed to terrifying. I felt at ease with T3 and T5 at slower speeds, but once I picked up the pace, I found myself stumbling. Ditto for T7. One more track day and I think I could have gotten fully comfortable with those.

T1 and T6 - wow - you can really carry some speed through those corners. My instructor kept pushing me to ramp it up a bit, but fear got in the way. Again, one more day...

Tires and brakes were perfectly fine, and held up well. No issues there, but again, I was not pushing it.

My instructor, Dwight, was wonderful. He's a professional racer and took me out in his new GT3 Cup. Having never ridden in a proper racing car, I was completely gob-smacked. Still haven't wiped the grin off my face. That car is so visceral and raw at speed - completely different universe from the M4. My addiction has deepened.

I also want to give a shout-out to SherM4n who I met at the track - thanks for your advice, and it's always great to meet a fellow bimmerpost addict out on track !

There were 2 other M4s out on track, as well as Mike Renner with an M3 from the performance center, who was taking people out on laps. I wanted to ride with him to see how these Ms are supposed to be driven, but he always had a 10-person line waiting for the same thing.

I came out of RA with deepened appreciation for what this generation M can do. What an amazing car. Photos and a video of one of my better laps below.

Cheers all!



[u2b]

[/u2b]

[evilspiritM3]

Great video and comments. I was out in C with you on Saturday, and it was my first time at RA as well. Turn 12 definitely take some believing the first couple of times!

I doubt your tires would have spun on the back straight. I imagine it sensed some sort of loss of traction on one wheel, maybe due to small amount of steering as you came right around the bend? I doubt it added much brake to correct either way.

Before I abandoned MDM, it would still kick in at "strange" times, so nothing to worry about IMO.

[SherM4n]

Mortis, it was nice to meet you; thanks for taking the time to chat about the car. It was beautiful. And let me tell you how impressed I am that you clicked off a ~1:48 in your first event on this track and second event in this car! A question about the settings you were using if you don't mind: MDM on, what about the suspension, throttle, and steering? It didn't look like you were rev matching going into 10, so I guess you weren't using Sport+ with the throttle map? Did you try it and not like it, or start out with Sport? Thanks! Looking forward to getting this car!

I hear you on the trip down. When I left southwestern WV, the temp was single digits, the snow depth was double digits, and there was no electricity at my house... I was halfway through Kentucky before the roads were at all cleared. Luckily, the TT RS is big enough to swallow 4 wheels so I got to run down on Nokian Hakkapeliittas, which combined with the AWD ate up the snow.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by evilspiritM3

Great video and comments. I was out in C with you on Saturday, and it was my first time at RA as well. Turn 12 definitely take some believing the first couple of times!

I doubt your tires would have spun on the back straight. I imagine it sensed some sort of loss of traction on one wheel, maybe due to small amount of steering as you came right around the bend? I doubt it added much brake to correct either way.

Before I abandoned MDM, it would still kick in at "strange" times, so nothing to worry about IMO.

Sorry we didn't meet - but I think I remember seeing you in the second to last session on Sunday. You're probably right about the MDM - it would cut power coming out of T7, and then again around T8/T9...

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by SherM4n

Mortis, it was nice to meet you; thanks for taking the time to chat about the car. It was beautiful. And let me tell you how impressed I am that you clicked off a ~1:48 in your first event on this track and second event in this car! A question about the settings you were using if you don't mind: MDM on, what about the suspension, throttle, and steering? It didn't look like you were rev matching going into 10, so I guess you weren't using Sport+ with the throttle map? Did you try it and not like it, or start out with Sport? Thanks! Looking forward to getting this car!

I hear you on the trip down. When I left southwestern WV, the temp was single digits, the snow depth was double digits, and there was no electricity at my house... I was halfway through Kentucky before the roads were at all cleared. Luckily, the TT RS is big enough to swallow 4 wheels so I got to run down on Nokian Hakkapeliittas, which combined with the AWD ate up the snow.

It was a pleasure! I actually managed 1:45 once, but these times were quite rare - consistency is also something I still need to work on

Regarding the settings: I was on sport across the board (throttle, suspension and steering). I have not learned how to heel and toe, so stayed off sport+.

Looks like you had far worse conditions than I on the roads - on my end I had a bit of ice still on the highway, so had to hope around the lanes looking for areas free of snow/ice. Not something I intend to repeat....

All best!