***Hockenheim Drift Challenge PART 1***

[cawimmer430]

So I just got back on Sunday from Hockenheim. What a great weekend that was at the racetrack. My client is planning on opening his own drift school and he wanted me to take pictures of his car in action and generally just photograph the event. All my expenses were paid by him plus my fee. Business is good. 

My client drives a BMW 130i 6-speed M/T. It's the top engine (inline-6) for the 5-door 1-Series with 265-horsepower (completely underpowered by American standards, naturally) but this thing could haul ass. The engine is smooth and quiet (except when he guns it) and when he guns it the response is instantaneous and the acceleration is brisk. Cruising at 140-160 km/h the engine was very quiet (my 118i screams at a mere 140 km/h). The only downside was that we had to refuel twice because the 130i is a gas-guzzler, especially when being driven at high cruising speeds on the 'Bahn. The small 52-liter fuel tank (standard on all 1-Series) is a joke, it means you don't get very far. Indeed, once the tank was full the trip computer would give a 450 km range indication - that's pathetic. Even with my 118i I can manage close to 700 km in range on a full tank, more if I am careful.

The man does drifting in his spare time. He's not a BMW guy nor a BMW fan but he thinks the 1er is a good balance between family hauler (he's married with two kids) and weekend track car (and it's RWD). That's the only reason he bought one (used). His previous car was a high mileage Opel Astra Sedan and his wife drives a Ford C-Max. In the future he plans on making the 130i his track car. He'll rip out the seats to make it lighter etc. His 130i also has shell-type racing seats. Man were they uncomfortable and back-breaking...

Anyway, we stopped by his parents place two hours way from the Hockenheimring (and three hours away from Munich) to eat and spend the night. The next day we woke up at 6:00 AM and headed towards the track. The drift challenge would begin at 9:00 AM and there's no harm in arriving early. We arrived at 8:00 AM. He changed this tires, I wandered around photographing the early morning scene at the Hockenheimring.


Video of the 130i cruising on the Autobahn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmOqWQFV430

Instructions for all participants (plus some views of the 'Ring): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJLJ919SI9E

360 degree view of the Sachskurve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayfc3tiUUeQ



THE PHOTOS - NOTE - the pictures with my logo will be coming on my Facebook Wimmer Fotografie fan page (coming soon) while the ones without my logo are the ones I consider crap and unworthy of bearing my mark. 


Impressions of early morning Hockenheimring...











My clients BMW 130i 5-Door - outside and in the box getting prepared for the track. He had two "drift tires" in the trunk. All his tires (on car and the two in the trunk) were winter tires. The kid with the white BMW 135i is 20 years-old and has this baby suped up to 380-hp. It's even a 1M killer and on the track it kicked some serious ass. He is friends with my client and that's how I got to know him. Nice guy, serious performance fanatic. He won't even look at a FWD car. 





















My clients BMW 130i with the rear drift tires now on. His drift tires are his old winter rims with some useful profile and grip still on them...


VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB9bk9LWheM



Even a Mercedes can be fun to drive! Funny thing is, most people towing their BMWs to the track arrived in Benzes (E-Classes, C-Classes and Vianos. One guy even towed an old 5er with a B-Class!).




Rudolf the red-nosed BMW M5! This guy shared a box with us but didn't talk much and kept to himself. He had a nice sense of humor though!






There was a Swiss Nissan SX Club here with a few cars. I was hoping to see that white Honda Integra drift but that's very difficult with a FWD car and constant handbrake operation - in short, it takes SKILLZ YO! Needless to say I didn't see that car on the track.







Impressions...




























We had a couple of Rednecks, eh, Camaro/Firebird owners here to.










Classic Ford Falcon.



These guys were hilarious. They were dressed as Santa Claus and had some serious drift skills with their BMWs. Stay tuned for those photos!









POS BMW! Broke down again! If this were a Toyota these guys wouldn't need to push! Quick, someone give Consumer Reports a call and send them this photo for their "POS CAR" section!



Mama always said, "Bring enough tires to a drift!"




Oh uh, this bad boy showed up. Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe - the kid with the 135i is actually eying this baby as a potential next car. I don't want to know where the money comes from! This car didn't drive on the track though. The driver was an official testdriver from Mercedes-Benz AMG. He was simply there to check out the races and according to him he gets to drive the C63 AMG for the weekend and give his feedback to the engineers for improvements for the facelift version.







Porsche GT3 - would drive on the track but he was just sort off circling the track and never really attempted any serious drifting...





COMING UP!

Serious drift pictures from the track. Give me a week to prepare the photos...

Here's a teaser of my clients 130i in action. The guy could do some serious controlled drifting and was one of the best at the event.

Here I rode with him in the practice and warm up laps. I was thrown around like a bitch in this car. As this was his first time on the Hockenheimring, he needed to get a feel for the track so the video isn't that impressive but you can see a cool drift in the 130i pretty much halfway through. The kid with the 135i was in front of us, but we overtook him later on. In the next laps he did some amazing 180 degree spins with the car - by accident - but it was fun. 


VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnA1bzNA6Ws (2:24 long)

[cawimmer430]

Oh, the fun at the track is offset by the prices at the pumps! 

Stupid god damn Ok?steuer! 

[Mustangfan2003]

Looks like lots of fun

[cawimmer430]

Looks like lots of fun

It was. I had more fun standing near the track shooting the cars than riding with the guy in his car. Even with a helmet and Recaro sports seats and tight seat belts you get thrown around in there. It's not really my thing...

[hotrodalex]

It was. I had more fun standing near the track shooting the cars than riding with the guy in his car. Even with a helmet and Recaro sports seats and tight seat belts you get thrown around in there. It's not really my thing...

I love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8HvNpUTXSA

[giant_mtb]

I do that shit all the time in the snow and it doesn't cost me tires.

Boom shakalaka.

[cawimmer430]

I love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8HvNpUTXSA

Don't you just love the sound of that big 'ole V8 raping your ears?

[cawimmer430]

I do that shit all the time in the snow and it doesn't cost me tires.

Boom shakalaka.

I hear drifting in an AWD car is next to impossible.

As you will see, there was a guy in a Subaru Impreza participating here and he never performed any exciting drifts. I got the feeling that he was trying but the AWD setup just wouldn't let him have his fun...

[giant_mtb]

I hear drifting in an AWD car is next to impossible.

As you will see, there was a guy in a Subaru Impreza participating here and he never performed any exciting drifts. I got the feeling that he was trying but the AWD setup just wouldn't let him have his fun...

On pavement, yeah...AWD can be a pain unless you have a shitload of power.  I drifted the Audi once on wet pavement...never doing that again.  But in the snow, AWD gives you such better control, especially at high speed.

[cawimmer430]

On pavement, yeah...AWD can be a pain unless you have a shitload of power.  I drifted the Audi once on wet pavement...never doing that again.  But in the snow, AWD gives you such better control, especially at high speed.

Sounds like fun.

My back slid out today on a wet Munich street. I wasn't even pushing it. The 1-Series is famous for that crap since there's no weight at the rear. My car actually handles better in the wet when I have my three heavy photography suitcases in the trunk - extra weight, baby!

[Eye of the Tiger]

Sounds like fun.

My back slid out today on a wet Munich street. I wasn't even pushing it. The 1-Series is famous for that crap since there's no weight at the rear. My car actually handles better in the wet when I have my three heavy photography suitcases in the trunk - extra weight, baby!

I have the same problem with my Accent.

[cawimmer430]

I have the same problem with my Accent.

Get the Accent SS. It doesn't have that problem!

[MexicoCityM3]

The 1-Series is famous for that crap since there's no weight at the rear. My car actually handles better in the wet when I have my three heavy photography suitcases in the trunk - extra weight, baby!

It has a near 50/50 distro like any other BMW. If you think added weight improves handling........no.

[Galaxy]

My back slid out today on a wet Munich street. I wasn't even pushing it. The 1-Series is famous for that crap since there's no weight at the rear. My car actually handles better in the wet when I have my three heavy photography suitcases in the trunk - extra weight, baby!

It has nothing to do with weight. FWD cars have less weight at the rear. The rear sliding out was the RWD.  BMW set the ESP to let it slide a bit before hurling out the anchor.

[Cookie Monster]

Sounds like fun.

My back slid out today on a wet Munich street. I wasn't even pushing it. The 1-Series is famous for that crap since there's no weight at the rear. My car actually handles better in the wet when I have my three heavy photography suitcases in the trunk - extra weight, baby!

It's because it's RWD... my car is light, has no traction control, and has summer tires so it always keeps me on my toes when I drive in the rain... I love it.

[cawimmer430]

It has a near 50/50 distro like any other BMW. If you think added weight improves handling........no.

When my heavy suitcases loaded with gear and my other equipment are loaded into the trunk that's extra weight on the rear axle. In this case the car feels better planted on the road in slippery situations.  

[hotrodalex]

It has a near 50/50 distro like any other BMW. If you think added weight improves handling........no.

It improved the handling of the F-350 I rode in last weekend. Without nothing in the back it hopped around like crazy. But with 1,000 lbs of wood flooring it was much smoother. I would hope that's not the case with a 1 series, though. 

[cawimmer430]

It improved the handling of the F-350 I rode in last weekend. Without nothing in the back it hopped around like crazy. But with 1,000 lbs of wood flooring it was much smoother. I would hope that's not the case with a 1 series, though. 

You were transporting wood (aka "weight") in the flatbed of that F-350 and the car had better traction on the road? If yes, that's how I feel when my 1er is loaded with weight at the back!

[hotrodalex]

You were transporting wood (aka "weight") in the flatbed of that F-350 and the car had better traction on the road? If yes, that's how I feel when my 1er is loaded with weight at the back!

Except an F-350 has a live rear axle and leaf springs rated to haul/tow a huge amount of weight, so when it's not loaded it's very light and bouncy out back. A 1 series has a sporty IRS w/ coil springs, which are designed to handle excellently without any weight in the trunk.

[MexicoCityM3]

Hey Wimmer, I am sure it feels more "planted", that doesn?t make it handle any better.

So many trips to so many great tracks with so many guys that clearly can drive and not a single performance driving lesson!. Come on, you sound like my grandma praising the glories of a Ford Galaxie 500.

Er....now that I wrote that, YES, you have the automotive taste of my grandma!

[cawimmer430]

Except an F-350 has a live rear axle and leaf springs rated to haul/tow a huge amount of weight, so when it's not loaded it's very light and bouncy out back. A 1 series has a sporty IRS w/ coil springs, which are designed to handle excellently without any weight in the trunk.

Makes sense, but even so the 1er is a bit tricky in the wet. Sometimes at low speed (around 30 km/h) on a wet day in the city when I am gently taking a curve my back slides out. It's happened quite a few times to me. Doesn't happen when it is dry.

When I have extra weight at the rear in the form of my equipment, I don't get this problem. And my equipment weighs a lot. Three suitcases filled with heavy lights and large batteries, solid metal tripods for those lights, five different kinds of metal tripods for my camera and numerous other things. Weight - it's your friend!  

[cawimmer430]

Hey Wimmer, I am sure it feels more "planted", that doesn?t make it handle any better.

So many trips to so many great tracks with so many guys that clearly can drive and not a single performance driving lesson!. Come on, you sound like my grandma praising the glories of a Ford Galaxie 500.

Er....now that I wrote that, YES, you have the automotive taste of my grandma!

That's it - it feels better planted.

By the way, a lot of the BMW experts there that day claimed the 1er hatch - in both 3-door and 5-door form is a "better drive" than the 1er coupe. They said the extra "weight" at the back in the form of that roof makes the car a better handler. Any truth to that? These guys seemed to know what they were talking about...

[MexicoCityM3]

By the way, a lot of the BMW experts there that day claimed the 1er hatch - in both 3-door and 5-door form is a "better drive" than the 1er coupe. They said the extra "weight" at the back in the form of that roof makes the car a better handler. Any truth to that? These guys seemed to know what they were talking about...

The 130i hatch is definitely a better handler than the 135i coupe. No question about that. I have driven both on the track. The 130i is much more neutral, the 135i understeers a lot at the limit.

[cawimmer430]

The 130i hatch is definitely a better handler than the 135i coupe. No question about that. I have driven both on the track. The 130i is much more neutral, the 135i understeers a lot at the limit.

That was the consensus at the track. It totally surprised me since I assumed the coupe would be the better handler at the limit.

Working on the next batch of photos...