THE LARGEST BMW 2-SERIES FORUM ON THE PLANET
2Addicts
2Addicts
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Tracking / Autocrossing M235i at Palmer Motorsports Park

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      09-25-2015, 09:16 PM   #1
wjones14
Captain
wjones14's Avatar
640
Rep
878
Posts

Drives: 2021 M2C
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Niantic CT

iTrader: (0)

M235i at Palmer Motorsports Park

I got an invite from my ex-boss to a private event at Palmer Motorsports Park in Warren MA. The track is brand new, and actually not quite finished yet, but did open for track days and racing this year. It's a 2.3 mile track with 14 turns and 190 feet in elevation change. That amount of turns means there's not much time for a breather, and the track wears you out quickly.

I've been to 7 track days before, but never a private event like this. This was 12 friends at a racetrack with no formal instructors, no flaggers, no classroom sessions, and no bunches of 20 cars on the track at the same time. Of the 12 guys, only 3 brought their own cars on the track. The rest drove a trio of spec Miatas and a race-prepped, but beat-up 1988 BMW 325 E30.

I was a little hesitant about accepting the offer since my car only has 3500 miles on it and is still perfect. On the other hand, offers like this don't present themselves every day.

The M235i is an amazing little track car. I drove it in Sport+ mode, and did not turn off the stability control. It was fine that way. I could still rotate the rear quite easily when I wanted to, and it was plenty fun.

I brought my iPod Touch with the BMW Laptimer app, and a Hero GoPro mounted to the inside of the windshield for video. I have to say the Laptimer app is fantastic! I spent a good hour or more at home later re-living the sessions. For those who don't know, this thing records each lap using GPS, and syncs that data with the car's onboard computer, so you can review all kinds of telemetry data in detail. For example, there's a g-force mode, where you can see the lateral g-forces at each and every point of the lap. Same with rpm, mph, braking g-force, fuel usage, and throttle input.

As far as the lateral g-force, I was taking most of the turns between .75 and .80g. On my best lap, I hit one at .92g. Car And Driver tested the car on a 300 foot skidpad and said the limit was .92g. So not sure how accurate the app and C&D are, but on paper I was at the limit there. And that's also the difference between me and a real racer, since the real racer would likely take all the turns at the limit...

The app also said my best lap was 2.03 and the max speed was 126. In another thread in this forum, I mentioned a 2014 Mustang GT driven by an instructor on this track and linked to the video on YouTube. That guy did 1.59 lap with max speed of 130. So I was not far off the instructor's speed where his car had 100 more horsepower.

I was driving as hard as I could, but I only went 20 laps total in 4 different sessions. I was learning both the track and the car at the same time, and felt that I had pushed the car enough.

I also got about 10 laps in the 325. The car was beat to hell, but it did have race tires, brakes, seat, roll cage, and 5-point harness. I had a blast in it. The steering was maybe better than mine! So much feel to it. Braking and grip were terrific too. Because the track is so technical with turn after turn, it doesn't require a lot of horsepower. Not that horsepower doesn't help, but you can negate some of the need for it with momentum.

Attached is a picture of the Laptimer app, and another of the pit. The yellowish/green car behind mine is the 325. The red one behind mine on the other side is my ex-boss's Ferrari Superamerica. He thought about tracking it, but then only did a few parade laps - it's just too expensive to take a chance with. The only other street car there was the blue Subaru, although if you look closely, there's a BMW i8 hidden behind mine. The owner did take it on the track for a few slow laps, but nothing beyond that.
Attached Images
  
__________________
Vehicles: 2021 Alpine White M2C 6MT; 2011 Kawasaki Z1000 (1/4 mile 10.3 seconds @ 129 mph - stock)
Previous: 2018 Camaro 2SS 1LE 6MT; 2015 BMW M235i 6MT; 2015 Mini Cooper F56 6MT; 2005 Mustang GT 5MT; 2003 Mini Cooper R50 5MT
Appreciate 2
      09-25-2015, 10:31 PM   #2
wjones14
Captain
wjones14's Avatar
640
Rep
878
Posts

Drives: 2021 M2C
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Niantic CT

iTrader: (0)

A little more driving detail:

-- Torque: it's everywhere. I stayed in 3rd gear around the whole track, until I got over 100 mph. Even at less than 2500 rpm, there's plenty of torque and no need to downshift.

-- No turbo lag: never noticed any at all. Funny because I have noticed it on the street while trying to keep the revs and power up between shifts. On track use, there's more throttle feathering going on, so generally you're not stomping on the throttle. At least for me, you just ease into the throttle and you never notice lag whatsoever.
__________________
Vehicles: 2021 Alpine White M2C 6MT; 2011 Kawasaki Z1000 (1/4 mile 10.3 seconds @ 129 mph - stock)
Previous: 2018 Camaro 2SS 1LE 6MT; 2015 BMW M235i 6MT; 2015 Mini Cooper F56 6MT; 2005 Mustang GT 5MT; 2003 Mini Cooper R50 5MT
Appreciate 1
      09-29-2015, 05:20 PM   #3
Cpdbeemer
Second Lieutenant
53
Rep
248
Posts

Drives: M235i & X6 5.0
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Sydney and Dubai

iTrader: (0)

Sounds like a great track, with the elevation change and number of corners. For me that is where the fun (and skill) is rather than the straights.
Appreciate 0
      09-29-2015, 06:04 PM   #4
mc3456
Banned
United_States
390
Rep
859
Posts

Drives: 2017 Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Boston

iTrader: (2)

Garage List
Great Track! Took my M3 on it during a Porsche Driving Event Day. It's amazing how much faster these cars feel at the track going the same speed as a good romp on the Mass Pike West. Throwing in corners makes those speeds feel significantly faster. Lime Rock is also a fun track.
Appreciate 0
      09-30-2015, 05:02 AM   #5
zipphreak
Captain
No_Country
452
Rep
986
Posts

Drives: m235xi
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: b00ty

iTrader: (2)

Palmer is an amazing track. There are so many different elevation changes, and turns that i will take years to master this course.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:30 AM.




2addicts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST