Blue Bulls Racing E36 M3 Endurance Race Car
To count down the start of the 2023 Lucky Dog Racing Racing League season in the Pacific Northwest, we want to spotlight some of the teams that utilized Cobalt Racing Brakes at last years “Howl-O-Ween” endurance race in Portland.
Lucky Dog visited Portland International Raceway to finish up their 2022 regular season last fall over Halloween Weekend. We were pleased to support a variety of teams on track that weekend, including Blue Bulls Racing and their E36 M3.
As usual, Pacific Northwest weather in October was unpredictable. Teams tested Friday in a deluge of rain and then passing showers Saturday and Sunday which provided some relief for those seeking a bit of dry track time throughout the weekend.
Blue Bulls Racing has been competing in Lucky Dog for 3 years now. Their E36 M3 has transformed over the years from a fairly stock-looking example to a rather highly modified platform suited specifically for endurance racing. Aero improvements with a front splitter, rear wing, hood vents, and more have been added. The car rides on MCS 2-way adjustable shocks.
Braking systems are constantly stressed over the course of multiple hours in endurance racing. Not having a suitable package can lead to brake fade, a soft pedal with no pressure, and additional overheating conditions. The Blue Bulls team has their brake package dialed in for longevity and consistency. The front utilizes AP by Essex calipers and rotors. The rear also has been upgraded to Wilwood’s Superlite 4R calipers. They also have a Teves MK60 ABS with brake bias adjustment. “We use the Cobalt XR2 compound for the front brakes and XR3 for the rear”, says team co-owner, David Kelley. “We’re big fans of Cobalt Racing Brakes, and use Cobalt brake pads on our personal track cars as well. Cobalt pads have the best brake feel, modulation, and release in the business, and we appreciate that once the rotors are bedded, no bedding is necessary for a new set of pads! This saves a lot of time and hassle on race weekends. We believe one of the biggest advantages we have with our BBR BMW M3 is its brakes, due in large part to the Cobalt pads we use. We typically can get through a full race weekend with just one set of pads”. Having the ABS makes a big difference when the track surface has any amount of precipitation on it. “We don’t recall Portland International Raceway being this slippery in the past, but the conditions made for an interesting race and helped even the playing field”, says David. Being able to have the assistance of the ABS to prevent lockups is a game changer for many. And in endurance racing, you want to limit as many mistakes as you can.
Blue Bulls are regular front runners in the A class and this weekend was no different as they battled Giant Motorsport and their E36 M3 for most of Saturday. “The weekend got off to a rough start though when our team captain, Dan Garber, came down with COVID-19. We scrambled and managed to find another guest driver, Drake Kemper, who flew in from Austin, Texas, at the very last minute. We had changing weather conditions throughout the day, both days, starting with wet and very slippery conditions, and on-and-off drizzle and rain.”
David credits their pit strategy for their success. “On Saturday, during the 7-hour, we took a gamble and pitted our first driver after about 1 hour to take advantage of a full course yellow, which put the rest of our pit stops off-sequence with most of the leaders. This gamble paid off with 1st place overall, with consistent and mostly mistake-free drives by all of our drivers. Our final driver spun at the exit of a very slick Turn 7 (who didn’t?) while leading the race by 40 seconds. After the spin and recovery, Giant Motorsports closed the gap and was hot on our tail about 2.5 seconds behind. With a couple of full course yellows behind the pace car, including a final single green lap to the finish, we ended up with a much more exciting finish than we had expected!”
Although Saturday ended on the top of the podium, Sunday started on a bad note as their recently rebuilt differential failed. They had a spare and were able to complete the change but were well out of contention at that point, unfortunately, but still crossed the finish line.
It was a weekend filled with highs and lows for them. But as it is with most weekends in Lucky Dog, “fun” is the takeaway theme. Everyone enjoys the camaraderie and fellowship that comes with putting together a team and racing as fast and as long as possible in hopes of finishing. With some lady luck and some good consistent driving, one can find their car and team in first place every once in a while which means more than most would think for these amateur teams who pour their wallets, hearts, and souls into going racing with their friends and family. It’s a privilege to support customers like Blue Bulls who have been utilizing our pads for years providing insightful feedback to us, which is invaluable. We’re sure looking forward to seeing them compete for more overall wins this season!