The reliability of the only turbo M42 in BMW CCA CR (#089 DM) delivered the first podium finish (in class) on Sunday to rookie driver Paul Quattrocchi. BMW Car Club of America Club Racing held a permier event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park the weekend of July 19th and 20th. With the depth of talent and cars in the DM Class, the home built team approached the weekend with modest goals: to run good, clean races, practice race craft, show improvement throughout the weekend, and drive the car on the trailer at the end. The field saw a lot of attrition due to heat and other issues. Track temps were over 170 degrees and air temps were around 100 degrees.
Despite the heat, Paul drove the #089 DM in every session to deliver consistent improvement throughout the weekend. He found about 4 seconds a lap over the weekend, despite a fuel starvation problem on Riverside and Star Mazda. Paul jumped a number of spots on the start of Sunday’s last race but got stuck outside on of turn 2. He ended up harassing the tight racing group that included Tom Bell, Ralph Warren, Blain McNutt and Bill Elder while nursing a bad secondary fuel pump.