This year we traveled to NCM to compete in the UTCC in our 160hp 1991 BMW 325i (aka "Sabine"). We usually race in NASA's SE30 class so we were noobs at this time trial stuff. Our only real prep to Sabine was taking out some ballast weight and adding a Nine Lives rear wing and a homemade "natural composite" (plywood 
) splitter. We ran our stock 205 Maxxis RC-1 tires. Alek did turn a lap that was 2 seconds a lap faster than we have ever run at NCM and we run there a lot so aero plus less weight is worth a bunch, even on a car not set-up to take full advantage of it. We knew we were bringing a knife to a gun fight but are always psyched to try something new, get on track, and throw down some laps. In the end, the event reinforced a few fundamental things that y'all already know.... 1. Tires make a huge difference. Hoosier slicks vs DOT-R tires is like quantum computing vs the Stone Age. Not even close. 2. Weight and CG is big. 3. Aero...and the right kind of aero set-up make a huge difference. The "Sube" prototype was ~160hp but weighed significantly less, lower CG, and MASSIVE aero (and he's a heck of a driver too). He was many many seconds a lap faster than us. 4. Horsepower.... nuf said.
All great things to ponder if we ever decide to try TT again at this level. The guys that run TT at this level are really amazing to watch in action and know the game well. Kudos to everyone who came out to run at the SCCA event and UTCC. We learned a bunch, met some great folks, made some new friends, and got to watch 4 days of fast cars and fast drivers do their thing.
Big thanks to Grassroots Motorsports for the invite and SCCA for a great event and hospitality!
Here's a couple of videos are uploaded to our Patina Racing channel. First one is of my son's fast lap and second one is a full length vid of the entire weekend's action. Enjoy!
