I was at Summit Point over the weekend and although I had some great sessions on Fri and Sun...I cooked it out of turn 2 and going off on the inside of turn 2 track right in the puring rain....I ended up loosing my front splitter on Session 2 Sat. afternoon in the rain...the LTW splitter (and all associated parts) has a replacement cost of around $1300 and is the lowest part on the car and ussally the first thing lost during spin or an off at the track. I also lost both foglights and pulled the bumper a little bit. It was a very controled spin involving everything I've learned thus far from all the 9 track events I'd done so far...lets face it...if you do this long enough, no matter how good/fast/controlled you are, your going to spin at some point...the key is to keep the damage down to a bumper or splitter instead of a full front end which I was able to do by going off straight/properly. ...a lession that in many was will be just as important as driving fast on track. It was raining heavily and I should have known better.... Do you have any connections with aftermarket or OEM BMW parts...prefferably the Racing Dynamics adjustable front splitter for E36 M3...this is cheaper than the LTW unit, adjustable to about 4.5" full extended, sits slightly higher in the front allowing to lower the front coilover more, and is a very functional unit.

The car drives perfect, feels great, suspension, chassis, frame rails, fenders, hood and everything else is perfect...it was a very clean and controled off-track spin. In fact I was back out on track on Sunday and ran some good clean sessions and got some skid pad time to work on car control....it rained a lot the ENTIRE weekend and smoothness was never as critical as it was during those wet slippery sessions!

Although I have been soloed from the start for my last 4 or so events and feel very comfortable/confident on track....I'm glad I went to every classroom session and had opportunities to work with instructors like Bill Johnston (Speedvision GT racer) and Asher Hyman (Ferrari 360 challenge and BMW CCA accomplished club racer)...something I'd like to continue next year...like I said, its part of the game...it'll eventually happen to everyone...I realized that even though I've logged 76+ sessions (9 events total), over 450 clean fast laps at Summit and even more at VIR from March to November of this year (my 1st year)....there is still so much more to learn! One important thing is to know what to do when a spin or and incident happens to somewhat control the outcome...better to go off on a track than on the street with curbs and oncoming traffic!

If anyone has any info of body shops (prefferable close to MD/DC/VA) or OEM/Aftermarket parts sources (bumper, bumper cover, bumper impact absorbers, splitters, etc...) would be really helpful. Also any input on great body/paint shops would be helpful. I will be back next season looking forward to what will be my second year on track...the car and I will be back better than ever :-)

Sunir
'95 M3 LTW...bruised but not hurt:(

Glad you are OK. Splitters are a common casualty from off roading. Good luck on the repairs; I don't know of a reasonable source for a new splitter.

Sunir I just recemtly bought the RD Class II adjustable splitter for my car. I feel just like you. its a functional piece and sits up higher than the factory piece, and only cost 430.00 bucks compared to 1100.00. It's being painted as we speak. I bought from www.electrodyne.cc since they have made up with racing Dynamics and offer real parts again. The main part of the splitter is urethane so it should hold up well. the adjustable part is some kind of hard plastic that actually looks easy to break, but it also looks easy to replace if broken. I'll have pics next week if you are interested.

frayed and quick....I'd really like to see some pics of the RD splitter...as a matter of fact Electrodyne is local to me and I was going to go there and pick up the part and take it to the body shop....I spoke with Rob Gordon over at Electrodyne and he said the splitter works well, not too low, and is fairly strong and parts are peice-wise replaceable...at 430 bucks compared to $1,300 for the LTW replacement...it is a good buy but I've already cought some flack from "BMW purists" who strongly recommend me to get the LTW replacement for my LTW....where will they be if the splitter tears off again next season:dunno ...besides, as long as I know my car is a real LTW, that is genuine enough for me:)

Sunir
'95 M3 LTW:redspot