Staying in the Family - Our "New" E46 M3 Debuts at The Ridge with LDRL
74 cars contested a rainy weekend at the Ridge Motorsports Park on April 22-23rd. Lucky Dog Racing League started their PNW Endurance Cup season with a vast field and many new teams. Although we aren’t new to the series, we brought our new(ish) rental car out for its debut under our ownership. Formally known as the Three Thieves BMW M3, we’ve maintained and prepared it for them for the past few years. After they purchased their Audi R8 LMS, it was time for them to part ways with the trusty M3, which has contested the 25 hours of Thunderhill a lot over the years.
We ended up purchasing the car from them. Our primary intent was to make it our new arrive and drive rental car for endurance races. Replacing our Spec E46, the M3 will provide more aero, driver aids, and power which our customers were certainly excited about entering the weekend. The M3 is fitted with an endurance-built S54 engine, Drenth paddle-shift actuated transmission, Motion Control Dampers, and an AP big brake kit. Entering the weekend, our technicians did a full-rewire on the car equipping it with a new AiM PDM and Dash. The car’s wiring has been a thorn in our side for the past few years, so it was time we finally took the plunge and went through it properly.
We were served the usual “Shelton Special” for the weather—lots of showers, wind, and chilly temperatures. Our Friday test day was a soaker, but we focused on giving everyone a chance to get familiar with the car on the track and with pit stops and start-up procedures. “Practice was challenging as it rained rather hard and was difficult to see,” according to rental driver Larry Luck. “Conditions were suboptimal for driving.”
Saturday’s 7-hour race started wet and stayed wet most of the day. Our setup was not perfectly tailored to the Hankook street-based tires as this car was primarily engineered for Yokohama slicks and full super soft rains. The Hankooks land in the middle. Hard enough to last a while in the dry with just enough of a tread pattern to channel some water in the wet. They are great tires for the price point and longevity; we just didn’t have our setup dialed in for them in the wet. Our spring rate was a bit too high which caused a lot of understeer and throttle oversteer. Most of Saturday was a learning day for all four drivers to get familiar with the car. Racing in the rain is never easy, let alone in a new, unfamiliar car. Our lineup handled the conditions well and brought home a 15th-place finish Saturday with no significant offs or incidents.
Sunday was a better day, although we had a few misfortunes that took us out of the hunt for a podium. Larry started the car and was thrilled about his stint. “It was awesome once the track started to dry out, and the most fun I have had racing in a long time.” We had a wheel bearing failure, but our crew knocked out the replacement in under 5 minutes, and we were back out. As the track continued to dry out, our M3 was quick enough to have a few Super Dog penalties for going too fast, resulting in some stop and holds. This took us out of contention, but we still grabbed a solid 10th-place finish.
No damage to fix after 15 hours of racing in changing conditions. We showed good speed, and the car was mechanically solid outside the wheel bearing failure. Not a bad way to start the season!
The drivers loved the car and told us how much easier it is to drive fast than the Spec E46s. “It was a great experience to drive the M3. I look forward to getting back in it again soon,” said David Hampton. We will have a more compliant setup ready for our next event in the rain with more adjustability. It’s all about making the car comfortable for your whole driver lineup. It’s a tricky balance to accomplish with four drivers at varying experience levels, but we will work to find that sweet spot before the next race.