BMW E36 for NASA, BMWCCA & SCCA Club Racing?

[Fair!]

Is there a way to prep a single BMW E36 chassis for similar classes in NASA, BMWCCA & SCCA Club Racing? Well, I've had a lot of customers ask us this question lately, and we have done a little bit of research into classes for all three. We may or may not be involved with the building/prepping of said cars.

First let me preface the "why not just build a Spec ___ car?" standard reply. Why not build a cheap Spec class car? Well, if Vorshlag has anything to do with the car in question and its built to a Spec class like SpecE30 (NASA), SpecE36 (BMWCCA) or the upcoming Spec3 (NASA's E36) then we can't use almost any Vorshlag/AST parts, as these spec classes are designed around some pretty generic, cheap stuff to "save costs" - parts that ain't ours. In the long run these cars are "stuck" with random (soft) spring rates, fixed swaybars, tall ride heights, skinny tires, fixed camber plates (in some classes), and crappy shock valving - none of which are allowed to be changed. Bleh! There's also a lot of politics that surround getting your parts into a "spec" as well - it rarely has the desired outcome of being "the best part for the money", either. So Spec racing doesn't really make a whole lotta sense for us...

OK, so here's the rundown on the NASA class with a bit more suspension choices: GTS

http://www.gtschallenge.com/

3.0 Car Eligibility and Classification

Any sedan or coupe from any German manufacturer - Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Merkur or Volkswagen - that has been modified to meet all N.A.S.A Club Codes and Safety Regulations, and having a N.A.S.A issued log book is eligible for GTS Challenge competition. There are six classes in GTS Challenge; GTSU, GTS5, GTS4, GTS3, GTS2, and GTS1. All cars will be classed on a power to weight ratio. Based on dynamometer test results the ratio will be calculated as follows:

If max torque is less than maw RWHP: Car weight with driver divided by max RWHP (rear wheel horsepower) If max torque is greater than max RWHP: Car weight with driver divided by the average of max RWHP and max torque. The hp and torque of each dynamometer run will be averaged and then the dynamometer run with the highest average will be used in the weight to power ratio calculation:
weight / [ (max rwhp + max rwtq)/2 ]

The following table displays the class each car will be in after the previous calculation is applied to each cars dynamometer results.

then a table follows with power to weight ratios split between GTS1 - GTS5 and then GTSU. Non-DOT tires take a hit in the power:weight ratio, so DOT R compounds seem to make the most sense (thankfully).

4.0 Car Modifications

Any modification is allowed as long as the car meets all NASA safety regulations.

All GTS cars must use an engine built by the manufacturer of the make of car. ...The goal is to limit further proliferation of out of manufacturer engine swaps

Additional roll cage bracing and construction is allowed and recommended. Tube Frame cars will be classed according to the “Non-DoT” class numbers. Tube frame is defined as any car that does not utilize the stock manufacturer’s unit body or chassis. Modification of suspension and drive train mounting points alone does not constitute at Tube Frame. Tube Frame cars running on Non-DoT tires will be bumped one class.

The rest of the rules go about explaining the dynamometer testing rules, protests, etc. That's pretty much it.

OK, so that looks pretty good for NASA. Lots of possibilities that are all kept in check with a hp/weight ratio limit that is checked trackside in some cases.