One Lap Of America

[M3V8Driver]

Sorry for posting this here, but I wasn't sure where would be most appropriate with respect to topic and visibility.

I was wondering if bimmerpost.com/m3post.com would be interested in sponsoring a car in this year's One Lap Of America event? Or any other vendor sponsor for that matter. I am looking into running this year's event in my '08 E92 M3. I last ran it in an under-powered Mazda RX-7 with a good result (2nd in SSGT2 class, 6th overall).

www.onelapofamerica.com

You'd get two weeks of advertising on both sides and hood of the car, plus a good chance of international coverage via Motor Trend Magazine, motortrend.com, and elswhere (youtube.com, etc).

If you are interested, I can forward a "marketing partnership" package.

[Lemans_Blue_M]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

Sorry for posting this here, but I wasn't sure where would be most appropriate with respect to topic and visibility.

I was wondering if bimmerpost.com/m3post.com would be interested in sponsoring a car in this year's One Lap Of America event? Or any other vendor sponsor for that matter. I am looking into running this year's event in my '08 E92 M3. I last ran it in an under-powered Mazda RX-7 with a good result (2nd in SSGT2 class, 6th overall).

www.onelapofamerica.com

You'd get two weeks of advertising on both sides and hood of the car, plus a good chance of international coverage via Motor Trend Magazine, motortrend.com, and elswhere (youtube.com, etc).

If you are interested, I can forward a "marketing partnership" package.

Sounds like a great idea Dale, and I sincerely hope you can get some type of sponsorship help from a board sponsor or the Bimmerpost site.

It's hard to compete in any type of racing these days, without a little support from a few key sponsors. Setting up a race car isn't cheap, and with the shape our economy is in today, race teams need all the financial help they can get to remain competitive.

The sponsors get some valuable national exposure out of the deal, since the One lap of America race has become more prominent in the past couple of years.

Good luck in your quest to secure a few sponsors Dale, and I hope you do well in this years One Lap of America race.

Take care my friend.

[aus]

Good luck with getting a sponsor.

[JCtx]

Good luck brother. Hey, just out of curiosity, how much do you need to raise to be able to compete? And do you go alone, or with a passenger?

[M3V8Driver]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

Good luck brother. Hey, just out of curiosity, how much do you need to raise to be able to compete? And do you go alone, or with a passenger?

The entrance fee is $2700, up from $2000 the last time I ran it. Obviously, my goal would be to secure all of it with marketing partners since I just spent much more than that on wheels/tires.

I will run my car stock, except for aforementioned wheels, brake pads and fluid, which I already have.

It would be impossible to do it alone due to the need for SOME sleep. It was funny because the three times that I ran it, it was the same friend, and neither of us were able to sleep while the other was driving. Partly because the passenger was nervous about the driver falling asleep, and partly because so much was going on, we didn't want to miss any of it. So we'd average 100+ mph for hours so we could catch two hours of sleep before having to run our time trials.

I have so many stories, I could write a book. Like the time we arrived at a parts store several hours before they opened because we need replacement brake rotors. We fell asleep while waiting and awoke an hour after they opened... man did we waste time then!

Then there were the strippers we met on highway 95 in SC when they were on their way to work. Needless to say, we took a detour that evening

Then there was the time we got pulled over because the cop thought our stock taillights were illegally tinted. Turns out they were just covered with brake dust and exhaust. Then we stood and chit-chatted along the highway, explaining to him the whole nature of the event, while all our competitors sped by at 100+ mph honking their horns. The cop said that he wouldn't bother to pursue them because his car topped out at 120mph. Ah, the power of numbers

Then there was the time about six cars, including us, ran highway "x" in Nebraska for four hours straight between 120 - 172 mph, while blasting past at least one speed trap. Nobody got pulled over, probably because none of slowed down (it was 4:00 AM and the highway was straight and clear as far as the eyes could see).

Too many more stories to recount here. Sorry for the rant. Hopefully the forum and one of it's advertisers will step up. I think it is a win-win opportunity.

[930Man]

My old Gt2 took second place last year! Good luck hope it works out for you !

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

Sorry for the rant. Hopefully the forum and one of it's advertisers will step up. I think it is a win-win opportunity.

No rant at all; great stories . And what a lucky friend to have all that fun in somebody else's car; I'd gladly had said yes too .

Hey, $2,700 equates to 270 members at $10 a pop. Ask permission to post a paypal account, and am sure the admin would let you (you're not selling anything).

As a guy who loved cars and racing since I was a little kid, but never had money to pursue it, I'm glad people like you find a way to fuel your passion ; life is too damn short. Keep us posted.

By the way, do the $2,700 include your hotels and meals along the way, or that's on your nickel too? How many days does it take to finish? It'd be cool if the board (us ) could sponsor you, and you let us know about your progress on a 'sticky' thread. Good luck.

[aus]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

The entrance fee is $2700, up from $2000 the last time I ran it. Obviously, my goal would be to secure all of it with marketing partners since I just spent much more than that on wheels/tires.

I will run my car stock, except for aforementioned wheels, brake pads and fluid, which I already have.

It would be impossible to do it alone due to the need for SOME sleep. It was funny because the three times that I ran it, it was the same friend, and neither of us were able to sleep while the other was driving. Partly because the passenger was nervous about the driver falling asleep, and partly because so much was going on, we didn't want to miss any of it. So we'd average 100+ mph for hours so we could catch two hours of sleep before having to run our time trials.

I have so many stories, I could write a book. Like the time we arrived at a parts store several hours before they opened because we need replacement brake rotors. We fell asleep while waiting and awoke an hour after they opened... man did we waste time then!

Then there were the strippers we met on highway 95 in SC when they were on their way to work. Needless to say, we took a detour that evening

Then there was the time we got pulled over because the cop thought our stock taillights were illegally tinted. Turns out they were just covered with brake dust and exhaust. Then we stood and chit-chatted along the highway, explaining to him the whole nature of the event, while all our competitors sped by at 100+ mph honking their horns. The cop said that he wouldn't bother to pursue them because his car topped out at 120mph. Ah, the power of numbers

Then there was the time about six cars, including us, ran highway "x" in Nebraska for four hours straight between 120 - 172 mph, while blasting past at least one speed trap. Nobody got pulled over, probably because none of slowed down (it was 4:00 AM and the highway was straight and clear as far as the eyes could see).

Too many more stories to recount here. Sorry for the rant. Hopefully the forum and one of it's advertisers will step up. I think it is a win-win opportunity.

ALL good stories, but the bolded text above requires more details and of course PICS!!!

[bogdan]

I wanted to do the OLOA this year, but will have to push it back to next year.

I know a couple of people who have done it, and it's described as the most exhausting, fun experience they've had!

If you get donations from members, you could put their names on your car...something like a 1x3 sticker for each person that donates $10.00. Just a thought.

Good luck!

[M3V8Driver]

The "lucky friend" was me, since we ran the events in HIS car. We both had '93 TT RX-7s, but mine was too track-oriented to drive 7000+ miles.

As for the strippers, I do have pics, but it would take some digging to find them. I wonder if the websites we had up those three years are still around (more digging). Basically, we came across these two hot chicks in a Misu Eclipse and started using our white-board to communicate. we gave them our cell numbers and started talking. They asked us to pull over, so we did. Then, right there in broad daylight along the highway, they asked us to feel their breasts (one was natural and one had implants). All this BEFORE we knew they were strippers. When they told us who they were and that they were on their way to work, they asked us to come with them.

The $2700 does NOT include travel expenses or the tires required to be purchased from Tire Rack. I'm thinking about running the Dunlop Star-Spec or Hankook V12s... something that will last the whole event. My R888s wouldn't even make it past the 2nd day.

I'm old-school and know nothing about using PayPal except that they charge a fee to both parties in a transaction. I'm not a fan of double-dippers. I'd feel uncomfortable to accept monies from other forum members anyway. That's why I'm hoping the advertisers will step up to the opportunity. They stand to gain something out of it, whereas forum members would not.

Looking at the current entry list, it looks like the E9x is classed to fare well (it's in "Luxury Sedan"). So far, there is one E90 entered and an older M3 (E46?) entered inthe class.

[M3V8Driver]

Originally Posted by 930Man

My old Gt2 took second place last year! Good luck hope it works out for you !

Nice job! So are you Peter Lier or Ian Stewart?

[930Man]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

Nice job! So are you Peter Lier or Ian Stewart?

I said my "old"... lol sold to peter after i finished it! shouldnt have but did I am glad they had fun

I am Matt

I will say we built one hell of a car!

[AMPowerJ]

Good luck man. I would love to run the event one day even as just a co-driver. I attended the past two years when the event stopped at Carolina Motorsport track in Kershaw, SC. If it comes through this part of the country again I will be there.

[M3V8Driver]

Update on classification. The E90 is in "Luxury Sedan", the E92 is in "SSGT1", in which I don't think it will be competitive. Maybe if I can get some mods that increase power and torque without voiding the warranty :

[BB_cornelius]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

The "lucky friend" was me, since we ran the events in HIS car. We both had '93 TT RX-7s, but mine was too track-oriented to drive 7000+ miles.

As for the strippers, I do have pics, but it would take some digging to find them. I wonder if the websites we had up those three years are still around (more digging). Basically, we came across these two hot chicks in a Misu Eclipse and started using our white-board to communicate. we gave them our cell numbers and started talking. They asked us to pull over, so we did. Then, right there in broad daylight along the highway, they asked us to feel their breasts (one was natural and one had implants). All this BEFORE we knew they were strippers. When they told us who they were and that they were on their way to work, they asked us to come with them.

No. Way. No man is that lucky. Pics or it never happened! Hahaha

[ching]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

Update on classification. The E90 is in "Luxury Sedan", the E92 is in "SSGT1", in which I don't think it will be competitive. Maybe if I can get some mods that increase power and torque without voiding the warranty :

That's a big difference when the E90 and E92 post similar performance.

[M3V8Driver]

Originally Posted by ching

That's a big difference when the E90 and E92 post similar performance.

Yeah, tell me about it. The only real diff is the number of doors.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

The E90 is in "Luxury Sedan", the E92 is in "SSGT1", in which I don't think it will be competitive.

Hey man, just read that website, and has no specifics at all. And also mentioned 'moderate speed events'. How important is to have a car quicker/faster than the M3? I guess it all depends on how the event is scored. If the emphasis is heavy on the track portion, and it's not that 'moderate speed' after all, then you'd definitely be at a disadvantage. But I assume the 5K-mile endurance treck is the real reason for the event, no? Curious about your input.

And since racing experience and/or 2 driving school events are required, I don't qualify . But 24-hr driving is not that appealing to me anyway, just like motorcycle iron-butt rallies. I have nothing to prove to myself or others . But good luck man, and keep us posted.

[JasonCSU]

Cool stories. Thanks for sharing.

[adc]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

Then there was the time about six cars, including us, ran highway "x" in Nebraska for four hours straight between 120 - 172 mph, while blasting past at least one speed trap.

No worries, you won't be able to do that in the M3. You'll run out of gas in less than 3 hours.

Joking aside, if I were you I'd contact BMWNA, more specifically the M brand manager. I understand they have lots more money this year (no F1) and they may be willing to spend a few thousands on something like this.

You've got nothing to loose...

[M3V8Driver]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

Hey man, just read that website, and has no specifics at all. And also mentioned 'moderate speed events'. How important is to have a car quicker/faster than the M3? I guess it all depends on how the event is scored. If the emphasis is heavy on the track portion, and it's not that 'moderate speed' after all, then you'd definitely be at a disadvantage. But I assume the 5K-mile endurance treck is the real reason for the event, no? Curious about your input.

And since racing experience and/or 2 driving school events are required, I don't qualify . But 24-hr driving is not that appealing to me anyway, just like motorcycle iron-butt rallies. I have nothing to prove to myself or others . But good luck man, and keep us posted.

Their motto really has always been; "The only rule is..., there are no rules". Hence, the no specifics. Keep in mind that this event is an evolution of the original Cannonball Run (refer to the Movies I & II).

I'm not sure what the 5K sprint race is, but the event is scored based on track events (AKA time trials). So, it is important that your car be more capable than the competition, because the top drivers have talent. There are many with years of road-racing experience (like myself) past and present. It's no fluke that the top 10 see many of the same drivers, sometimes in different rides.

I was actually headed for a class win the second year I ran, even with an under-powered RX-7 with an ailing motor, that gave up the ghost in the second to the last event.

No automaker is going to get involved in sponsoring this event becasue of the sketchy nature, even though it is sanctioned by the SVRA. Not to mention if I contact BMWNA about it, they'll likely instantly void my waranty

[adc]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

No automaker is going to get involved in sponsoring this event becasue of the sketchy nature, even though it is sanctioned by the SVRA. Not to mention if I contact BMWNA about it, they'll likely instantly void my waranty

Haven't they sponsored in the past 2 years some M3's from the Spartanburg performance driving school? The ones with the official stickers and with Perf school instructors at the wheel...

I doubt those guys used their "office cars" in unauthorized runs...