14 minute read

OH-Fest at Mid Ohio

from MotorWerks Magazine Volume 3 issue 1

by MotorWerks Media

OH-Fest

Hits Mid-Ohio

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Words by Ian Rae, photos by author and Halston Pitman

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OH-Fest indeed! Firstly because it was my first ever BMW CCA Oktoberfest event. And secondly, the track events were at none other than the famed Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course located just north of Columbus, OHio. And do you know what? I never got to see what Oktoberfest was all about as I spent all my time at the Mid-Ohio track. Those that know me, understand I am heavily into racing and the chance to check out the BMW Club Racing and hang with my good friends; the Schardt family of Forgeline fame was too good to miss. Of course the Canadian contingent was there, parked in the Club Racing paddock so there was plenty of ‘Ehs’ going around. James Clay and the BimmerWorld crew were on site along with their resident shooter Halston Pitman whom I spend a lot of time with at Grand-Am races. It was almost like being at a home track with all my buddies around. The track events were divided into racing and a well-subscribed HPDE event. The race series

was divided into two groups, quite simple A and B. The faster you were and more modifications you had and you got to play with the fast cars. Heading up that group was not other than Mr. Clay himself and his nemesis Randy Mueller, watching these guys duke it out every time they went on track was a pleasure. They were side by side; nose to tail and I have no idea who was the innocent surprised by the duo when they arrived at the Keyhole and promptly went each side of him, but I am sure he had a story to tell on his return to the pits, (maybe even a change of racesuit). Clay’s ride was one of his 2011 Grand-Am GS spec cars now having moved away from Continental Challenge rules on the aero front, added some additional power and a Drenth sequential box to make the car competitive with Mueller who still just had the edge on the BimmerWorld head honcho. It was nice to see the many variants of BMW that were now used as racecars. There is not much you can do with a Spec E30 but seeing

Nicky Schardt making good use of Grand-Am Conti cast offs

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Erik Maxwell had a busy weekend at O-Fest with lots of track time in different cars

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the likes of TC Kline’s Z4 and B Spec MINI shows that BMW racing can involve different models and you do not have to follow the mainstream. It was great to see sixties and seventies 2002 models in both racing and HPDE guise. Between races BMW NA were giving rides in their 3.0 CSL, Performance Friction E46 PTG car and their Procar M1 amongst others. The PFC E46 is probably one of my favorite racecars and the shutter was worked hard and fast every time it came around. Those with a big smile on their face as they alighted the CSL, were most probably chauffeured by none other than current BMW DTM driver; Joey Hand. The one car I really wanted to see on track was Scott Hughes’ E36 Valvoline car but I had to content myself with smiling a lot as I walked past the garage where the full-size car sat with a 1/24th replica on the cowl.

It was non stop track time at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course except for that most civil of road race customs, lunch. Groups of students were part of a well-subscribed HPDE event and during one of the instructor sessions I had the chance to ride along with Nicky Schardt in her E46 M3. Running on what is basically is her home track Nicky put on a great display with Continental Tire Challenge cast off slicks on he Forgeline rims and it left me with a huge respect for the technically challenging Mid-Ohio course. (Nicky is a pretty good shoe by the way, thanks!) A huge part of an October HPDE event at Mid- Ohio is the Forgeline Alloy Wheels BBQ for attendees that is put on by the Schardt family. A packed room at a local hotel was joined for a period, by James Clay and the BimmerWorld crew who arrived as some of their donated prizes were being handed out. Both BimmerWorld and Turner

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ALL GUNS BLAZING

You see all sorts at a BMW CCA event

A TOUCH OF NOSTALGIA

It’s great to see a 2002 run with all thelate model BMWs

THREE WHEELING

Erik Maxwell enjoyed his last ride in TC Kline’s E36. Maxwell has left the company but will be back to racing

eventually

TIRED OUT

The Ralph Warren MAXXIS team had both 1 series and 3 series racecars at Oktoberfest.

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Motorsport along with other companies donated prizes to be given away through the evening. For me it was a great chance to meet people I had seen at the track but never had a chance to talk to. The highlight of the evening for me had to be master raconteur Mike Valentine of radar detector fame spilling the beans on how the very first Fuzz Buster was developed. Unlike many other electronic devices it was NOT developed in a clean environment, the Ohio Highway Patrol can attest to that! Thanks Mike, you were the star of the evening; I have never been so close to rolling around on the floor laughing in my life. So would I do it again, hell ya! Only this time I would like to try and take in more of the other events and social happenings. Laguna Seca 2013 is starting to sound better and better even though there will be no racing events there, those being held at Watkins Glen instead. Given the proximity of Watkins Glen to my home base just outside of Toronto I am not really disapointed.