Exploring Why Race Alignments and Corner Balancing Are So Expensive Some people like getting down and dirty working on their cars. I prefer being organized, methodical, and thorough rather than rushing to get something done quickly. That's probably why I like setting up my car myself. While corner...
I didn't grow up watching racing, but I've been into cars since my early teens and hanging out at race tracks since my 20s (I'm almost 40 now). For as long as I can remember, the idea of being at a race track has...
After spending most of my life in Florida, my family relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, a few years ago. Charlotte is a beautiful city that we love to call our new home, and for the first time in my life, I've been enjoying something novel: the seasons. Summers...
It has been my first time at most of the tracks I've raced this season. All have been great in their own way, but I've certainly enjoyed some more than others. How do they stack up? Let's dive in.
I want to get back in shape. After being an athlete until my early 20s, I've allowed my health and fitness to decline steadily. I've maintained some semblance of a baseline, but efforts to get back in shape usually fizzle out quickly. There is no denying...
I haven't written much here on RISING EDGE since my time-crunch engine swap and the start of my racing season earlier this year. While I'd like to say that my hiatus has been because I've been busy, the truth runs deeper than that. Thanks...
My very long-time friend, Mike Burroughs of StanceWorks fame, recently posted a video declaring that he hates the nearly-perfect S54 E36 he has owned for 17+ years. This is an E36 that, by all measures, is one of the nicest out there – and it has been for the better part of two decades.
Racing and large egos go hand in hand. Over the years, I've seen drivers make questionable, sometimes flat-out dangerous moves to gain a position in a low-stakes club race [prototype and GT car tangling 2-wide at 130mph through Bishops Bend; one of them got air-lifted]. I've...
When I was younger and didn't have the finances to race real cars, I raced radio controlled cars instead. Specifically, I raced electric 1/10th-scale touring cars on outdoor asphalt with rubber tires (they were also raced indoors on carpet with foam tires). The cars were highly adjustable,...
I love nerding out about roll cage design. Door bars in particular. There is something almost voyeuristic about seeing part of a roll cage through an open door. While a roll cage alludes to protection in a rollover, in wheel to wheel competition you are more likely to get hit...
Say the letters "PTG," and any E36 fan will immediately have a mental image. Prototype Technology Group campaigned their BMW-contracted E36 M3 program to great success in the mid-late 1990s. The GT3 class cars featured distinct bodywork, impressive development, and legendary drivers (Bill Auberlen and Boris Said, amongst...
What is an OEM-style shifter? On most manual transmission BMWs, the shifter linkage consists of a sub-assembly that includes it's own "carrier", selector rod, and shift lever. In addition, there are some bushings and shims involved to keep things tight. The pivot "cup" and...
SpecE30 is dead. Long live SpecE30. Alright, so not completely dead, yet. But it's headed that way. Let's discuss why. Availability For the better part of two decades, donor cars were $500-1,000. Not anymore. Clapped out rollers can command $2,500+. Decent running cars seem...
As detailed in my recent post about Tire Parity in NASA Racing, there are new rules for NASA's power to weight racing classes (ST and TT) intended to create better parity between the bevy of tire choices. Thankfully these new rules are not based on manufacturer's...
Over the years, my track experience has mostly been relegated to the E30 chassis; up until recently, the only other platforms I had driven hard were an E36 on track and a GR WRX at autocross. While the E36 featured some very notable improvements in suspension design and chassis dynamics...
