irenesbob

Photo of one of Compass 360 Racing's S3's in the paddock at Lime Rock Park today for the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge (Grand Sport Class).

uberwgn

N I C E !!

Fixeroh

Muy beuno! Thanks for sharing! Wonder what was done to the car to make it race ready. Besides roll cage, etc.

irenesbob

This car and its twin #74 are run by Compass 360 Racing in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series in the Street Tuner class.

From the series website:
"The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge features sports cars from manufacturers worldwide, straight from the showroom floor, racing side-by-side with only minor modifications. The two classes competing simultaneously on track are Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST).

Street Tuner (ST) - The ST class is also production based with much of the car using the same stock parts you would find on your passenger car. This class is limited to four- and six-cylinder and rotary engines. The ST class includes the Audi S3, BMW 128 and 325, Honda Civic Si, Hyundai Genesis, Mazda MX-5, Nissan Altima and Porsche Boxster and Cayman. The engines are tuned to produce between 170 and 240 horsepower and are capable of speeds in excess of 135 mph."

They do appear very much stock. I went with the Northeast Chapter of the ACNA and we had meet and greets at both the Compass 360 Racing and Paul Miller Racing transporters in the paddock. Someone asked how stock this car was and the answer was that it is pretty much stock, whatever that means lol
Both teams also had R8’s entered in the Tudor Sportscar Championship. They were awesome in the flesh, so to speak.
I have been going to Lime Rock since the 1960’s. It is a great place to see the cars. The paddock is open to all at no extra fee and the entire track complex small enough that you can walk from one end to the other in 15 minutes or so and visit the paddock before, during and after the race without a ten mile hike like some of the bigger tracks. I usually go to 6 or 8 auto racing events each year. This year I went to the Daytona 24 Hour, the Sebring 12 hour, Montreal F1 in June, Watkins Glen for the 6 Hour in June and Lime Rock three times already this year (I live only 34 miles away). I will be going to Lime Rock for the Historic Festival weekend in early September, Austin (COTA) later in September for the joint Tudor/World Endurance Championship weekend and possibly Road Atlanta in October.
I might start saving my event and airfare tickets (car rental and hotel receipts too) in a shoe box so when I croak that will be my grandkid’s inheritance. I just feel at 73 and after being a great provider for decades, life is all about me right now. Selfish old SOB maybe?

Fixeroh

That is so cool irenesbob!!! More power to you! Enjoy what you have earned. I love racing as well but don't get out anywhere near as much as you. I do live about 40 minutes from Mid-Ohio and enjoy some events there. Not enough however. My schedule doesn't allow for it. Thanks for your explanation of the series and your description of attending events. It really sounds great. I'm fortunate in that my next door neighbor works for Mike Shank Racing out of Pataskala, OH which runs the 60 car in the Tudor series. They won Daytona in 2012 and are generally pretty competitive at every race. They are slightly handicapped because they have a 'gentleman' driver who, although supports the team financially, isn't quite on par with the pro drivers. I understand MSR is going to soon get major backing and therefore have a full compliment of pro drivers. They are eyeing Le Mans next year. My neighbor takes me to the shop on occasion to look at the work. Amazing stuff. Would love to turn a wheel in one of the prototypes. Used to be that Formula 1 was my world. Only sport I really watched since I was a kid. Lately, the politics and BS rules along with the 'go green' attitude have pushed me away. Pushed lots of people away actually. Series like the Continental Tire Sportscar or Tudor series make for great racing and the cars/drivers are accessible to the fans. Again, very happy that you get to enjoy what you love. Definitely should not feel a single prang of guilt!

Kevin70

Nice !!
I saw those two S3s run at Watkins Glen.