NASA NorCal & Valley Motorwerks Sponsor SpecE30 Test Drive
written by Scott Neville and Walter Ford
March 2008 Thunderhill Raceway Willows, CA

The Valley Motorwerks #37 SpecE30 Test Drive Race Car

The Valley Motorwerks #37 SpecE30 Test Drive Race Car

With help from NASA NorCal (Jerry Kunzman, Albert Butterfield and Dave Ho) and Valley Motorwerks Racing, selected NorCal racers had an opportunity to test out a fully prepared SpecE30 race car. The car was specifically fitted with an adjustable FIA-rated Sparco race seat. Each racer was able to drive in one 20-minute HPDE Group 4 session in the #37 VM Werks SpecE30 at no cost. NASA provided entry into HPDE 4 for the weekend and Valley Motorwerks provided the race car and fuel. Invited racers included: Marcus Miller (Pro7 and Spec Miata), Scott Miller (Pro7), Richard Safreno (Pro7), Carlos Suarez (GTI-Cup), Don Bailey (GTI-Cup), Tommy Lo (Spec Miata & Honda Challenge) and Mark Welch (NASA Time Trials). Walter Ford took the car out for the first session to shake it down prior to handing the car off. The car ran great all weekend with no mechanical issues...a tribute to the durability of the E30 platform and level of car prep from Valley Motorwerks Racing.

Walter Ford's driving impression: "My personal track car is an E30 but is modified to a much greater degree than the Spec cars. I was surprised at how quickly you could pedal around Thunderhill in a stock drivetrain E30. The E30 chassis equipped with the Spec suspension had no bad habits and was “easy” to drive. Needless to say the test drive concept was a good one and allowed other competitors a chance to see what racing “The Ultimate Driving Machine” is all about!"

Marcus Miller & Scott Miller:   Having raced both Pro7s and Spec Miatas, Marcus and Scott were impressed by the torquey 2.5 liter engine. Each liked the driveability of the car and the roomy interior and good visibility the E30 sedan offers.

Marcus' take on SpecE30: "The cars are fun to drive, and I definitely see the allure of this class. With the 9 racers on Sunday and more cars on the way, it looks like this class really has legs. It is great to see an entry level spec class that fills the void Pro7, GTI Cup, etc. long held. The Spec E30 group of drivers is a close knit, fun having group that is great to see. The level of support you and your shop provide is wonderful. It's just what the burgeoning series needs to grow. Jerry, thank you (and Albert!) for letting us racers into Group 4 to try this out in a low pressure, fun setting."

Scott Miller (L), Miss Teva (C) and Marcus Miller (R)

Long time Pro7 Racer Richard Safreno gets ready to take the car out

Richard Safreno: Richard also liked the car and the torque the 2.5 Liter in-line six engine provides having raced rotary engine-powered cars for most of his career. Richard intends to move into SpecE30 as soon as he can afford $$ to (which we all know about!)

Carlos Suarez gives the thumbs up to the test drive

Carlos Suarez: Carlos was looking forward to his first opportunity to drive a RWD car on the track having raced FWD Volkswagens his entire racing career which began with NASA GTI-Cup in 2001. Carlos currently races a 1986 VW GTI in NASA's Performance Touring series. Carlos owns German Sport European Auto Repair in Walnut Creek and has extensive knowledge about BMW E30s so SpecE30 is a natural choice for him.
Carlos' driving impression: "My first impression was that I was driving a larger, longer car (compared to my VW GTI). I liked the power of the six cylinder especially at the end of the straight as it felt like it still wanted to pull. It's a good solid car."

Former GTI-Cup Racer Don Bailey gets ready for his test drive

Don Bailey has an extensive racing history, specifically as a professional AMA motorcycle racer from 1973 to 1981. Don has ridden/raced/driven a wide variety of vehicles during his racing career. He currently races a 1984 VW Rabbit GTI in NASA's Performance Touring Series but is attracted to the growing SpecE30 class in NorCal and was interested in testing a SpecE30 race car. Don is the owner of Mel & Sons Muffler located in Concord, CA specializing in exhaust systems and radiators.
Don's driving impression: "It's a fun car to drive and it has good top end power. I liked the torque of the engine which made it fun to power though the corners. I'd like to see the car's minimum weight be dropped 100 to 125 pounds"

Tommy Lo and had this to say about the car: “First, I think the chassis setup is very good for a spec class, all the good things like predictability and good feedback is in place.  I was clocked with a 2:13 flat on what you described as an 80% ready car, so that’s encouraging for me at least.  That car should be very competitive once it gets some R888s, fresh engine, alignment and fresh diff. There is no doubt in my mind that you guys do put good cars together.”

Tommy and Walter will be racing this car at next month's race weekend at Infineon. This will bring our field of SpecE30s to a total of at least 10 cars. Tommy is affiliated with Midnight Performance and works frequently with Valley Motorwerks on various projects.

Mark Welch drove the car in the last HPDE 4 session on Sunday afternoon. Mark time trials a highly modified E30 M3 BMW had this to say after his session: “The car feels solid, I think with some tweaking I can get into the sub 2:10’s.”

Based on the feedback from the drivers, the test drive was considered a big success. Thanks to NASA NorCal and Valley Motorwerks for their sponsorship of this unique opportunity.