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Written by:
Marshall Pruett
05/05/2007 - 07:00 PM
Oakland, CA
The BimmerWorld E90 SPEED Touring Car of James Clay (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos
While nearly all the other SPEED TC teams are racing cars that have been honed and refined over years of development, or with factory assistance in that development, BimmerWorld has chosen a different path. The unmistakable wail of the familiar Sunbelt-built BMW inline six cylinder engine hasn't changed, but the underpinnings and all other components that house this 8500rpm Bavarian monster are far from old.
Embarking upon their own path to build and develop the BMW E90 chassis, James Clay and his rapid team mate Seth Thomas are in year two of transforming their cars from 'showing potential' to a steady ration of 'delivering results.'
With a promising outing for BimmerWorld at the Sebring World Challenge opener in March, James Clay and Seth Thomas, pilots of the baby blue Bimmerworld E90's sat down with SPEEDtv.com to reflect on the highs and lows of Sebring, the big strides in development over Winter, and what the team hopes to achieve in the next race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.
SPEEDtv.com: James, you made great strides last year with your new BMW 325i's, but I'm sure you didn't rest much between the finale at Laguna in October and rolling off the trailer for Sebring.
Clay: "Our work on the first generation BWR E90 cars started 1 week after Laguna last year and we have spent a lot of effort in a lot of areas. Most notably, we have a new transmission that will hopefully be able to match our straight line performance with the other marques. The E90 is a very large car and the hole it punches in the air makes it a little tough to
James Clay, owner/driver of the BimmerWorld #36 entry (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos
SPEEDtv.com: You've mentioned a lot of other changes in the Bimmerworld lineup and facilities-what are some other developments within your operations?
Clay: "Well, lots of things. We are still the only team to race the new BMW E90 platform in North America - it was certainly challenging last year but I think it was still worth leading the charge instead of following along after another team had done all the pioneering work. So nothing new about that, except more development and a new third car. We had a 3rd driver lined up for Sebring, but his funding fell through just days before the event. That car is waiting for someone to step up and join Seth and me in the top ten.
"In December of 2006, BimmerWorld and BimmerWorld Racing moved into a new facility more capable of housing and supporting the racing and development effort on these cars and BMWs in general. With the move has come three more employees to help us continue to grow and elevate the level of the team and business. We don't tend to stagnate here!"
SPEEDtv.com: Looking at how Sebring went for you two, I'd say the hard work paid off--qualifying 4th and 6th stood out amongst the rest of the field.
Clay: "Thanks for noticing. We showed well on the test day and in practice-we had a few issues that kept us from posting our fastest laps, but that didn't worry us. Compared to this time last year, we've done a complete 180 degree turn."
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