Easter Hooning.

Stee took big black Bertha and some old Hankooks up to Monticello for a little holiday hoonage.  The tires did not survive the festivities.

Happy hooning everyone!

S.O.H.!

The sounds of ///M

France's Motorsport magazine was at the Nürburgring for BMW's 40th anniversary festivities and made this clip with the sounds from a few of ///M's greatest hits.

E92 GTS, E46 CSL, 1M Coupe, E92 Competition Pack, E92 CRT, which is your favorite?

How do you say Drifting in Italian?

Obviously you say Bi Emme Vu.  BMW's make for such awesome drift machines if provoked don't they?



(SuperDrift Challenge 2012)

Laguna Seca Shuffle

Seth Thomas reached out to share some of his in car videos and fancy footwork with us tracktards.
Laguna Seca is good timing, CG will be there in September with IMSA GT3 Challenge and the last time he was at there it was a track day in an Acura Integra Type R, sometime in the 1850's!
This might give him a little break from all those out hours training on rFactor and iRacing.



Seth drives the Bimmerworld BMW M3 entry in Grand Am Continental Tire Sport Car Challenge.

Above, a couple of practice laps out the front, below, the foot cam also from practice. Never driven Laguna but looking at the clips it seems like a track where one needs to be somewhat patient with the throttle, is that correct?



.

Frozen Gray

Tasty....Matte gray is the new matte black

Steuerung Individual
Hinweisschild BMW Individual

0490 Sonderlackierung
Sonderlackierung "frozen grey metallic", wie Schl. Nr. U83.
(Basislack: Spacegrau met. A52 / matter 2K-Klarlack FF95-0550
+ Haerter SC29-0160, MV100:33 Gew., BASF).





More BMW on Axis

Bavarian Jake makes the news...

You might remember this inexplicably Jake badged BMW M3 featured on our pages... Apparently Mr. Epic Baller made the news when his first ever race in a Corvette ZR1 ended abruptly about 10 minutes in and is now splashed on the pages of Jalopnik...

Our own The Dough, T-Neck and Eddie were at Watkins Glen and sent us these observations:

"Remember the winner who built up his e90 coupe and turned it into a racecar? Well, he owned a ZR1 as well and decided to turn that into a race car too. After a few sessions in the instructor group over the weekend (where he ran around passing with no point), he put it into the wall ... (T Neck called it). What a shame. "

No doubt Mr. Sobolewski will return with a matte black, Jake decal-led, Ferrari Enzo at the very least!

end of post

Dipstick.

Lo-Buck tells us:

"The talk of the GTS3 crowd at Pocono this past weekend: part because this epic baller has a brand new M3 built by Turner for GTS, part because no one could find the dip stick ;)"

Home

Bolt proves driving harder than running

World's fastest man Usain Bolt recently got a brand new BMW M3 as gift from his main sponsor, Puma. Nobody is sure if he was trying to drive while looking behind him as he did when he won the 100M at the olympics but, in any case check out how Mr. Bolt did while riding with a female companion on a rainy Jamaican road, after the jump...

(via Corriere della Sera)

FAIL!

This is almost as good as the famous M3 on the the Nürburgring "are you ready?" video and perhaps might explain why the impression is that M3 drivers, in the immortal words of Jeremy Clarkson, score high on the "cock-o-meter" the world over. It's just painful to watch but you can't stop! (hey, at least these guys made it through 2 turns before crashing on the third...the 'ring guy managed to stuff it on the first one!)



Se the horrid followup after the jump




And here is the rest of it.

The BMW M3 really does go 200 mph!

Indicated anyway...  The car everyone loves to hate shows a healthy disregard for its 155mph limiter.   328km/h=203.8mph.

("professional driver on a closed course"... of course!)


oldie but goodie....

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.”

Making the girls scream: Tiff vs Plato vs Patrese

Fun clips of Tiff Needell and Jason Plato trying to scare each other ... then they load up the cars with big boobied tarts and attempt to scare them.




While we on the "make the girls scream" theme, an even better video if you haven't yet seen it, is ex-F1 driver Riccardo Patrese taking his wife for a italian style sunday drive. His grin is priceless. After the jump.

Awesome M3

In case you missed it elsewhere, BMW-Sauber-F1 published this video of the Motorsport M3's first track outing. Good marketing from BMW who can tie an M car to F1 again after getting kind of screwed by the V10 to V8 change in 2006....

Fantastic looking car, I might even forgive BMW for not ever campaigning the Z4 Motorsport in the US.

Battle of the gas misers: Toyota Prius vs BMW M3

Shelve those plans for a Prius track car, Top Gear proved once and for all that a BMW M3 will get much better milage than the egg shaped Toyota.

CAR sneaks a GT-R

Since we are on such a GT-R roll, here is CAR's video of their Nissan vs Porsche 997 TT shootout.

I'm not sure how their claim of having the first GT-R in the UK squares with the Autocar video released earlier in the month (I guess they had the first white one?) but I will give them marks for using telemetry, real time wireless data recorders none the less, nice! Can we see the full data?

Watching the video, I hope they edited in slides for dramatic effect because there is no way driving any car that sideways yields the best possible times.

This might also remind you of the kind of talent Tiff Needell has as a TV presenter and driver...

In this month's issue, CAR has the full article with the BMW e92 M3 and the Audi R8 compared as well. Quite interesting, for the M3, not one complaint about brakes!

What's in the Water?

Without getting the specifics of the debate, if there is one, does it seem right to you that the GT3 be tested against a 4WD car, on a 2°C (35°F) day with Pilot Sport Cups and traction control ON?

While I have no doubt the Nissan GT-R will be the stop light GP king every time, this is now the second comparo we have seen between the GT-R and Porsches where all is not on the up and up in our books.

I also find it amusing that the e92 M3 got so much stick for its looks and girth but I have yet to read one mention of the GT-R' s nastyness. The GT-R too fat? Hey "it's a baby Veyron".

Oh well, the Freep always says, looks are subjective and thus cannot be questioned...... nah, it's ugly.

What's in the Water? pt1 from AxisOfOversteer.com on Vimeo.


What's in the Water? pt2 from AxisOfOversteer.com on Vimeo.

UPDATE: Since this car has sparked one of the biggest debates ever with the readers, I thought I would add this review by Fifth Gear's Jason Plato. His conclusion? Fantastic car on the road, not very good on the track.....discuss

New M3 delivery

One of the great perks of being a snarky motoring journalist aside from say... getting to drive the odd Porsche RS Spyder, must be getting early deliveries of hot new cars you might have ordered. Let's live vicariously though Autocar's Chris Harris and these two videos of his brand new white BMW M3.

The first clip reminds me of Stee. He is just that way, when he sets his mind on something it has to be "just so"!

The second one reminds me of when CG and I were at the 'ring except with better tires and a cheaper car. Even though I suspect editing on the camera friendly powerslide moments, hats off to Harris for having the honesty to admit he actually left the DSC on and for recording a very track-tard like review of the new M3...

NOTE: Apparently Vimeo is having some issues today, if the clips do not work try reloading the page or checking in later. Sorry for the inconvenience.


E92 M3 Delivery from Axis on Vimeo.


New M3 at the Nürburgring from Axis on Vimeo.

Green Hell Yeah!

It's pure corporate porn but when it comes to the Grüne Hölle we will fall for it every time...especially if it's in German! By the way, some shots in this clip (2:42) remind me I have to buy a camera mount extension arm for our films next year...

Everything you wanted to know about the new BMW M3

...but were afraid to ask.

especially of interest to us are the new suspension components and the many small details like the transmission oil cooler.


Download this very extensive 19.5meg .pdf file HERE

Holy Smoke!

Let's take a break from the depressing Formula 1 debacle, here is an entertaining video by the guys at Autocar: the 10 best drivers cars of 2007.

There are some odd choices included in the test (and yes I cut one of them out as just too boring) but that's cool enough, after having briefly driven a Mercedes C350 Sport I do agree that it's quite a nice handling car.

The conclusions leave me a little perplexed, sure 4WD is easier in the rain but to conclude that the 997 is "C-R-A-P" on a wet track says more about your driving "usefulness" than the car. Stee and I were both schooled by CG driving at Watkins Glen in the wet on shaved Toyo RA1... we could not keep up with his 997S at all, especially coming out of corners.

The cars in the test are

• Mercedes Benz SLK55 Black
• Ford Mondeo (that's the one I spared you)
• Mercedes Benz C350
  
• BMW M3 (e92, V8)
• Porsche Cayman S
  
• Lamborghini LP640
• Porsche 997 GT3
• Lotus 2-eleven
• Audi R8
  

Hey, in the end, it is just a bunch of guys talking cars at the bar like many of us would and the trashing of the SLK55 black is pretty funny. It's all good and Chris Harris has just the right amount of entertaining smugness while still convincing you he is still an actual car guy, not a pod.

Finally, say what you will about the new e92 M3, but without those magnificent, Wagnerian tire smoking powerslides you would have had no video here!

(ps they made a mistake on the graphics at the end...the MB c350 did NOT, repeat did not come in 3rd in wet track times, it's good but it's not THAT good!)