When you consider the timing, children back in school, financial market meltdown and all the election hoopla, the BMW CCA LA Chapters premier 2008 event at Auto Club Speedway was a total success. The turn-out was respectable and as expected everything was well organized, safe and fun. The temperatures were mid-pack, meaning it stayed at or just below 100 degrees and the wind never got too aggressive. Having worked with other clubs in the past I must say how impressed I am with how well these events are put together. Keep in mind that this is a non-profit organization, run by volunteers.
Auto Club Speedway is situated on 568 acres (formally Kaiser Steel) in Fontana, California just north of Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County. In late 1993 Penske Speedways, Inc. and Kaiser Ventures Inc., began preliminary discussions in Detroit about the closed Fontana mill site and ultimately Kaiser agreed to remediate the proposed site in accordance with state environmental regulations to clear the way for construction of the speedway. On April 20, 1994 Penske/Kaiser announced a joint venture to construct a permanent superspeedway in Southern California. The next day (surprise-surprise) CART announced multi-year sanction agreement for the PPG CART World Series and by July NASCAR was on board with the Winston Cup Series. Less than 3 years later, January 10, 1997 Penske driver Paul Tracy is first driver to run the new 2-mile oval.
Timeline
June 20, 1997 - Official Opening and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
June 21, 1997 - Inaugural Auto Club 200 NASCAR Winston West Series race - Winner Ken Schrader
Inaugural IROC Series race - Winner Mark Martin
June 22, 1997 - Inaugural California 500 NASCAR Winston Cup Series race - Winner Jeff Gordon
September 27, 1997 - Inaugural PPG-Firestone Indy Lights Championship race - Winner Clint Mears
Mauricio Gugelmin sets CART qualifying world record of 240.942 mph
September 28, 1997 - Inaugural Marlboro 500 PPG CART World Series Finale race - Winner Mark Blundell
October 18, 1997 - Inaugural No Fear NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race - Winner Mike Bliss
October 19, 1997 - Inaugural NASCAR 300 Busch Series race - Winner Todd Bodine
October 28, 2000 - Gil de Ferran sets new qualifying record with average lap of 241.428 mph
October 4, 2001 Grand American Road Racing Association announces first event March 22-24, 2002 on the speedway's new road course, featuring the Rolex Sports Car Series.
Auto Club Speedway and the Indy Racing League announce the addition of a 400-mile Indy Racing League event to the 2002 schedule slated for March 24, 2002.
March 23, 2002 - Inaugural Grand American Rolex California 400 sports car race – Winners Didier Theys & Fredy Leinhard Jr.
March 24, 2002 - Inaugural Indy Racing League Event - Winner Sam Hornish Jr.
June 18, 2004 - Phil Stratford sets the Auto Competition Course record of 1:27.605 seconds (118.349mph) in a Tyrell Formula 1 car during the Southern California Historic Sports Car Festival 
The 21 turn, 2.88 mile Auto Competition Course, like all super speedway/road course combinations is respectably fun but with no real elevation change. The road course portion of the track is 45 feet wide transitioning to 75 feet (with 15-foot apron) on the oval. There are some fast esses and other interesting combo turns to satisfy the technicians’ and frustrate the hammer footed, however the long 3100 foot front straight, chicaned at the entrance of turn 1 (for driving school purposes) still allowed you to open up a bit. Unrestricted speeds into turn 1 through turn 2 with the 14 degree banking would be excessive for school purposes.
The BMW Car Club of America does not employ a traditional track event format like other car clubs. There are no time-trials or open run groups. There are mandatory classroom sessions throughout the weekend, driving students are divided into 4 groups based on experience level and every car has an instructor in the right seat. In the car, helmet to helmet radio systems are used to allow the student and instructor to easily communicate on track in real time. This is a tremendous
training tool (compared to the shouting necessary in the old days). The BMW CCA instructor corps (of which I am honored to be a member) is top notch. The degree to which they are trained and organized is outstanding and they’d rival many professional driving organizations. Again all are volunteers.
I’d been to the facility once before during a NASAR event back in the ‘90’s, but this was my first experience on track. Needless to say I had to do a quick practice session. In my auto racing past it was necessary to become a quick study when facing a new course (or new car) and so I pounded out a few laps prior to the start of Saturday run groups and my first student. During the weekend I went from a ’71 RS Porsche 911 on Saturday to an E92 M3 student on Sunday. I had the opportunity to do a handful of laps in both and thoroughly enjoyed the contrast between the unbridled raw drive of a vintage machine like the 911 and the high tech influence of M dynamics in the BMW. I’m not a huge fan of electronic interference, but I understand why it’s necessary with new-age super cars. The reason I did not turn off the aids on the M3 was to experience the MDM setting my student had set.
There’s been a lot said about it being too big, too heavy, too expensive etc. I say who cares? It’s smooth, powerful and in corners like you’d expect a BMW would. For $65 to $70K, what car out performs? And being that I was in someone else’s “investment”, I didn’t push. There was a lot more there and I look forward to having an opportunity to really shake one down in the near future.
My only regret during the weekend was that I opted not to bring our E90 sedan this time. After taking it to the July San Diego Chapter event at Buttonwillow my wife’s attitude was akin to that of a mother toward an abusive father… So I drove my buddies 2008 M Roaster. Fun, yes! On the drive out, but not permitted on the track. The reality is that I need to pick up a decent, inexpensive, E36 M3 to drive at
these events. There is ample opportunity as an instructor to get out there and drive solo or with a passenger and sitting in the pits twiddling my thumbs when I should be driving is slightly frustrating.
These track events are an outstanding opportunity for anyone, driving anything (within reason) to have an amazing, one in a lifetime experience. One of my favorite students this past summer was an older gal, probably in her sixties who came to the school in her 2005 BMW 325i sedan with an auto transmission and no sports package. She stuck it in drive and putted that thing around the track all weekend. I asked her what inspired her to come out to a performance track event to which she simply replied, “I’ve always wanted to try this”. By late Sunday, day two of her school she was getting kind of racy and I could hardly contain my grin. The great thing is that neither could she.
Paul Newman
During the mid 1990’s through my affiliation with the Drivers’ Connection at Willow Springs, I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to work with Paul on several occasions during private days he organized for various celebrity friends. He was truly one of the most gracious people I have ever met. We’ve truly lost an ambassador for the sport and an icon of our time.
FOR MORE INFORMATION about BMW Car Club Events and performance driving schools in Southern California visit the Los Angeles Chapter at
http://www.bmwclubla.org/
The long anticipated 2009 BMW 335d Sedan and X5 xDrive35d SAV are finally available to order! Production starts in November and the finished product will begin arriving at South Bay BMW by mid December.
mparable gasoline vehicles, and there’s a near-elimination of both smoke and NOX emissions. I actually stuck my nose to the tailpipe and it smells more like a dryer vent then an exhaust pipe.
