M3 vs Cayman S, WRX STi , Lotus Cup260, Nismo Fairlady Z

[Alext]

Best Motoring:

Lotus fastest lap (what do you expect on race slicks!), M3 does well at 3rd place and very well overall too.

Love the launches by the Sti and the Lotus at the start...

[///FCB]

can anyone translate what tsuchiya and the narrator are saying? at least about the M

I think if the M could grab a leading position from the start it would have done much better but the STI's and Exige's launches were amazing!

[scheherazade]

Not really a fair race though.

Track racing isn't about HP, it's about maintaining the speed you already have - losing the least speed in corners.

Lotus has a light-weight advantage in the corners, needing less traction for side force to stay on track.

Sti has an AWD advantage being able to put down power much earlier through corner exit, where the RWD guys would have oversteered.

If the straights aren't long enough, or the RWD cars don't have a big enough straight-line accel advantage, then they just won't make up the turns in time.

You could probably find a track for each of those cars - a track where that given car outperforms the others.

-scheherazade

[brava09]

LOL the M3 driver....look carefully at the launch moment...he over revved, then he bounced the rev limiter and stayed there on the limiter for two or three seconds....even I can get a better launch

Very bad launch for the M3....with a proper launch the M3 should have finished second...the Lotus is hard to beat on the track

[graider]

didn't watch the vid, where the cayman finish?

[footie]

First place was a given in my opinion, second I was surprised because awd doesn't suit this track as well as one with less tight corners but then I don't know the rubber the spec-C was running, third place was a good finish for the M3 considering the start but looking at the overtake it did against the Cayman I reckon either the tyres on the Porsche had over heated or something because it behaved very odd at that point where as up to then it appear to be controlling it's battle against the M3.

Regarding the launch of the M3, I don't know about you but I have watched countless Best Motoring events with not only the current M3 but past models and almost every time their launch is piss poor. Either the surface causes probably for the M-diff or they launch the M3 poorly to make for interesting viewing and if it's the latter then how much faith can you put into what you see.

[graider]

Originally Posted by footie

First place was a given in my opinion, second I was surprised because awd doesn't suit this track as well as one with less tight corners but then I don't know the rubber the spec-C was running, third place was a good finish for the M3 considering the start but looking at the overtake it did against the Cayman I reckon either the tyres on the Porsche had over heated or something because it behaved very odd at that point where as up to then it appear to be controlling it's battle against the M3.

Regarding the launch of the M3, I don't know about you but I have watched countless Best Motoring events with not only the current M3 but past models and almost every time their launch is piss poor. Either the surface causes probably for the M-diff or they launch the M3 poorly to make for interesting viewing and if it's the latter then how much faith can you put into what you see.

maybe it is an older cayman, not 09

[brava09]

Originally Posted by footie

Regarding the launch of the M3, I don't know about you but I have watched countless Best Motoring events with not only the current M3 but past models and almost every time their launch is piss poor. Either the surface causes probably for the M-diff or they launch the M3 poorly to make for interesting viewing and if it's the latter then how much faith can you put into what you see.

I don't think it's the surface to blame for the poor launch....if you look at the rev counter you'll see that it stays forever at the rev limiter at 9,000 rpm, and then the variable redline goes back for two seconds to ~ 7,000 rpm...something was very wrong with the launch.

This was a DCT equipped M3, and probably the driver was not used to this tranny...if I remember well, he did not use launch control...why??

[footie]

Originally Posted by brava09

I don't think it's the surface to blame for the poor launch....if you look at the rev counter you'll see that it stays forever at the rev limiter at 9,000 rpm, and then the variable redline goes back for two seconds to ~ 7,000 rpm...something was very wrong with the launch.

This was a DCT equipped M3, and probably the driver was not used to this tranny...if I remember well, he did not use launch control...why??

We aren't talking about d1cks here, all of these guys are professional or semi-professional drivers which are use to racing cars with quite a bit higher PTW, I honestly doubt it's the unfamiliarlity of the DCT because they have tested both Porsches with their equivalent with no problems.

Have they tested the Z4M before and if so did it also suffered the same issues that seem to affect the M3?