General Information:

Welcome to to the home of Wurth Motorsports on the Web!

Some of you may go back far enough to remember when Wurth Motorsports organized track events, but since 2002 our track events have been run by Speed Ventures, whom we strongly recommend for all your driving needs :)

Ramblings:

Radical Crash I started a writeup of this event, but work has prevented me from finishing it, so I might as well link to the video. Long story short, I rented a Radical because the Lotus was down for repairs, ran in a Radical race, and crashed. Yes, my first crash on track. It was lovely. I'll post the writeup when I can, but for now the video should suffice.

New Video site I love good track videos, and the problem is the quality of most of those online sucks, so I've started a new site to remedy the problem. Now I want your videos. Visit the site to check it out. If you've got video you want to upload, I'd love to have them. I do have a couple of requests though. Please only upload your videos, not torrents of F1 races or other copyrighted material. No street race videos. Please upload interesting stuff. Please don't upload your entire race, unless every lap is RIVITING! Please keep uploads smaller than 100mb for now. That's it. All uploads go into a holding pen so I can look at them before publication, so please keep it track-related. The upload page is here.

Tired of high gas prices? There is a solution! Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? For a company that boasts the motto "Don't be evil", Google is certainly willing to take money from hucksters.

Another Laguna Seca Video: I debated posting this, but there is one more, short HD Laguna Seca video online; drifting the Exige in T2. Fan of drifting or not, you've gotta admit Lotus has put together one hell of a forgiving mid-engined car!

Panasonic In-car cam update: The successor to the cam I originally wrote about, the TZ1, is on sale right now for $129! This is an awesome deal, if you're in the market. Check out the update on the bottom of the original in-car cam writeup for more info.

High Definition Cameras for in-car Video: Wondering what I'm using to get those great new HD videos? Check out the new writeup for all the details on how you can shoot in HD for as little as $300!

Laguna Seca Videos: Four new Laguna videos are online (3 of the in High Definition). They include a 1:42 hotlap of Laguna, 2 entertaining laps on street tires in the damp, a splittercam video, and a new "when good laps go bad" video, of a somewhat poorly-planned pointby and the consequences of such. What fun!

Willow Springs Big Track Videos: There are new HD videos online of WSIR online. Four videos just added: 1-2007 night practice at WSIR for the Tribute to LeMans race (scary!), 1-2008 Rain laps from in-car and and the splittercam (hairy!), and a 1-2008 hotlap video on street tires (slow, but still scary!). Finally, the curse is broken, and WSIR videos are online (long story).

If you are truly Formula 1 obsessed: Or just Ferrari obsessed, then this video is for you. Raikkonen tests the F2008 in the wet. What makes this video stand out is the footage in the garage, the engineers and the Ferrari bosses.

What was so great about Ayrton Senna? People who weren't watching Formula 1 during the 80's may ask this question, but anyone who's seen Senna drive doesn't. Here are three gems that will explain it all for the younger crowd.

New California Speedway Infield Video: This lap is a 1:12.6 in the Lotus Exige from the 10-2007 Speedventures event. It's a pretty tidy lap.

Sparco Seats Dimensions: It is really astoundingly difficult to find in-depth dimensions for Sparco seats, for some unfathomable reason, so here they are, for your convenience.

What's your Average Speed? An email from someone got me thinking an average speed calculator might be of some use, so here you go.

Hayashifish is back! Through a convoluted series of events that aren't worth recounting, I realized today that the old Hayashifish(tm) page I wrote long ago, which translates Doug Hayashi's always optimistic smack into his innermost thoughts was lost when SpeedVentures changed to their new site. So, without further ado, I present the same old Hayashifish in its new home.

Long Overdue Update: It's been almost two months since there's been an update to the site, though a lot's been going on: I sold Speed Ventures to Aaron Bitterman, my partner from the time we founded it together six years ago. I broke the Lotus at Spring Mountain, and procrastinated fixing it for a couple of months, and I went on vacation. Well, I'm back, and just did the first event with the Lotus since fixing it, and all went well. Expect new Buttonwillow videos from this event in the near future.

Porsche (Beck) 550 Spyder for sale: A high-res photo page of the Thunder Ranch 550 Spyder for sale is now online here. You can right-click on any of the pictures to view 10 MP versions of them.

Kubica Crash: "Kubica impacted the wall at 230 kph (~143 mph) and had a peak of 75g with only a minor concussion and a sprained ankle." Considering that not long ago 80gs was thrown around as about the maximum survivable impact, that is an impressive statistic. More info here.

Mounting In Car Cameras for track use: Due to popular demand, there's a new article on how to mount your Point and Shoot cameras for the track, for those interested.

Buttonwillow Trackday Report: There's a new trackday report from Buttonwillow (#13aCCW and 13CW) where some crazy mofo in a Z06 attempts to kill me.

New Buttonwillow Video: There's a new video of Buttonwillow #13, CW online, shot from the Exige. This lap is a 2:05.2. The best lap I had was a 2:04.1, but unforuntately I didn't get that lap on tape. I think there's a 2:02 in the car as it sits, and I think I was on my way to running it, but my good friend Brent spun his Z06 in front of me on my best lap...of course :) At least I also got his spin on tape.

Shell Ferrari Ad: Could the new Shell ad celebrating 60 years of Shell & Ferrari partnership in Formula 1 be the greatest 2 minutes of video ever filmed? If you're a car guy it just might be. See it here in the original Quicktime format, or here in Windows Media Format. The original MOV is better quality, btw.

12 Hours of Sebring GT2 Vid This is the best final lap of an endurance race I've seen in a long time. Ferrari and Porsche duke it out for GT2 honors after 12 hours of racing.

In Car Cameras for track use: There's a new article on cameras for the track, for those interested.

Horse Thief Mile Trackday Report: There's a new trackday report from Horse Thief in both directions (we ran clockwise Sat and counter-clockwise Sun). CCW splitter cam and in car videos are up on the videos page!

Laguna Seca and Willow Springs Trackday Report: There's a new trackday report from Laguna Secan on 1-24 and Willow Springs Big Track on 1-27. New videos to follow (including a WSIR session at night!!)

Two New Streets of Willow Springs Videos: Well, I've finally spun the Lotus, at Streets of Willow on Friday, and there's a video of it on the "When Good Laps Go Bad" page. Also, finally a video online of SOWS with the new "BLOWPASS" turn, on the SOWS Hotlap Videos page. The laptime was a 1:27.5; not too bad for a stockish Exige on NT01's with 5 track days and 4,000 street miles on them! ;)

What's the best track in Sothern California?: Used to be that was an easy answer, from my point of view; it was unquestionably Buttonwillow...but there's a new track in town: The Horse Thief Mile at Willow Springs. Now some of you may wonder how a one mile track can contend for best track in the area, and the answer is simple. The single most entertaining component for a track is elevation change. It's elevation change that makes Sears Point (Infineon) the best track in California, it's elevation change that makes Laguna Seca the legend it is, and HTM has it in spades. In fact, HTM is the only track in Southern Cal with real elevation change, and that makes it my new "Best Track in Southern Cal". Check out the videos page for 3 entertaining laps of the WMS Exige chasing an Elise around this most Lotus-friendly of all tracks, and check out Speed Ventures for six, yes, six weekends at HTM in 2007!

New California Speedway Infield Video: This lap is a 1:15 in the new Lotus Exige from the Time Attack! on Sunday 10-22. Oddly enough, this is the first time I've driven in the Time Attack! format, as it always happens on Sunday, when I'm usually not at the track. For those who do not know, in the Time Attack! format, you get one warmup lap, two hot laps, and it's back into the pits. Cars are spaced about 15 seconds apart and grouped by previous laptimes, so you theoretically don't have any traffic on track. I have to say it was an interesting expierence, as those three laps are not enough time to get the tires warm, so the it's slippery out there and you're fighting the car, but you've got only two laps to set a good time, so it makes for an intense experience. I was the slowest car of the fastest group, so I was last to go out. Unfortunately the fastest car of the event, Calvin Chen in his 550 HP Porsche GT2, caught up to me at the end of my first hot lap, which flustered me a bit and caused me to flub turns 1 and 2 a bit, as you're not expecting anyone around you during the Time Attack!. It also slowed his time, so he got another shot after the rest of us were done. He lapped around 4 seconds a lap faster than me...but I feel pretty good about that, since there are like 3 classes and 350 HP seperating us, though to be fair, there's also about 1100lbs :)

New Buttonwillow Video: There's a new video of Buttonwillow #25a, CCW online, shot from the new WMS 2006 Lotus Exige. This lap is a 2:09 with the new "A" turn replacing buttonhook (aka offramp). The A turn (actually 2 turns) can be seen from 2:04-2:11 in the video.

Fantastic Footwork: I just found an amazing video of Walter Rohrl driving in the 1986 San Remo Rally in his Audi Quattro E2. It's a cut-scene video showing a lot of amazing footwork, and is definitely worth a look. Note: This video may give you a messagebox about the fact it needs to launch Windows Media or whatever to play, just say "ok".

Yet Another New Spring Mountain Video: There is another new video of the 3.5 mile config at Spring Mountain online, this one shot from the new WMS Exige, which I'd just picked up the day before in Las Vegas. As you'll see from the video, the tires were clearly well past their prime, but I can still say the Exige (and Elise by extension) is the best handling, most forgiving production car I've ever driven.

Helmets for the Track There's a new article on the things you should know when buying a helmet for track events. You can check it out here.

Formula One Tribute video This is a moving, though morbid tribute video to drivers killed while racing in Formula 1 over the years.

New California Speedway Video: There is a new video of a lap of California Speedway running the full Grand Am ROVAL course now online.

New Spring Mountain Video: There is a new video of Spring Mountain (3.5 mile, longest new config) online, shot from the splitter on a rental Radical SR3. It's early in the day, so my line is not good (first time on the new track), but it's the last session shot from the splitter, so I thought it was worth posting. The new track is much, much improved over the original SM layout, the additions making it one of the more interesting tracks around, up from the least interesting previously (imho).

First Radical SR9 Delivered: The first Radical SR9 was delivered 3-24 and tested at Paul Ricard. It is running very well for a brand new car, though whether it can compete with the Porsche RS remains to be seen. P2 is going to be interesting to watch this year.

New Laguna Seca Video: There is a new video on the videos page of a clear hotlap at Laguna frm 3-21-2006.

New Buttonwillow #13A CCW Video: There is a new video on the videos page of a clear hotlap of Buttonwillow #13A CCW (includes the new "A" turns).

Nitto Nt01: The new DOT-R comp tire from Nitto, the NT01 is the real deal. I put them on the WMS T1 Z06 this week and drove Laguna Seca, cutting a full 2 seconds (!) off my previous best time, set on Kumho Victoracer V700's. The tire has better grip and is more fade-resistant than the V700, and this was running them unshaven or heat-cycled. They also seem very resistant to flat spotting, as I had a big lockup at the top of the corkscrew one lap and the tires were undamaged. I'll have more on the Nitto Nt01 soon, but they're definitely worth a look, if avail in your size.

New Track Video: There is a new video on the videos page of two S2000's displaying some mad skillz at Buttonwillow with me last weekend (last video of the "When good laps go bad" section). The second guy probably was just so focused on the first car that he followed his line right off to dropping two wheels in the dirt, but you've got to admit it makes for some entertaining viewing. My favorite part? The look my passenger gives me after it happens. Even a quick glance can say 1,000 words, it turns out :)

New Formula Atlantic Unveiled: Interesting that with Ford owning Mazda, Mazda and Cosworth have teamed up to produce the 2.3l Formula Atlantic motor for the new version of Formula Atlantic (formerly it was a 1.6l Toyota motor). Mazda is on a motorsports tear. As a long-time Mazda fan and former FD owner, I'm glad to see it!

Incredible Formula One engine video There is an amazing 2004 Renault V10 bench test video online. It is not, however, the V8 that people think it is.

Will your car insurance cover you on the track? The Internet Wisdom is that it won't, but unsuprisingly, Internet Wisdom is wrong. Read on to get the real scoop on your car insurance and the track.

So, ever heard of an LMP3? A couple of months ago I started hearing talk of a new 3rd class of LMP (Le Mans Prototype) to be added to the ALMS series in 2006. Well they've finally made the announcement, with the name actually being IMSA Lites. There are 2 classes to IL's: IL1 which allow 1.5l motors (like a super CSR I guess), and IL2, allowing 1.0l motors (DSR). Oddly, not all CSR / DSR's are legal it seems. Even worse, from my point of view at least, is that the inagural season is entirely east coast and Mid-West, no stops in the West. And here I was tempted...

Want to drive a Formula One Car? Not so much a WMS thing, but too amazing to not post. Did you know that you can actually do a (admittedly short) track day in a Formula One car? We'd never seen this before. And while $3k is a lot of money, it's actually a lot cheaper than we would have imagined.

WMS on Eye on LA: Some of you may have caught the Eye on LA piece on Speed Ventures, for those that didn't, we've put it online. The WMS silver Z06 gets some good air time during the episode, but it goes without saying our favorite part is at 1:30, when the F1-budget Pulp Racing NSX spins following the WMS Z06. Just scroll to the bottom of the videos page to view it.

WMS wins Speed Ventures Corvette Challenge Production class and takes 2nd in T5 class: WMS is proud to have built upon the success of past years in 2005. The T5 class came down to the wire, but the recent addition of new team member Anderson Loki Wurth caused us to miss the last two events of 2005, causing us to end the season 9 points behind "Rowdy" Oli T. Congratulations Oli!

WMS Ultima not dead, but almost: The WMS Ultima is down again, this time with electrical problems related to the ECU. We are ripping out the Offending British Electrics and hoping that will solve the nagging problems we've had.