TC Motorsports is hosting a Data Acquisition Workshop with AiM Sports National Training manager Roger Caddell to help you get the most out of your car and yourself. Sign up TODAY! Contact Carlo at 253-887-0500 or carlo@tcmotorsports.net to RSVP and pay to reserve your spot by April 20th, 2012.

Space is very limited, so please RSVP right away to secure your spot. Last year’s workshop was completely sold out.

What: Practical data acquisition workshop using AiM products with emphasis on GPS and Solo features (includes lunch!)

Why: Because you want to go faster and have run out of excuses

When: April 28th, 2012, from 9:00am to 4:00pm

Where:
TC Motorsports
1302 W Main St, Ste 9
Auburn, WA 98001
253-887-0500
www.tcmotorsports.net

Cost: Only $50, which includes lunch. Plus, you can apply the $50 to the next TC Motorsports purchase you make before August 1st, 2012!

AiM Sports Data Seminar Basic Agenda:

· What is Data Acquisition
· Why Use Data Acquisition
· How to Use Data Acquisition
· GPS Functionality with AiM Data Loggers
· SOLO and SOLO DL
· Setting up GPS Functions
· Detailed Data Analysis with Race Studio 2
· SmartyCam Video

If you are new to data acquisition, you probably have questions about which direction to go and how to do it.

If you are a veteran of data acquisition, the AiM Sports trainer leading the seminar will be able to answer even your most technical questions.

Are you currently serving in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard?  We would like to say THANK YOU for your service by offering a 10% discount on any product or service we offer.

Do you know someone who is serving in the U.S. Military?  What better way to show your support then by telling them about our Military Discount Program!  Don’t you think they deserve it?

This discount is good for any general auto repair service, high performance upgrades, alignments, corner balancing, race car builds, driver coaching, and track side support.  Just show your Military ID at the time of payment.

Call us today at 253-887-0500 for more information or to take advantage of this offer.

This event is free and open to everyone. Please join us! Questions? Call Carlo at 253-887-0500

This BMW PRO3 is sold as of December 2011.

The TC Motorsports PRO3 is now for sale! This car was professionally built in 2009 and maintained by TC Motorsports its entire career.  This car was our development, rental, and show car and it has always been kept in excellent condition both mechanically and cosmetically.

This car has full documentation of every modification, update and repair in a dedicated and detailed log book.

We built this PRO3 from a clean and straight 1988 BMW 325is.  It was repainted the original red color during the build.  The driver’s and trunk compartment are painted Motorsports Gray using automotive quality paint.  The blue color on the car is vinyl wrap which can be easily removed.  This car has not seen any major body repairs, only cosmetic fixes.

This car is ready to race at a fun, competitive, and safe level today. Every nut and bolt has been torqued and torque-sealed during its last inspection.  It is 100% fresh and ready to race for the 2012 season with no updates needed- just add a driver.  Our drivers have enjoyed podium finishes with this car in the PRO3 class, and you can too.

Call Carlo at 253-887-0500 to schedule an appointment to view this car.

Mechanical:

New rebuilt engine bottom end (everything is new except the crank, pistons and rods) with only one race weekend logged.  Equipped with TC Motorsports spec oil pan baffle and windage tray.  The head is a full race build by Accurate Engines (ported, polished, decked) and has a partial season on it.  All new polished and shot peened OEM BMW rocker arms have just been added with only one weekend on them.  The Ireland shorty headers connect to a TC Motorsports spec exhaust system. The transmission is a new rebuild with new heavy duty pressure plate and sprung puck clutch plate with only one weekend on it.  The differential is a 4:10.1 ratio with rebuilt clutch packs.  It has excellent lock up.  The engine and transmission mounts are AKG billet aluminum.

All new wheel bearings with new wheels studs with  zero hours on them.   Brake parts are either brand new or with very little time and has all stainless steel braided brake lines.  The ABS system is fully deleted.

The heater core and defrost system are in place.

Chassis:

Very light chassis with plastic rear and quarter windows.  Includes 100 pounds of removable and modular ballast plates to make the 2650 lbs minimum weight with 180 lbs driver.  Also includes removable plastic door windows for transportation.  Race Skids steel engine skid plate protects the engine oil pan.

Suspension:

Truechoice built Koni double adjustable coilovers built to custom TC Motorsports specs with Ground Control camber plates.  Ireland Engineering 25mm front and 22mm rear sway bars (updated with grease fittings).  All Ireland Engineering urethane suspension bushings.  Every single suspension and steering part is in excellent condition or new and has a TC Motorsports power steering delete kit installed.  Fresh alignment and corner balance just completed.  Rear alignment is fully adjustable with welded in AKG tabs.  The rear shocks are freshly rebuilt and dyno’ed with zero hours on them.  The entire suspension setup is the exact duplicate to the car we built that has set track records every where it goes.

Safety:

Complete TC Motorsports spec 8 point fully gusseted cage with triple NASCAR driver and passenger door bars and “A” pillar reinforcement brace.  Sparco PRO 2000 driver’s seat and Sparco EVO 2 passenger seat, Sparco 6 point driver’s seat belt (not valid after 2015), Sparco 383 steering wheel with Tekniq Snap-Off zero play quick release.  SPA Techniques 4.0l AFFF 6 nozzle fire system and Halon 2.5 handheld fire extinguisher.  Drivers foot rest with anti-skid material.  TC Motorsports custom window net and C5R Kevlar center net installed.  This cage and seating position gives you tones of room above your head, and an exceptional amount of room next to the cage by your feet.

Electronics and equipment:

The car has a full AiM Pista MXL data logger and digital dash installed with GPS module and throttle position sensor.  Six configurable warning lights and programmable sequential shift lights.  It is also equipped with Autometer electronic oil pressure and water temperature gauges in the center console.  It’s wired and switched for a driver cooling system and also has a complete Racing Electronics Legacy radio harness and push to talk switch.  The hardwired AMB transponder turns on and off automatically.

Wheels and tires:

Included are three sets of matching Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.3 wheels with Toyo tires (two sets shaved and one full tread).

Offer:

This car is very nicely equipped and ready to race today.  We will include support for your first day at the track to make sure you are completely comfortable with the car and all of its systems.  If you were to build this car today, it would cost well over $27,000 in parts alone plus the 175 hours of build time (that’s about $45,000 total plus shipping and tax) for a professionally built and campaigned race car.

Price: $22,500 firm.  Buy today, race tomorrow.

Come see what data acquisition is all about!

TC Motorsports is hosting a Data Acquisition Workshop with AiM Sports to help race and sport drivers get the most out of their car and themselves. Sign up TODAY! Contact Carlo at 253-887-0500 or carlo@tcmotorsports.net to RSVP and pay to reserve your spot by November 16, 2011.

What: Practical data acquisition workshop for race and sport drivers using AiM products (includes lunch!)

Why: Because you want to go faster and have run out of excuses

When: November 19, 2011, from 9:00am to 3:30pm

Where:
TC Motorsports
1302 W Main St, Ste 9
Auburn, WA 98001
253-887-0500
www.tcmotorsports.net

Cost: $50, which includes lunch. Plus, you can apply the $50 to the next TC Motorsports purchase you make before December 31, 2011!

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is data acquisition and why use it?
• Hardware selection and installation
• Software overview and setup
• Real world logged data and analysis examples (this is the bulk of the session)
• New AiM products
• Questions.

If you are new to data acquisition, you probably have questions about which direction to go and how to do it.

If you are a veteran of data acquisition, the AiM Sports trainer leading the seminar will be able to answer even your most technical questions.

It’s not every day that AiM Sports fly out one of their best trainers to conduct a hands-on workshop like this. In fact, it’s been almost 3 years since the last AiM seminar in the Seattle area, so please join us for this rare opportunity!

Space is limited so sign up TODAY! Call Carlo at 253-887-0500 or email Carlo at carlo@tcmotorsports.net to RSVP and pay by November 16, 2011 to secure your spot.

In this edition of our newsletter, we’ll:

• Let you know what’s happening in the Service Center
• Tell you about some special guests who stopped by
• Provide some highlights from our blog
• Share a video (just for fun)
• Fill you in on what we’re doing at the race track these days.

Drive smarter, not harder!

Carlo Sparacio
TC Motorsports, LLC
253-887-0500

Service Center Happenings
We’ve been busy in the Service Center. Here are some of the projects we’ve been working on:

• Installed a coil over suspension followed by a competition corner balance and 4 wheel alignment on an BMW E39 M5 (the beast)
• Performed competition corner balances and alignments on numerous race, track, and street cars, which include BMW PRO3 and Spec Miata race cars, a Porsche 996 Turbo, Mitsubishi Evo, VW GTI, and Dodge Neon SRT4.
• Installed an AiM data acquisition system into a BWM PRO3
• Inspected a Spec E30 race car from the Midwest and updated some safety and suspension components so the car is ready to race as a PRO3 race car later this month
• Sent BMW E30 and other racing parts to Australia (3 packages!), South Africa, and (a little closer to home) British Columbia, California, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Special Guests
Earlier this week, Garth Stein, the author of the New York Times best seller The Art of Racing in the Rain, stopped by TC Motorsports. He was giving two big supporters of Hugo House in Seattle a “Track Day with Garth,” and we were lucky enough to be part of the day! Read about their visit at our blog!

Blog Highlights
Here are some highlights from our blog:

• Are you driving a wobbly table? Learn the what, why, how, and when of corner balancing a car.
• How do you drive a car fast? It’s as easy as these 3 simple rules.
• Walk your way to victory with track walks.
• Last month you watched the rear suspension of a BMW PRO3 race car in action. This month, you can watch the front suspension of the same car in action around Portland International Raceway.

Like what you see or have a question? Leave a comment on the blog!

Just For Fun
Take two hot laps around Portland International Raceway (PIR) with TC Motorsports’ own Carlo Sparacio. The calmness behind the wheel betrays the fact that Carlo is driving at a lap record-setting pace. Check it out!

Look like fun? Join us for the last Conference race of the year at Pacific Raceways September 24-25. Rent our BMW PRO3 race car for the weekend or just come on out and see what it’s all about!

Racing Report
August is a bit of a slow month in the Pacific Northwest for racing. But, we did make it out to one race in August. Our BMW PRO3 was driven in an observation race and senior races at PIR August 13-14. After racing for many years in Europe and now running a precision driving school in British Columbia, our driver had a great time in the PRO3.

Plus, a TC Motorsports’ prepped and supported car made its way to the top step of the podium in the PRO3 race. Congratulations to Rick Edwards!

The last race of the season is September 24-25 in Seattle. Then it’ll be time for enduros! The 8-Hours of the Cascades is October 15 in Portland, and the big daddy of them all, the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, is December 3-4.

We had a great time and hope you did, too. For a summary of the event, check out our latest blog post, which includes a list of cars and photos from the event.

And now for the part you’ve been waiting for–the prizes. We threw everybody’s name into a hat and picked the winners of our great prizes.

Giveaway winners:

• A $500 credit towards tuition for ProFormance Racing School’s 2 Day Competition School—the winner is Courtney Jones
• 2 competition 4-wheel alignments ($190 value each)—the winners are Reid Morris and Mike Wilcox
• A Track Taxi thrill ride around Pacific Raceways in ProFromance Racing School’s 2009 BMW M3 ($95 value)—the winner is Glenn Austin
• A Power Lunch lapping session (12:30-1:30 pm) at ProFormance Racing School ($125 value)—the winner is Kevin Jewell.

Congratulations to all of our winners! We’ll be contacting you directly about getting your prizes to you.

Thanks again to everyone for coming out to the open house!

We’ll have lots of great giveaways including a $500 credit towards tuition for the 2 Day Competition School at ProFormance Racing School September 6 and 7, 2011. If you’re thinking about going racing, this is the most comprehensive racing school in the Pacific Northwest!

Giveaways include:

• A $500 credit towards tuition for ProFormance Racing School’s 2 Day Competition School
• 2 competition 4-wheel alignments ($190 value each)
• A Track Taxi thrill ride around Pacific Raceways in ProFromance Racing School’s 2009 BMW M3 ($95 value)
• A Power Lunch lapping session (12:30-1:30 pm) at ProFormance Racing School ($125 value).

Plans for the open house:

• Cool local race cars and track cars on display including a PTG-built E46 BMW M3 that raced in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and now makes its home in the Pacific Northwest
• A place for you to park your own cool car to display
• Specials on parts and services we offer
• A bunch of parts up for grabs that are just collecting dust in our back room
• Goodies to eat and drink.

We hope to see you tomorrow!

In this edition of our newsletter, we’ll:

• Give details about our August 20th open house
• Provide some highlights from our blog
• Fill you in on what we’re doing at the race track these days.

Drive smarter, not harder!

Carlo Sparacio
TC Motorsports, LLC
253-887-0500

Open House Saturday, August 20th
You and your friends and family are cordially invited to an open house at our Service Center in Auburn on Saturday, August 20th, from 9 am to 12 pm. We’ll have:

• Cool cars on display
• A place for you to park your own cool car to display
• Specials on products and parts we carry
• Competition 4-wheel alignment give aways
• A bunch of parts up for grabs that are just collecting dust in our back room
• Goodies to eat and drink.

Our last open house in December 2009 was a big hit (see the photo below). We hope the only difference between our last open house and the upcoming open house is that we’ll be able to spend some time outside in the sunshine!

Blog Highlights
Here are some highlights from our blog:

• Remember the speed, time distance equation you learned in 7th grade? It applies to the ugly truth about why you are God’s gift to the brake pedal.
• How to choose a brake fluid for your track or race car without braking your budget.
• Get a unique perspective by watching a BMW PRO3’s rear suspension in action around Portland International Raceway.

Like what you see or have a question? Leave a comment on the blog!

Racing Report
Racing season is in full swing! We were at a race track around the Pacific Northwest 3 of the 5 weekends in July. Here are some highlights.

Spokane July 15-17
We took the BMW PRO3 and Spec Miata to Spokane County Raceway for three days of racing fun. With temperatures only in the 80s, it was actually pleasant in Spokane.

Our Spec Miata driver completed 2 Novice races, both uneventfully, which is the point!

Our BMW PRO3 driver, a past PRO3 champion, qualified 5th, 8th, and 9th out of 22 cars for the three races. After some great driving and side-by-side racing, he finished 5th in all three races. Congratulations to both of our drivers!

Portland July 22-24
For the second year, the PRO3 class was a support race for the BI-MART 125, part of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, at Portland International Raceway. We had a father and son team in our PRO3 car for the weekend.

On Saturday, the father finished the qualifying race 27th of 38 PRO3 cars. On Sunday, the son finished feature race 18th of 38 cars after starting at the very back. Nice job both of you!

Finishing 3rd in both races was the TC Motorsports’ sponsored car of Mike Olsen. After diagnosing a fuel pressure issue that had been plaguing the car since last year, Mike was back to his old form (the same form that saw him finish 2nd in the PRO3 championship in 2009). Congratulations, Mike!

Seattle July 30-31
We had a full house for the biggest Conference race of the year in Seattle. Both of our Spec Miatas and the PRO3 were driven in senior and novice races. As we like to say, all of the round cars were still round and the square cars still square after the weekend. Great job, guys!

Plus, two TC Motorsports’ sponsored cars made their way to the podium in the PRO3 race…Rick Edwards in 2nd and Mike Olsen in 3rd. Congratulations!

There are only four more race weekends this year, then it’s enduro time. Check out our schedule here, give us a call at 253-887-0500, or stop by a track near you during a race weekend to learn more or just say hi.

In this edition of our newsletter, we’ll:

• Give you a taste of what we’ve been working on in the Service Center
• Update you on the racing we’re doing
• Provide some highlights from our blog
• Ask a big favor of you
• Give you a sneak peak at our Formula 1 testing program.

Drive smarter, not harder!

Sincerely,
Carlo Sparacio
TC Motorsports, LLC

Spring/Summer Projects

Here are some of the projects we’ve been working on in the Service Center this spring/summer. Enjoy!

Dodge Challenger—Autocross Machine
We installed a coil-over suspension and replaced EVERY suspension bushing (there were lots!) on a Dodge Challenger. Then we performed a competition corner balance and alignment to take advantage of all the new adjustability. What a difference!

VW GTI—The Ultimate Sleeper
We installed an APR Stage 3 Turbo System and exhaust system on a VW GTI. The turbo kit alone provides and an extra 160 hp for 370+ hp total at the wheels. All we can say is WOW…beware of this this sleeper at the track and on the street!

Camaro SS—Mild Modifications
We installed a Pfadt Racing Stage 2 Performance Kit on a Camaro SS. The kit includes adjustable sway bars and drop springs. We followed that up with a competition alignment, so the Camaro is now ready for its first track day!

BMW E36 M3—Another Sleeper
We completed a Chevrolet LS1 conversion in a BMW E36 M3. Again, all we can say is WOW. And, yes, it goes like stink. Check out the video for a tour of the finished project.

Racing Report

We’ve been at a race track around the Pacific Northwest 5 of the last 9 weekends, which means the yard work around our houses is suffering (go away, weeds) and (more interesting to you) racing season is in full swing. It’s been quite a season already! Here are some highlights of what we’ve had going on:

• 2 Novice racers graduate (congrats Dean and Mark!)
• 5 Area/Senior racers drive one of our BMW PRO3s or Spec Miatas
• Assist many Novice racers with race car builds (go to our blog to see an interview with 3 Novice racers after their first race)
• Help one of our customers set 2 track records in a car we originally built and currently provide support for at races as well as in between races.

Sound like fun? Want to see for yourself what all the hubbub is about? Driving our BMW PRO3 or Mazda Spec Miata is a great way to try road racing. Check out our schedule here, give us a call at 253-887-0500, or stop by a track near you during a race weekend to learn more.

Blog Highlights

Here are some highlights from our blog:

• A video showing four brake rotors in various stages of use and abuse and what you should look for when determining when to change your rotors
• 3 lessons after returning to racing after 5 years (it’s not all sunshine and happiness)
• The lowdown on what you need to know about race car fire systems.

Stay tuned to blog.tcmotorsports.net for more! If there’s something in particular you’d like to see on the blog, let us know.

We Need Your Help

Are you a raving fan of TC Motorsports? Help spread the word! Go to your favorite website and post a review of work we’ve completed for you. Places you can leave your review include:

• Google
• Yahoo
• Yelp
• City Search
• LinkedIn

Top Secret Testing Footage

We have been busy building and testing our 2012 Formula 1 car (see the April 1 announcement here). Enjoy the video here!