A mid-summer's roadtrip with the M3 to VIR and Asheville

[chillindrdude]

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I recently returned from a long weekend road trip with my F80 M3 to VIR and Asheville. I figured I'd share some thoughts and PICS!

NASA Mid-Atlantic hosted the TireRack UTCC and the Unkefer Dash HPDE this past weekend.


I made the grueling drive from DC to VIR after work on Friday. Checked in at a Sleep Inn in Danville, made my cursory inspections, and found...BEDBUGS! Got the F outta there, but it was late, and all area motels were full. So, I drove to the track and slept in my M3.

Other than a slightly sore neck, I woke up to this...


Found a M roadster next to me. Owner was sleeping somewhere else though.




Decided to walk around the paddock and track property. It was not quite 0600, and no-one was up.

A row of air-conditioned paddock garages near where I parked for the night...


and what does my little eye spy??? a McLaren!


A pano of the Bridge Straight and the uphill Esses at VIR


I like NASA HPDEs, strictly from my personal experience/observation is well run and instructed. I am a novice, so HPDE group 1 for me. 4 - 25min track sessions per day with 1 hr of classroom time.
Some nice in-session pictures of the F80 (courtesy of Finishline Productions). She sure looks purdy at speed.




I had plenty of time to walk around the paddock and watch some of the other run groups. Some notables for me...

BAC Mono. Sick. Read about it, watched videos about it. Finally to see it in person!



Mono on track in the "rollercoaster" section of VIR


Cool Gallardo (? I think) and GTR. curiously, i only saw 2 GTRs here.


A couple neat "prototype-y" racecars.


Love the carbon aero bits on this one.


Some great elevation changes at VIR. the "rollercoaster" is a blast!
An E46 M3. The driver (super friendly guy) had his own personal mechanics -- yes, he had 2!!! Dyno'd at nearly 300hp. Fully prepped, tipped scales at just over 3000lbs


A GT3 making the pass...


This rare 1M was in the garage next to mine. The instructor/driver/owner had the twin turbos removed, added one big turbo and custom tune. Car looked, and ran, sorted.


Since I had no place to stay, I inquired about getting one of those air-conditioned garages. To my surprise, there was a last minute cancellation and I snapped it up. I slept in my back seat on my second night in my cool rental garage.

My trusty Specialized Enduro was my pit bike.
Pretty much overkill for that role, but I was continuing on to Asheville to ride with some buddies that had moved there.


Obligatory (and shameless) selfie pic


I had a great HPDE weekend, learned a lot! Had alot of fun playing with the M3. But it was bittersweet. On startup to grid for my 2nd to last session on Sunday, I got this...

Car still drove fine, but I dared not to push it. So my DE weekend was done.

Packed up and drove onwards to Asheville. I thought about bringing the car straight back home, but since it drove OK, and my friends were expecting me.

Arrived in Asheville 3.5hrs later. Booked a night at the Hotel Indigo. Valet was like "sweet ride!" I said, thanks, but I'd like to park it myself. No Problem, he gave me a coveted spot right in front.


A random (and interesting) church right next to the hotel.


I wanted to swing by the Biltmore Estate and snap a few pics with that as the backdrop, but admission was $60....so I scratched that off.

Met up with my friends that evening, had too many beers. staggered back to the hotel and slept fitfully. I woke up the next morning to find this...

Funny how M3's seem to flock together. The owner was also a guest at the hotel.

My riding (mountain biking) buddies moved down to Asheville to work for a high-end custom bicycle wheel company, Industry Nine. Slickly machined and anodized parts. Instantaneous engagement and amazingly durable. If any of you guys road bike or mountain bike, and want a trick, high performance wheelset, check these guys out!


One of the employees there had an E30. and a 4-door too! exterior paint was rough, but his passion was more about bikes.


I drove down to Brevard, a town 30mins from Asheville at the entrance of Pisgah National Forest. Well known for the miles and miles of awesome mountain bike trails.


Checking in at the ranger station for a trail map.


Looking down Thrift Cove trail. this section was like a roller coaster. lotsa little whoops to boost off of.


There are many swimming hole spots along the main road into Pisgah Forest.


The obligatory post ride beer at The Hub bikeshop. They are located right the entrance of the park. If you are headed to Pisgah, be sure to stop here. They will get you sorted and pointed in the right direction to the many trail heads.


That's it folks. I had to cut my trip short by a day. I was going to run the Tail of the Dragon. My pregnant wife was gracious to let me go on the trip, but speaking to her, I could tell that the kids were becoming a handful, and she's been having some nausea. Plus, i missed her and my kids, so I will save the Tail for another trip.

The M3 was very comfortable highway cruiser, a nice road trip car for me plus gear/luggage, but would be fine for 2 or 3.

[swagon]

Someone actually uses a Gallardo outside of the city?! :O The Mono looks totally bonkers. Damn.

[DBACE]

Well done OP.

[JSCO]

that Mono though

[Autotech]

think i met you, i was driving by in the silver F80...really wish i knew this was going on cuz i would of joined you on track! looked like a ton of fun!

[Deja_Vu]

What'd BMW say about the rear differential lock?

[chillindrdude]

Originally Posted by Deja_Vu

What'd BMW say about the rear differential lock?

i will hopefully find out at my service appt tomorrow....

[W///]

Ah, that's my neck of the woods. There are some seriously great roads around Brevard. I personally think they are way more fun than Tail of the Dragon

[crawfordbay]

Awesome pictures!

[JohnsonJ718]

Love it! Asheville is one of my favorite places, been there 3 times in the last year. The driving roads are absolutely insane and the city is such a fun place to hang out.

[ChrisMT79]

Looks like you had a terrific trip all things considered. Might I ask how exactly one goes about inspection/finding bed bugs?! I suppose I have never seen one before, so I apologize for my ignorance (perhaps a good thing lol). I just visualized you pulling out your "kit" consisting of a black light, rubber gloves, etc...

[chillindrdude]

Originally Posted by ChrisMT79

Looks like you had a terrific trip all things considered. Might I ask how exactly one goes about inspection/finding bed bugs?! I suppose I have never seen one before, so I apologize for my ignorance (perhaps a good thing lol). I just visualized you pulling out your "kit" consisting of a black light, rubber gloves, etc...

Just visually inspect under mattress, box spring, behind headboard. Look for rust color stains. The adult bedbugs are about the size of an appleseed.

[chillindrdude]

Originally Posted by Autotech

think i met you, i was driving by in the silver F80...really wish i knew this was going on cuz i would of joined you on track! looked like a ton of fun!

Yup! Nice to see you on bimmerpost. Your photography skills are impressive. Did you snap many pictures?

[ase2dais]

Thanks for the writeup

[shivaswrath]

Stupid question but...you didn't shower at all?!

In all seriousness, that limp mode is a buzz kill, did you get to the bottom of it?

[KZEVO]

Great pics and write up. How did the standard brakes hold up at VIR? Fade, etc? Also keep us posted on the diff lock issue. Unimpressive for a car that's supposed to also be an occasional track toy.

[Day Laborer]

Awesome write up Simon!

Any videos?

[F80NJM3]

cool write up. enjoyed it very much.

[Duder]

this rear differential lock seems to be a problem with these cars..... i wonder what gives? makes me nervous to track mine! jealous of this trip man. also, why are your lights taped off?

[mntbiker]

Originally Posted by chillindrdude

My trusty Specialized Enduro was my pit bike.
Pretty much overkill for that role, but I was continuing on to Asheville to ride with some buddies that had moved there.

Looks like an awesome time! I hope to drive VIR sometime soon. I like your mountain bike. The ENVE wheels... The trails around Asheville are some of the best on the east coast!

Does the bike fit easily in the back of the M3 w/ the seats down? Right now I've been transporting my 27.5" mountain bike in the trunk of my 435 w/ the front wheel off. It works very well, and I plan to do that w/ a M3 next year when my lease is up! Hopefully it'll still fit.

[slalomfever]

nice wheels on that bike

[Vigilant]

Funny OP...I was just in Asheville for family vacation, but we drove the SUV. I kept complaining to my wife how much more fun it would have been with the M3 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I will have to do this some time soon.

Thanks for sharing.