My car is now around 2,900 lbs with half tank and no driver plus, with the addition of new Nankang AR-1 tires I knew it was going to be interesting. I went to BIMMER CHALLENGE Round 2 @ Buttonwillow CW13 with the new setup and had no idea what to expect in terms of time. Last time I went out, I was 150 lbs heavier and had new Advan A052. The weight vs tire grip would be very interesting to see how it all pans out.
The first session was pretty cool. It was about low 60’s and the track was a bit dusty. I knew I had to put in a good lap in the 1st session, but it’s always a challenge because there’s no pre-gridding based on time and everyone is out there. I have to just give myself a gap and attack. I planned to do 2 warm up laps followed by 3 heaters. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get clear laps until the very last lap. By then, the tire temps were up to 35 psi and wasn’t really optimal, but I ended up beating my A052 personal best by 0.2 seconds.