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Driving a Supercharged E36 @ The Bridge

Hi all-

At the NY Chapter's advanced lapping day at Bridgehampton this past Friday I
was fortunate enough to drive a Turner Motorsports-prepared E36 M3 (the
"White Car").  The car is about as wild as an E36 can get -- not only is it
supercharged, but it is also equipped with a TMS-tuned Gruppe N coil-over
suspension, and the Lightweight's aerodynamic package.  The only change in
the braking department is the installation of the recently debated Cool
Carbon pads.  I had previously driven another Turner supercharged M3 (the
"Blue Car") on the streets of NY and was impressed by the power and
drivability.  I naturally jumped at the chance offered to me on Friday to
take the White Car for a few laps around the track.  First thing I noticed is
that the White Car sits a lot closer to the ground as a result of the Gruppe
N suspension.  There are no problems with tires rubbing however thanks to the
thoughtful engineers at BMW and the stiff sidewalls of the BFG R1s the car
was wearing. Over bumps the increased stiffness of the suspension compared to
stock was obvious but not unduely harsh, which I attribute to the marshmellow
stock seats.  The White Car was as quick as I remembered the Blue Car to be,
which is to say damn quick, but in addition benefited from reduced squat
under power. The power delivery was seamless without the peaks and valleys I
am used to in my E30 M3 (one big peak, one big valley).  Needless to say, the
car was a rocket around the track depite Bridgehampton's rough surface which
I though might hinder power application.  The White Car was set up for slight
oversteer and did not disappoint. What a blast.  The car turned in quickly
and surely and tail end confidently followed.  Trailing throttle oversteer
was the name of the game, and as a result, consistent power application
through the corners was a must.  With at least 350 hp on tap, power oversteer
was an option in all third gear corners, such as coming out of the Light
Bulb, turn #5, and turning back on to the front straight.  I must say that
having easily controlled power oversteer whenever you want it is like a drug.
After about four laps I turned to the car's owner riding shotgun and asked
him if he wanted me to head into the pits. Happily he replied that it was up
to me and I proceeded to run two more laps which I will not soon forget.

As one might imagine I did not get enough laps in the car to even come close
to finding the limit.  I did take some hot laps with owner however, who is
also an club instructor, and can say the car is phenomenal.  The combination
of usable power and the ultimate in suspensions did not disappoint.

- -Stephen Smith
'91 M3 2.5L