Just read my June edition of the BMWCCA "Roundel". I don't know if anyone cited the club's road test of the S2k, Boxster S and Z3 (M) but nice things were said about OUR car:
"I would be happy to own any of these three great sports cars...If I were picking a car to take to the track for a day, I would choose the S2000. It is a special car and is the purest sports car in this group." (Coming from BMWCCA, I accord this compliment special value.)

Some negative commentary was made with regard to the need to rev the S2K but the BMW people also stated:
"At the heart of the S2000 is a masterpiece of a little 2.0 liter four-cylinder motor". Now to BMW people and I have been and still am one, the mention of a masterpiece four-banger calls forth images of the late 60s/70s, when another masterpiece 2.0 liter in a little sedan called a 2002 saved BMW from bankruptcy and forever changed the direction of automotive performance.

Bottom line - it's nice always to know what the other guy (in this case the BMW guys) are thinking. As a member of BMWCCA for over 25 years, I've never seen them praise a non-German car like this. I'm also a member of PCA for even longer - Now if only those guys could come around and say something nice! NOT GONNA HAPPEN THOUGH, although old timers like myself will tell you the S2K is more in line with Ferdinand Porsche car design philosophy than anything Porsche is now producing.

 

How bout scaning the article for those of us who aren't BMWCCA members anymore. I'd really like to read it.

 

The mags can say all they want however...

I was at the track on Sunday and the BMW folks LOVE our cars. They were lining up several deep to get a ride. My instructor, who drives an E36 M3 spent more time behind the wheel that I did!!! I have the palm prints on my dash where he would slap the dash and say "Yeah Baby!" to prove it. He even took it out in the pass anywhere group FOR THE WHOLE SESSION with me as a passenger. I didn't mind because it gave me a solid demonstration of when this baby can do in the hands of an excellent driver.

That said there was one place on the track where low end grunt could have really helped. Turns 3 and 4. Turn three was heavy braking follwed by a 70 mph uphill climb to turn 4. It's too fast and unsettling for 2nd and too slow for 3rd. That was a painful cause there was simply no power to get up that hill at that speed. However we could easily make up for it elsewhere on the track. You won't set records without some boost that's for sure but it's a hell of a lot of fun. Every track is different and the S2000 will do better on some and worse on others, just like all cars.

Video of the track here --> https://www.s2ki.com/library/movies/mov/1lapwsir.mov

 

I was at Texas World Speedway this weekend. There were two silver s2k's there, and they were running pretty fast. It's a fast road course and lends itself to the high revving nature of the s2k.

One thing I noticed, however, was that both s2k's ran off the track. One had two spectacular spins. One spin was the high speed decent (100+ mph) off the straight into turn one. Multiple rotations. I talked to the driver afterwards and it seems that he was slightly turning getting set up for the left hand sweeper, while braking. His car slapped him silly for the bad inputs, as he went into a crazy spin. (I was in my instructors Z06).

Despite the fine racecar handling of the s2k, I was glad I was behind the wheel of my more forgiving M3 for my first drivers school rather than my prior s2k. Maybe after more experience, I'll yearn for the precision and agility of the s2k, but for now, I'm afraid that I'd get in over my head with it.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by frayed
[B]One thing I noticed, however, was that both s2k's ran off the track.

 

Hey cdelena,

I wish I got a chance to talk to you there. . .all the input from more experienced track junkies helps!

Yeah, I thought there was a third one there, but I didn't see him (I guess you) on day two. The other two definitely had some spins. I saw both, while in the blue run group with two different instructors. It sounds like you were running in the white group.

I don't know if you ran with Mike in his black Z06, but he is scary fast. His wife, Julie, who also runs in the white group is an accomplished driver herself. Both can break the 2's on that course.

Did you show up with a trailer? I could have sworn I saw one s2k come in later in the morning on Sat. with a trailer and race tires....not sure, it could have been the 911 in garage 2.

 

The PCA guys don't just hate the S2000, they also hate the current Boxster and aren't big fans of the 996. They are old fogies living in the past. Ignoring them is the best thing to do.

 

This subject is the topic of discussion amongst S2000 drivers at TWS every event. Peter and I were both a bit frustrated with turn six, a left hander on to a short straight. Seems we both lose ground to other cars because the best we were doing was about 7K rpm in third with low momentum and wasting much of the straight coming back up to power.

An interesting discussion with one of the instructors pointed out that drivers could work less hard in a car with more low torque in these corners. In fact he told a funny story about a beginner than came in a drove a decent time (relatively) with a Viper even though he was never on the line. With giant tires and gobs of torque he just drove the middle of the track!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by frayed
[B] It sounds like you were running in the white group.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jo-s2k
[B]
Bottom line - it's nice always to know what the other guy (in this case the BMW guys) are thinking. As a member of BMWCCA for over 25 years, I've never seen them praise a non-German car like this.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by frayed
[B]Hey cdelena,

I wish I got a chance to talk to you there. . .all the input from more experienced track junkies helps!

Yeah, I thought there was a third one there, but I didn't see him (I guess you) on day two.