That was supposed to be a Left Turn!

On board with Joey Hand in the Turner Motorsport BMW M3 Koni Challenge car at New Jersey Motorsport Park's Thunderbolt course.

"Round #3 Race of the KONI Challenge at New Jersey Motorsports Park. In car with Joey Hand in the #97 Turner Motorsport BMW E46 M3, running nose-to-tail with Bill Auberlen in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW E46 M3, fighting it out with each other and the Porsche for Position in the front of the pack.

The incident occurring at 1:50 forced Auberlen to pit out with a flat tire, removing him from podium contention (his co-driver Matt Bell led the race from the poll for 28 laps). Joey Hand continued on for a strong finish -- be sure to watch this race on SPEED saturday May 9th at 12:00pm ET. Be sure to set your DVR!"





And here is the rest of it.

M Power

BMW called, they want their trophies back!

More pictures of the awesome BMW e92 M3 GTR after the jump...





PRESS RELEASE:

BMW of North America, LLC and Rahal Letterman Racing have named Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand as the first two drivers of the new M3s for BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team in the 2009 American Le Mans Series. In choosing Auberlen and Hand, BMW of North America has picked two of the most successful BMW drivers in the world and two of the most familiar names to M3 racing fans here in North America.


Auberlen, 40, of Redondo Beach, CA first drove for BMW of North America in 1996 when he joined the previous M3 racing program, then in its second year of competition. Auberlen would go on to become the team’s most successful driver, winning driver titles in both 1997 and 2004. When he takes the green flag at Sebring International Raceway for the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 21, Auberlen will have the distinction of having raced every generation of BMW M3 campaigned by BMW of North America.


Hand, 29, of Sacramento, CA joined the previous M3 racing program in 2004 and raced through the 2006 season. Coming from a background in open wheel racing, Hand quickly adapted to the M3 and endurance racing. He drove to five wins and 17 podium finishes for BMW of North America in three seasons, many of those races partnered with Auberlen.

“BMW of North America is very pleased to have Bill and Joey on the team,” said Martin Birkmann, BMW of North America Motorsport Manager. “Their experience with setup, GT racing and their raw speed will support the competitiveness of BMW’s GT2 campaign in the ALMS. I have known both of them for many years, and besides being fast, they’re both a lot of fun to work with. I am looking forward to seeing them pedal our newest BMW M3 racer.”

“My emotions are really high. I feel like I am going back home to my family. To be a part of racing at the level that BMW brings is a dream for any driver,” said Bill Auberlen. “I am really looking forward to being teamed up again with Joey. It’ll be exciting to be on a team headed by a legend and racing icon like Bobby Rahal. I am really looking forward to 2009.”

“I’m very excited to be back in the BMW family and to be driving a BMW M3 again. I built quite a fan base within the BMW community and I can’t wait to put on a show for them again,” added Joey Hand. “I am looking forward to working with a top-notch team such as Rahal Letterman Racing. Bobby helped me earlier in my career so we have a good relationship. I can’t wait to get started!”

Since the program’s announcement in February 2008, the ALMS BMW M3 has been developed and tested by BMW Motorsport in Europe. This month begins the official handoff to BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team with two more tests in the United States.

“If you are going to start a new BMW team in the United States, it is nearly impossible to find a pair of drivers with more success or more experience with BMWs than Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand,” said Rahal Letterman Racing’s Bobby Rahal. “Bill is one of the most successful American sedan drivers of the decade and Joey has more than displayed his ability to run right with him, so we expect this driver pairing to be a strong one for the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team.”

Four test days are scheduled for November 19-20 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA, and Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, FL on Nov. 24-25. The tests will see BMW Motorsport drivers Jorg Muller, Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus behind the wheel of the test car.



Birkmann continues, “Key BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team personnel have been involved in the European testing, but now the two November tests will see them take a larger role. BMW of North America is confident that when our complete team and new M3s arrive at the track early next year we will have built a solid foundation for success.”

Own a piece of Axis history!

One of the fabled Axis cars has come on the market, this is your chance to own a fabulous high performance automobile in perfect condition and with a distinguished provenance. Driven only to church on Sundays by an elderly gent and of course, never tracked...



Our friend Walter has decided to part with his beloved 1998 BMW M3. It is a great track day car, stripped with upgraded brakes and beautiful welded cage. Now, perhaps you are not familiar with the works of artist pipemaster Kalani Gohara, let me just say that the fact that Walter was the the one who got the "Kalanic" treatment rather than you makes this car especially appealing. The cage is, as you can see from the pictures, a work of art.
This is a car that can easily lap Watkins Glen in the 2:12-2:14 range.

Here are the details:

1998 BMW M3 Track Car 87k orig. miles, arctic silver, no wrecks, clean title.

Interior

8 point custom TIG welded 1.75 steel tube w/ driver side NASCAR basket that is a work of art.
Completely gutted and stripped of all deadener
Painted with oil-based commercial metal paint in a clean looking battleship gray.
Driver side mounting & SFI Window net
Sparco Evo2 seat or Momo Corsa in 14.5"... whichver best fits
Lexan driver window with zeus attachments
Z3 Short-shifter will all new bushings
Seat-back brace in case you want to use aluminum race seat

Engine

Bone stock internals including software
86k original miles
Oil pump nut addressed (before failure )
AC Delete along with whole heater box and plumbing
CAI w/ heat shield & K&N cone
AA Gen III catback
Fan delete with 16" pusher mounted where the AC condenser used to be

Brakes

Wilwood 4-pot Ultra-lite forged aluminum calipers in front with Hawk DTC-70 pads.
Stock E36 M3 rears PF-97 compound

Suspension

E30 M3 Aluminum control arms
E30 M3 solid FCABs
UUC Transmission mounts + enforcers
Powerflex Subframe and RTAB bushings
Reinforced rear subframe & swaybar mounts
GC race suspension with Koni SA & top adj TC Kline rears
600/650lbs springs installed
Turner race monoball camber plates (-2.7 to -5 adjustable)
Eibach front & rear sways

General

The original cats and most of the wiring, including the pass electric window are still in place and working so the car can be driven legally if you are that hardcore.

Never bent, 3rd owner car that I bought CPO with mid-30s on it from Rosen in PHL.
The front clip is sandblasted like you would expect of a car with 87k miles.
Transmission was replaced under warranty at 50k for the 5th gear detent issue.
Maintained to a high degree because I do not enjoy losing track time for breakdowns.
It will need front rotors soon and the front control arms are due for replacement at the end of the season.
Fed a steady diet of Mobil1 15w50 in the crankcase, 75w90 in the trans and diff, ATE Typ2000 brake fluid
2779lbs wet w/ 1/2 a tank
2990 w/ me, gear and helmet corner balanced

Samplings w/ my slow self in the driver seat:
2.15.xxx at WGI on Toyo RA-1s
1.23.8xx at Summit Point on R888s
0.56.7xx at Summit Jeff on R888s

Contact

Walter Jordan
walter.gator@gmail.com