24 Hours of LeMons: Altamont

Words and photos by Warren Madsen
May 10, 2008

Our fighter jet, the Porsche F44 complete with
guns, wing tips, tail fins and afterburners.

Okay, so if you read my recap of our Thunderhill experience, worry not my friends...this will be much shorter. In a highly anticipated event for the Driving While Awesome team at Altamont Raceway near Tracy, California; tragedy was the first news to report.

Our racing adventure ended at around the same time as the life of fellow LeMons competitor Court Summerfield.

We prepared our Porsche 944 as a Top Gun themed fighter jet- the F44. It turned out great if I do say so myself, and we really just arrived at the track and were ready to race; none of the scrambling we put ourselves through last time. It was hot on the morning of the race, about 95 and windy. We added a driver hydration system and it was probably one of the best additions since the last event. With a double layered racing suit and helmet on, the hot car becomes an oven...quickly.

Jared Basye was our first driver. It was his first track experience and he was making his way around quickly, except for the turn one spin- a tricky off camber left. He pushed on for about 30 minutes before I had to jump in. I wasn't exactly prepared but once I was strapped in the 944, it all came rushing back to me.

I cruised down pit lane and entered the banked section leading to turn one. I hadn't had the opportunity to drive here before so this was my first look at it. Tight, crowded and short- the track was more action packed than Thunderhill.

The baby blue Gulf Volvo at center, prior to action.

I was beat around, clipped on the side and rear ended. All par for the course. I was entangled in a long battle with a BMW 6 series, passed smoking Saab's and laughed my way around a disgusting black and pink Mustang. You know who you are. I kept the Porsche in one piece, never spun (but got close) and made up ground entering the finish line straight away. Our Porsche had the right gears there. I handed the F44 over to Bryan McQueen after an hour and fifteen minutes.

The only BMW with pricks on the
outside...the Porcubeemer E30.

With the car refuelled and warmed up, Bryan raced into traffic. This was his third time seeing this track so he was quickly comfortable and frustrated with the slow traffic everywhere. Not long into his stint he was stuck behind the V8 powered Volvo with big heavy bumpers. Not realizing the car ahead was about to come to a stop, Bryan crashed into the back of the Volvo and crushed the corner of our radiator. Not good.

Our nemesis (not really), the V8olvo.

He exited to pit road and found our stall. When we looked it over, the radiator was bent back and the mounts were smashed, but no fluid was leaking out, no hoses were torn. It looked OK...and that was because all the water had leaked out right after the contact. There was no more water to leak. Everything was hot and the overwhelming sense of losing laps rushed us to throw Bryan back out to the track.

As Bryan entered the track all the gauges went dead. Not a good sign. What must have been wires melting from intense heat, the Porsche was quickly dying before us. After one more complete lap, the car began to make noises and running rough as it tried to keep going. BAM! Grey smoke poured from the car...

The 944 came to rest on the infield grass and never moved under it's own power again. A blown rod was our guess, but it was dead no matter the cause. A sad but noble way for a veteran LeMons race car to retire.

The awesome Luftwaffe inspired BMW 2002 (or 1600?).
Great to see it racing!

We scratched our heads and tried to get a grip on what went wrong. There were still members of our team that never got a chance to race after months of preparation and that's who we thought paid the biggest price, that was until the race was red flagged shortly after.

The Number 39 Gulf Volvo 242 (one of our favorite cars at Thunderhill) was smashed head-on to the wall near the start/finish line. The track was not particularly fast at that section and any impact would be manageable with all the proper safety equipment that LeMons demands. Still the race was stopped and all safety crew rushed to the scene. With our car done, we watched intently for a driver to exit the crash, but, he never did. A medical helicopter came over the horizon, circled once and disappeared; a terrible omen.

According to later reports, Mr. Summerfield had experienced a heart attack and lost consciousness prior to impact. He had died doing what he loved according to his family, for what it's worth. Our troubles were laughable compared to the Gulf Volvo team and family. Our thoughts were with them.

We packed things up and headed home, I barely had time to take pictures as you can see by this scattered post. They finished the race on Sunday and an old Acura Integra took top honors this time around. We left thinking how to come back stronger than ever for Thunderhill in December. Stay tuned...

The Porsche F44

BMW 135i & M3

Words and photos by Warren Madsen

March 22, 2008

The first time I saw the new 1 Series from BMW in concept form I was excited. Being a fan of the BMW 2002, I was happy to see the German car company was getting back to it's roots with a smaller, more focused coupe. I had followed it's debut in other markets as well, with the introduction of the small wagon and even had the opportunity to take a look at them closely while I was in Japan. I circled the U.S. release date on the calendar and I made sure to be first in line to drive this exciting new car- the 135i.

Since so much has been written and previewed about these cars I won't go into too much detail regarding the technical specs here. The basics are this: you get a smaller, and slightly more nimble car with the same 300 hp twin turbo 6-cylinder power plant as the 3 Series. Add a nice and tidy interior with all the goodies you could want, a meaty M3 steering wheel, great seats and BMW's famous driving dynamics and you have one hell of a car.

The car we drove was a well optioned sport model and came with the new automatic tranny which replaces SMG in the 1. Essentially it's a quick-shifting clutchless 6 speed matched to well placed paddles behind the steering wheel. I'd have preferred a true manual, but to be honest BMW makes one of the best auto/manual set ups around. To get a first impression of the car it was probably the way to go.

My test drive consisted of the cypress and oak lined back roads of the Monterey hills. Through town I took note of the quiet interior, stiff chassis and comfortable red leather seats. I left it in full auto mode until we ventured further away from stop lights and traffic. We found a slightly rough road that weaved deeper into the surrounding hills and with the transmission now in manual mode, I clicked through gears and felt little hesitation. Only while entering a blind curve did I wish it would downshift with a little more urgency. Up shifts were completely acceptable and the brakes were very strong.

Torque from the twin turbo six came on smooth and was always available. The 1 did jump around a little more on the rougher asphalt but it also felt more nimble and tossable compared to the only slightly larger 335ci. You might be wondering why I failed to brag about weight reduction in the 1...well, at only 300 pounds lighter than a 335 coupe, it's hardly worth mentioning. Steering feel was excellent and I'll chalk up some of the jitteryness to the large sport wheels with low profile tires. 0-60 takes only 5.3 seconds- pretty impressive and it feels even faster behind the wheel. 50-70 is equal to the new M3, crazy.

My only gripe has been about the styling and pricing of the new car. The somewhat awkward "flame surface" design of the Chris Bangle led team at BMW looks better in person and controversy completely fades once you are in the wonderful interior. I especially like the gloss black twin tail pipes and simply styled wheels. Considering the 1 is going to be a popular model for years to come, I have a feeling there will be many unique ways to option your car including the highly anticipated 135 tii; essentially an "M" optioned 1 Series with it's roots firmly connected to the great 2002 tii of the '70's.

Pricing is a bit of a shock and the only major drawback in my opinion. There is a base 128i available without the turbos, but a fully loaded 135i will push past $40,000 quickly. Hmmm. Many people will point out that a nice 3 series isn't much more. I think this choice will come down to ones personal style since the 135 offers all the best parts of the 335 with only size and design to differentiate the two. Having said that, you get a lot of car for the money and one that provides maybe the best overall driving experiences around.

To contrast the 135, I drove the new M3 on the same route. I should have been more excited to get a chance to experience the latest M-car but for some reason I anticipated it being somewhat predictable. Maybe since the 135 is all new and the M3 shares so much with the current 335ci in terms of overall styling and interior. Too much hype perhaps?

I quickly found the new V8 to be very volatile and it reminded me of revving a fresh small block crate motor from GM. It rumbles and sounds nothing like the old 6-cylinder in the E46 M3. The car looks great in white with the pure carbon fiber roof and is a joy to drive; the gears shift effortlessly and take little time to get familiar with. The entire car just wraps around you and urges you to push a little further, a little harder. The roads that I ran the 135i at about 60 mph on, I found myself pushing 80. It felt about the same in the M3 and that's really the story of this car.

I had a short straight before me with no other cars to be seen so I stopped in the road. I put the car in first gear, revved the 400 horse power V8 to about 3000 rpm and let out the clutch briskly. Quick shift into second, my back is pressed into the seat, up to 6000 rpm, grab third gear; high rpm's again, slight steering correction, V8 howling now...look down: 100 mph! It happened that fast.

I was sold and I completely reversed my lack luster attitude toward this German beast. The new M3, as everyone already knew, is no joke. Is it worth the $30k increase over a 135i? Not quite but I think they appeal to two different types of consumers, and if you have the means for either one of these cars you will not be disappointed!

California Mille 2008

Words and photos by Warren Madsen

May 2008

The California Mille, a 1000 mile tour through Northern California, starts at the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill in San Francisco with a casual car show and champagne lunch. As this was my third year attending, I began to see some familiar cars and faces. The entrants vary widely from rare race cars to comfortable cruisers. Enjoy!

A Caddy powered Studebaker Starlight. Great styling.


A Buick Special wears it's Peking to Paris dust proudly.


The Pre-War version of a McLaren F1- the Supercharged Bentley


A great Caddy

A Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster seems to be a logical choice for this event.


And SCDC's best in show and what we would choose to drive on the California Mille; a black on red Austin Healey roadster with a raked windscreen and wire wheels. Let's go!

Special thanks to Steve and Kathy Pedone.

Karting Session at Sears Point

Words and pictures by Warren Madsen
March 2008

Once the rush from Thunderhill had worn off, we got back to the racing action- err, actually practice, at Infineon Raceway's impressive Go-Kart track in Sonoma.

Perched above the world famous road course, the karting track is a gem and satisfied the racing itch. Bryan and I ventured north over the Golden Gate and mixed it up with a few regulars as well as several newbies...and we were reminded quickly that this was only practice!
Our kart was on loan to us from Bryan's cousin. We were confined to a simple track consisting of only 4 turns, but the back straight allowed for near 70 mph top speeds heading into the final turn; a well cambered right hander just before the short front straight.

Bryan crosses the start/finish line at Infineon Kart Track

Karting is the most pure form of racing in terms of communication between car and driver, and usually the place to start if you want to become a serious driver. There is no power steering or power brakes, and you sit inches off the road. The seat is made of Kevlar and it's unbelievably tight. There are no seat belts- it's safer to get thrown from a wreck than trapped under one. They stop on a dime, and corner like nothing else; the flex of the steel frame and axles is their only form of suspension. Acceleration is insane and the typical kart will easily do more than 60 mph; shifter and superkarts can push 150. One held the track record at Laguna Seca for some time until Toyota brought it's F1 car over and bettered it. That's a multi-million dollar car with over 800 horse power; a superkart has somewhere around 90.

I thought I'd give pegged jeans another try.
Obviously pleased with the look.

Since it was an open track session, we could come and go as we wanted; racing for a while and coming in after completing a few laps, swapping the kart between us. On the track were a number of locals- guys who had trick $5,000 racing karts gearing up for an upcoming race- as well as 16 year old novices attending the Jim Russel karting school- who's only notions of karting came from Mario...Nintendo, not Andretti.

This made it tricky. You'd come up on a few really quick drivers, using the whole track and smoothly entering and exiting turns. You'd get in a groove and reel them in slowly. It was a challenge to catch them and a real success to pull off a pass. Just as you'd celebrate the moment, an equally tough challenge would present itself: a group of novice drivers feeling their way around the track blocked the way. Still stuck firmly in "race mode," Bryan and I stayed on the limit, passing often, until...

...well, until Bryan was running hard on the back stretch and was entangled in a lose/lose situation with a young driver. At the fastest section of track, Bryan accelerated behind another driver and positioned to pass. At that point the young driver lost control and spun in the center of the pavement. Bryan braked quickly and dodged to avoid the kart in his path, which he did until the driver let his foot off the brake and rolled back onto the track and the racing line. Bryan slammed the brakes, spun quickly and crashed hard with the tail of his kart directly into the other. I'd say he was going about 30 mph in reverse.
It looked bad from my vantage point nearly 50 yards away, but both drivers got out and were walking around unfazed. I think their neck rolls saved them. The kart was towed back; smashed. The rear bumper bar was bent inward and the muffler crushed. The kart and our session was done for the day. We were given a quick talk from the track marshal about our aggressive practice techniques even though he admitted the accident wasn't Bryan's fault.

Bryan (left) and the track marshal sort things out after impact.

As an unexpected bonus, we finished the day by cruising around the rest of the track for a minute, stopping by the Audi Driving Experience and checking out the new S5. It was my first sighting in the US of the new sports coupe and it looked just as good in person as it had in print. Also, an S8 stood by, sporting the Lamborghini Gallardo sourced V10, ready to roll. Very cool.

2008 Audi S5

S5, S8 and the shepherd in the background.

Down but not out, once the kart is back in shape, we'll return to Infineon...stay tuned!