Matthew Mead wrote...
> What BMW CCA activity is there in the Madison, WI, area?
You'll probably find this link useful; I list every "drive-your-own"
type car event I can find within a few hours of Chicago. It's 150 miles
from Madison to Chicago, so there is substantial overlap.
http://planet-torque.com/sche.php
You can also find links to the Badger Bimmer, Windy City BMW Club, and
other sites of interest.
>What about SCCA Solo II and autocrossing in general?
Madison Sports Car Club ( http://madisonsportscarclub.com/ ). If, like
me, your browser is rejected by their web site, you can see their schedule
here; http://planet-torque.com/sche.php?group=MSCC
> Will I be able to get into ice racing in the Madison, WI area?
Absolutely. Wisconsin Autosports Group runs 3 to 6 ice autocrosses a
year in Hustisford, about 50 miles from Madison. The BMW club has also
run a car control clinic on that lake. The Chicago Region SCCA runs 1
event every year in Twin Lakes, which is about 100 miles away, nearly in
Illinois. Fox Valley Sports Car Club runs near Neenah, WI, 2 hours for
you ( but 3 for me ). I got 20 runs on a 1.2 mile course on Lake
Winnebago with FVSCC.
The most I think I've ever had in a car was the "Night Ice" autocross
with the Sports Car Club of LaCrosse, about 2 hours West of Madison. 88
mph on a frozen lake under a full moon at midnight!
Unfortunately, all the wheel-to-wheel ice racing happens substantially
farther North. IIRA runs in Ashland, WI; 6 hours North of Madison. Also
various sites in Michigan's UP, and Minnesota.
http://planet-torque.com/sche.php?type=ice&year=2001
There used to be a group of guys who ran $50 beaters around an oval on
Lake Sinnissippi in Hustisford, but I haven't seen them lately.
> I suppose I'll need a fwd light something (Golf?) for that to avoid
> the $$$ 4wd classes.
Not at all. The one and only ice racer I've seen that I'd call "$$$"
is a ProRally Mitsubishi Lancer that comes out frequently ( I can mail
you a link to some great video of it on ice, but I don't want to kill
someone's server ). Otherwise, even the 4WD classes are more like "$/2".
Even the serious wheel-to-wheel guys who use the solo events for testing
run rescued old FWD cars, like CRXes. The team that I saw twice last year
has two, and a 44 foot trailer, but the cars themselves aren't "$$$". A
guy who drives he CRX and changes to studded tires on the ice runs right
with them.
Nobody spends much at all on the solo events; the hot ticket is a $500
VW Bug with no two matching body panels and Menard's studded ice racing
tires. I showed up with my brand new Subaru Legacy once, and it was
probably worth as much as the rest of the field combined.
My MR2 will run with just about anything on rubber tires as it sits,
setup for E Stock Solo2. All I do is bolt on Blizzaks and go. FTD-rubber
at my last event. The AWD cars on equal tires are just a little bit
faster ( second or two on a 90 second run ), normally, but not enough that
I don't chase them. Anything on studded tires goes about 25 seconds
faster. Studs are like race tires times ten.
Nothing is more fun than mid or rear engined RWD, though. Let me know
if you'd like a ride; I think I have a few co-drivers already lined up,
but if there's a spot and you'd like to try it, just say so.
--
D a v i d H i l l m a n
hillman@planet-torque.com
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