Generic Weekly Hotlap Challenge #145 – The Ultimate Driving Machine

Welcome to the thread for the Weekly Hotlap Challenge #145 - The Ultimate Driving Machine.

Quick reminder to all, please could you use the format as described below when posting your times.

The Challenge: Hotlap
Car: BMW M3 E30 Group A
Track: Nurburgring GP (GT)


The Ultimate Driving Machine was BMWs preposterously conceited, self-appointed claim for its range of cars, however their M3 E30 Group A car is in fact a real contender for that title. You’ll see what I mean.
The E30 BMW Group A is so far unused in WHC and has been on my short list for some time. It’s raw and basic, light and powerful but on the shorter tracks I’d had in mind, it felt “over-tyred” on its slicks. Then I noticed that in over 40 combis, I haven’t used the “Nuerburgring” (as I see it spelt above) GP-GT circuit.
I have a feeling that this is going to be a great WHC. Don’t want to sound smug, but you give this one a go.
The idea behind the first BMW M3 was to make a racing sedan available as a street version. As a touring car racing homologation model, the BMW M3 arrived in 1986. Group A regs required that at least 5,000 road-legal copies of a racing car had to be sold within twelve months in order for a vehicle to be homologated. BMW Motorsport took little more than the doors and roof from the 3 Series production car and raided BMW Racing for components. That included the ABS brake system, ventilated discs, racing suspension and damping but still ensuring the car would handle everyday road use. The manual, Getrag five speed gearbox copied the racing style too, first gear is bottom left. I feel a reconfiguration of your shifters is in order!

Enough history, we just want to know how fast it is. Actually, it’s really quite surprisingly fast. In full race trim, the Group A’s naturally aspirated, 2.4 litre, dohc, inline-four cylinder motor delivers approximately 300hp at a very noisy 8,200 rpm and 214lbs/ft at 7500 rpm. That’s great numbers even 30 years later with cars weighing around 1300-1500kgs. The M3 Group A weighs 945kg. Trust me, it absolutely hurtles around the circuit. Time and time again you’ll be thinking, “I could have gone 10mph faster through that turn…”
To say the Group A was an outstanding success on track is a massive understatement. Check this out - in eight years, ‘87- ’94, the BMW E30 M3 Group A was.… the 1987 World Touring Car Champion, two time European Championship winner, two time winner of the DTM, four time winner in the Italian Nat Champs, two UK Touring Car champs, FIVE times winner of the 24 Hours Nürburgring and FOUR time winner of the Spa 24 Hours.
That is what you call accomplished. You are about to find out just how accomplished too!

The Nurburgring GP (GT) is a great circuit that isn’t often used. The Beemer feels light, fast and sharp, first two corners are standard and then bang! You’ve gone in a little bit too hard, very slight lift and woe! It snaps. Viciously. It’s not a little bite, it takes your arm off. Before proposing a combi I always do a short test – practice mode, factory settings, and no changes to set up at all – it’s just to get a feel and give some feedback. However, in this case, after half a lap, I felt I had to pit for some serious tweaks. Objective - tame the back without losing the sharp turn in*. Huge difference and now this is good. There’s at least a week’s worth of satisfaction to be had here. The back end still breaks away but it’s now progressive and manageable. Now, exiting Coca-Cola with a touch of "oppo", you feel like a driving God. Give it some stick! Best on RSR is a 2:11.059, go for it!

Tyres this week are 1990 DTM spec slicks supplied at the time by Michelin, Dunlop, and Bridgestone.
Recommended pressure for Soft, Medium and Hard is 29psi all round.

* set-up changes (disclaimer: I'm no expert at all) – engine limit full, brake power 97%, brake balance 71, aero 1,2, diff 30 both, final gear 4.6700, height 94f, 97r, rear toe +18 approx, front springs up 2 clicks (180,) rear damps up 3 clicks to 4. Livery – obviously Black with the BMWMotorsport, BBS centre-lock, gold painted rims!

How to take part - Hot lap:
To enter, select Hotlap, choose the BMW M3 E30 Group A and the Nurburgring GP-GT circuit.
Please setup the session as shown below:
Mode: Hotlap
Time of day: Free
Ambient Temp: 26 Degrees
Setup: Free
Controller: Free
Assists: Free
Stability: Free
To qualify you must have the ambient temp set to 26 DegC.

Deadline: Sunday 15th September 2019 - by 18:00 GMT.

Chequered Flag will drop shortly before 6pm.

You can run as many laps as you like and update your times as often as you like. It is all about taking part, pushing yourself and enjoying Assetto Corsa. All Platforms are welcome. To submit a time, pause the game and select 'session' from the menu and screenshot this page or take a photo of your screen and post it in this thread - Note all the information from the screen is required including temperature, mode heading and of course the car being used!
Please post video clips and share information in here as well, but without the session screen your time will not be included (placing the session screen in a video clip is acceptable).

Please use the following format to post your times:

Improvement (Only required if you have already posted a time)
Your name (as you would like it to appear on the leaderboard. NB: in bold here for emphasis only))
Your time- shown as x.xx.xxx.
Your platform (PC Xb1 PS4)
The screen shot showing your time.
(Optional but in the spirit) Your thoughts and comment

A leader board is collated regularly. Specialist Challenges will feature from time to time. These run as monthly mini-series, for example Formula One February or the Anglo-American Challenge These events will be announced in the WHC Thread.

Weekly Hotlap Challenge History
1. Mugello - Praga R1 Posted by John Gordon 3rd Oct, 2016 (Console Lounge P55)
2. Imola - Mercedes SLS GT3
3. Brands Hatch GP - RUF RT12 Posted by GravelTrap 19th Oct 2016 (Console Lounge P54)
4. Magione - Lotus 2 Eleven
5. Silverstone International - Abarth 500 Assetto Corse
6. Zandvoort - Pagani Huayra
7. Nurburgring GP (GT) - Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI
8. Spa - BMW M3 GT2
9. Vallelunga Club - KTM X-Bow R
10. Barcelona - Moto - Shelby Cobra 427 S/C
11. Silverstone 1967 - Lotus 72D
12. Nordschleife - Porsche 911 Carrera S
13. Black Cat County - Ferrari LaFerrari
14. Monza Junior 1966 - Alfa Romeo GTA
15. Redbull Ring GP - Lamborghini Gallardo Sl
16. Zandvoort - Ford Escort RS1600
17. Imola - Mazda Rx-7 Spirit R
18. Brands Hatch GP - Lotus Exige V6 Cup
19. Monza - Ferrari FXX K
20. Barcelona - Moto - Ferrari 488 GT3
21. Mugello - Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV
22. Silverstone GP - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 2017
23. Nurburgring Sprint GT - Toyota AE86 Tuned
24. Magione - Maserati Levante S
25. Spa - Lotus 98T
26. Vallelunga - Classic - Porsche 935/78 "Moby Dick"
27. Nordschleife Endurance Cup - M235i Racing
28. Silverstone 1967 - Maserati 250F T2 12C
29. Red Bull Ring National - BMW 1M Posted by HavanaB0B, 1st May 2017 (Console Lounge p28)
30. Zandvoort - Lotus Evora GX
31. Barcelona GP - Lotus Exos 125 Stage 1
32. Brands Hatch Indy - Toyota Supra MKIV Time Attack Posted by by Graveltrap 21st May 2017 (C.L.p25)
33. Black Cat County Long - Lamborghini Countach
34. Imola - Mercedes Benz 190E Evo II
35. Monza - Chevrolet Corvette C7R
36. Nurburgring Sprint GT - BMW M3 E30
37. Magione - Mercedes SLS AMG
38. Spa - Porsche 917/30 Spyder
39. Silverstone GP - Nissan GT-R Nismo Posted by Hugo Catarino,9th July 2017 (Console Lounge p21)
40. RedBull Ring GP - Alfa Romeo 4c
41. Brands Hatch GP - Audi R8 LMS Ultra
42. Highlands Long - Ford GT40
43. Vallelunga - Lotus GTE Carbon
44. Zandvoort - Porsche 911 Turbo S Posted by Graveltrap 13th Aug 2017 (Console Lounge p19)
45. Nordschleife - Ferrari 312T
46. Mugello - BMW M3 E92
47. Black Cat County - Short - Ford Mustang 2015
48. Imola - Maserati MC12 GT1
49. Silverstone 1967 - Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0
50. Barcelona Moto - McLaren 570S
51. Magione - Mazda Miata NA
52. Spa - Ferrari F40
53. Vallelunga - Corvette C7 Stingray Posted by Moodyryder 23rd Oct 2017 (Console Lounge p14)
54. Brands Hatch GP - Tatuus FA01
55. Highlands - Lotus 3 eleven
56. Nurburgring GP (GT) - Toyota Celica ST185 4WD Turbo
57. Monza 1966 Full Course - Ferrari 312/67
58. Nordschleife - Porsche 962 C Short Tail
59. Zandvoort- Nissan 370Z Nismo
60. Silverstone GP - McLaren F1
61. Vallelunga Classic - Ferrari 250GTO
62. Imola - Lotus 98T
63. Highlands Drift - P4/5 Competizione
64. Mugello - Lamborghini Aventador SV
65. Spa - Porsche 911R
66. Black Cat County - Lotus 2-Eleven GT4
67. Barcelona GP - Ferrari SF70H
68. Nordschleife Endurance & Highlands - Porsche 917k
69. Zandvoort - Lotus Exige Scura Posted by Hugo Catarino 25th Feb 2o18 (Console Lounge p7)
70. RedBull Ring National - Maserati Alfieri
71. Laguna Seca - Audi Sport quattro S1 E2
72. Brands Hatch - McLaren P1
73. Imola - Porsche 911 RSR
74. Nurburgring GP - Ferrari F2004
75. Barcelona Moto - Lamborghini Huracan Performante
76. Silverstone 1967 - Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale
77. Magione - BMW 1M Stage 3
78. Highlands Long - Mazda 787b
79. Black Cat County - Toyota GT86
80. Spa - Toyota TS040 Hybrid
81. Vallelunga Classic - Nissan Skyline R34 V-Spec
82. Mugello - Ferrari 458 GT2
83. Silverstone International - RUF R12 R AWD
84. Highlands Long - Audi R18 e-tron quattro 2014
85. Monza - Pagani Zonda R
86. Nordschleife - Lotus 3-eleven
87. Zandvoort - Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4
88. Redbull Ring GP - Mercedes Sauber C9
89. Brands Hatch - Lotus 25
90. Highlands Short - Abarth 595 SS
91. Nurburgring GP (GT) - Audi TT Cup
92. Monza 1966 - Road Course - Porsche 908 LH
93. Vallelunga - BMW M3 E30 Gr.A 92
94. Laguna Seca - Alfa Romeo Mito QV
95. Nordschleife - RUF Yellowbird & Ferrari F40
96. Barcelona GP - BMW Z4 GT3
97. Highlands Drift - Ferrari 458 Italia
98. Spa - Lotus Type 49
99. Zandvoort - Porsche 911 GT1-98
100. Silverstone - Nissan GT-R GT3; Brands Hatch - Lotus Exige V6; Vallelunga - free car
101. Mugello - Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
102. Silverstone National - Mazda MX5 Cup or Abarth 500 Assetto Corse
103. Highlands Short – Ford Escort RS1600 Posted by Totall Wrytoff 11th Nov 2018 (Console Lounge p2)
104. Black Cat Short – Porsche 917/30
105. Monza 66 Junior Course – Ferrari F40 S3
106. Magione – Toyota Supra MkIV
107. Brands Hatch Indy 5 lap - Porsche 911 GT3 RS
107. Nurburgring Sprint - Porsche 911 GT3 RS
108. Nordschleife - Abarth 595SS
108 Laguna Seca 5 lap - McLaren F1 GTR
109. Brands Hatch - Ferrari FXX K
110. Highlands – Lamborghini Muira P400 SV
111. Imola - Scuderia Glickenhaus SCG 003C
112. Vallelunga Club – Lotus Exos T125
113. Highlands Drift - Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport
114. Barcelona Moto - Maserati 250F 6 cylinder
115. Silverstone GP – Ferrari F138
116. Laguna Seca – Lotus 72D
117. Red Bull Ring GP - Ferrari SF15-T
118. Spa Francochamps – Maserati Quattroporte GTS
119. Zandvoort – Toyota AE86
120. Silverstone National – BMW M3 E92 Step 1
121. Silverstone 1967 – Ford GT40
122. Nurburgring GP - Porsche 919 Hybrid 2016
123. Highlands Drift Circuit – Porsche 718 RS 60 Spyder
124. Nordschleife Endurance – Porsche 962C Long Tail
125. Red Bull Ring National - Audi R8 V10 Plus
126. Imola – Ferrari 330 P4
127. Monza 1966 Road Course - Pagani Huayra BC
128. Mugello – Ferrari GTO
129. Vallelunga – Lamborghini Sesto Elemento
130. Black Cat County – Shelby Cobra 427S/C
131. Laguna Seca – Lotus Evora GTC
132. Brands Hatch GP – McLaren MP4 12C
133. Highlands Long – Chevrolet Corvette C7R
134. Monza GP – Lamborghinis Gallardo SL S3/ Countach S1
135. Magione – Mazda MX-5 ND
136. Nordschleife Endurance Cup – Ferrari F2004
137. Barcelona Moto – Lotus Exige S Roadster
138. Monza 1966 Full Course – Porsche 918 Spyder
139. Spa Francochamps – Ferrari 812 Superfast
140. Zandvoort – Mercedes Benz AMG GT3
141. Silverstone GP – Porsche Cayman GT4
142. Vallelunga Classic – Tatuus FA10
143. Brands Hatch GP - Audi Quattro Sport Step 1
144. Red Bull Ring GP - Ferrari 488 GTB
145. Nurburgring GP (GT ) – BMW M3 E30 Group A

 

oooooh !

I look forward to this one

 

There's a bug in the Car Settings for console version.
If you choose the second set of ratios, you'll need to reset it every time you leave the pits.

Not saying I think they are faster or anything.

It's a bit quiet this evening.... I bet shakedown laps are currently about 5 secs off the pace and everyone's got the spanners out trying to set the car up!

 

After 2 laps Your definitely right about the 5 seconds of pace
Might be throwing the towel in again on this one like I had too on #143


Sent from my iPhone Xs Max using Tapatalk

 

No way! That's not the Lewisxbone we recognise!
I'll post something for encouragement....

 

Totall Wrytoff
2.15.184
PS4

Down to just 4 secs off the pace! Wasn't a tidy lap though, by any means.

 

2.20.362 pc



struggling with the gearbox.....

 

2.17.912 pc improvement



gear box now is fine....
but - only when everything is fine!
- when this lovely beast makes trouble (and he does it more than one time each lap) than i am in trouble
- wrong gear - spin or loosing time...

this week is like driving school for me

 

Laughing Gravy
2.16.981
PS4

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

Leif
2.12.672
PC


Thanks for putting this car up, thank you so much, what a treat to drive

Didn't have time to have a go yesterday evening, did a couple of SRS races and it was late enough after that.
Before even going out to track I totally guessed gear ratios and pressures, after 2 slow laps discovered I wasn't far off with either so restarted the session and corrected the ratio slightly, then ran my first three hot laps as you see here:



Having checked the thread beforehand I was quite pleased with that, thought it was worth posting plenty more time in there though I am sure.

 

2.16.439 pc improvement



laps laps laps. i need more laps. gear box is okay now. some mistakes but no drama.
and this car! thanks @Totall Wrytoff - must try this beauty (black and gold !!!) on other tracks.
see you at the end of the week!

 

Neilski
2.12.731
PC
Good fun! I thought this car would be really tail happy under power but it's quite the opposite - I'm getting buckets of lift-off oversteer and having to apply the throttle into some of the corners to keep it under control :-O Power oversteer is almost non-existent for me - seems to be underpowered or overgripped
No idea what to do with the setup, so might do a bit more exploring. This time was set with softs and a minor pressure tweak (not quite right yet), plus gear-set 2 and a shortened final drive (dunno if gear-set 2 matches the console version, but the ratios are much closer) but still long enough that I don't need to change up into 4th/5th at a couple of places.
As usual, I'm not yet sure if the softs are any quicker but at least they don't overheat so I will probably not go back to the mediums to find out
Apart from that, I think all I did was move the brake balance backward a bit (68% I think) and cut the brake power to 98%. Oh, and 15 litres of fuel!
Comparing my splits with the RSR table, and taking into account how many mistakes I know I made, I'm pretty certain we'll see an 11 this week and quite possibly a low 11. I'm not so confident I'll make it into the 11s myself but I ought to be able to squeeze a few more tenths out at least.

 

Nicely done!
My splits aren't so different really - I think the run below was my third one though so not quite as quick a learner as you

 

Improvement

Leif
2.12.101
PC


Just had another 4 laps without changing anything, tyres still getting up to peak grip lap 1, lap 2 beat my time, lap 3 I tested thoroughly the grip of the soft tyre on grass, verdict yep not too bad managed and lap 4 I could have got into the 11's if I hadn't lost by the end a couple of extra tenths I gained somewhere. No idea what the green coloured sector is all about, never seen that before!

Edit: Oh yeah just remembered moved brake bias back by 1% after the first lap or two
If you add up my purple sectors it gives 2.11.912, does that count ?

 

Yup, I'm starting to think that a 10 is possible here!
As for the green, I guess it must be because your purple time for S2 was on an invalid lap, so it still counts as an improvement (being the best S2 on a legal lap)?
I still need to work out how to take a couple of corners properly, and I know I'm quite slow on the final fast chicane. Will give it another try later this week...

 

Ah yes you must be right regarding the green sector, makes sense.
I may try later in the week but don’t want to burn myself out before the weekend

 

2:14:920 PC

Only ran a couple (4) of laps...changed to softs and 10l of fuel.....I'm always slow around NB'ring I can see I have left loads of time out there, so agree that a 10 is doable in right hands

 

Improvement
Totall Wrytoff
2.14.525
PS4

6/10ths but was rubbish through Bit Kurve, must have cost me large and Coca-cola went down the wrong way.
I wish we could see sector times on console. What does a decent gaming PC cost? Get's one thinking...

@Neilski - second set of gears is taller on console, as below.

This is the set-up that I used for my lap, any and all expertise would be gratefully appreciated!

 

Emmanuel Tubbiolo
2.15.968
Xb1

What are yous like the 2.12, 2.11 going for 2.10.. wouldn't like to go for a drive with you..

 

Biner
2:13.540
PC
Tricky gear ratio selections...fairly big impact on times. Lift off oversteer isn't wild but it sure turns in and scrubs speed...if that can be tamed a bit w setup and driving style....the numbers will go greener I reckon.