Looks like Matthew Murray beat the MINI guys at the Naitonal Tour in D.C. this past weekend. So for anyone who was there, what made the BMW the better this weekend? Also, What' up with Mark Chiles. Is he running GS or HS this year? Thanks in advance.

Stuart

 

Stuart, Matt is a very fast driver. The course was huge, fast and it favored cars that could put down the power earlier in the corners. Matt's BMW has a LSD, in fact taliking to BMW guys "in the know" a 318 optioned like his (sport package, LSD 5 speed sedan) is one of the rarest bimmers made, possibly only 20 cars. A 328 of the same vintage was only about $1000 more new and had a lot more power. Jeff Jacobs was able to beat Matt's Sunday time but Saturdays course was just too right for the BMW. I am thinking that Matt may have to make room in his closet for another jacket.
As for Mark running GS or HS, I do not want to speak for him, but he stated he wanted to see how his MCS faired on a National type course.
The RSpeed sponsored MINI took 3rd (my co-driver) and 7th (me). I will be switching regions in Aug and will run out of San Diego, can't wait to duke it out on the left coast.

 

Thanks for the insight....Did not know that about Matt's car but did know he was a serious contender in HS. I thought the 318's were fairly common with a limited slip. So is it only the 318 sedan that is in HS? I'm still confused how they decided with this car in HS and all the other BMW's in GS. Isn't the E30 318is in GS?

Anyway, It looks like the top time in GS and HS were very close. I'm not even sure Mark Chiles time was faster then the top HS time. It will be interesting to see how these two classes evolve. So many of the cars are so closey matched.

Moving out to the "left" coast.....San Diego is a great region. I ran with the San Diego group for three years before moving up to San Francisco. They have a lot of fun in San Diego but produce some seriously fast drivers. Best of luck....

Stuart

 

To expand on FWDMX5:

Matthew Murray is a multiple Solo2 National Champion and the BMW that he runs is an extremely rare '96 318i sedan(stiffer than the coupe) with the sport package and LSD. The '96 is the only year for the 1.9L motor (vs. 1.8 in all else) and the LSD/sport pak option package made it almost as expensive as the 328i, hence the low sales and rarity. Compared to an HS MINI, the rear wheel drive E36 LSD chassis is gonna be a hard combo to beat.

I finished 3rd to Murray and Jacobs, in the hunt on Saturday(.5 separated 1st-3rd), but off the pace on Sunday. The BMW and the Jacobs MINI ($$$ KONI's) put the power down better than we could on stock shocks.

I would like to thank C.Boling for allowing me to run the MINI. It's been a blast. See ya @ Topeka!!!

BTW, get your Koni's from R-Speed, ours are in the mail!

 

Does Matthew Murray's BMW have a sunroof? I guess it's the "96" vintage that makes his car so rare. It seems that the 95's(pre OBDII) would have an adavantage...Guess not. Also, seems the MINI still has a better power/weight ratio better then the Bimmer. The E36 is a great chasis and the fact it is RWD and can be had with a Torsen (I believe) limited slip makes it a very tough car to beat.

Anyway, I think "we" can do it this year. I know the MINI has beat him in the past and it only takes one run....I mean two runs to beat him at Nationals. I know I'll be trying. There's a lot more to this game then machinery.......

Stuart

 

I think Mark Chiles' MINI was driven by someone else for him in DC.....

 

Jeff Jacobs has been co-driving with Mark Chiles since last year.