Thursday, September 4, 2014

August Heat and Five Miles of Thunderhill



With the new 5 mile track at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows CA freshly open, Team BTM Motorwerks came out in force to be some of the first racers to paint rubber on the new pavement.  And win. Bigtime.

Mike Shawhan - Weekend Winner



Fresh off his previous victories and leading the NASA Norcal Spec e30 Series by a fair margin, Team BTM Motorowerks driver Mike Shawhan put in a dominant performance this weekend winning both Spec e30 races from the front row.

Though he wasn't able to run testing on the days leading up to the race, Mike put his past experience in everything from indoor karts to 750hp fire breathing sprint cars up front and put the car on the front row on Saturday.  By Sunday Mike had claimed pole again, and came through with a top spot on the podium again.

Mike Sekon - USTCC Testing 



Lining up for the NASA GTS Challenge race in his gorgeous e46 M3, Mike diligently paced the mighty car around the new tight west section of the track and generated gigabytes of test data to aid his quest to place highly in the next USTCC race.

Andy Chittum & Ethan Stone - Spec e30 


Finally,  Andy Chittum returned to the #19 car for the first time in a year and a half, and Ethan Stone drove the venerable #1 car to top 10 spots in the 25 car races both Saturday and Sunday.  Stay tuned to this spot for video to be posted soon of the hard-charging action.


Team BTM Motorwerks will return in September to Sonoma Raceway at Sears Point for the last weekend of racing before NASA Nationals come to that venue in November.  More to come!

Monday, July 14, 2014

May 2014 USTCC race at Spring Mountain

May 2014 www.USTCC.com and the BTM Motorwerks racing team all travel to Spring Mountain in Parump NV, 60 miles south if Sin City Las Vegas.

Team BTM Motorwerks had Brad McClure driving the Porsche Carrera in the GT class and Mike Sekhon driving his BMW M3 in the touring class.

Special Thanks to the BTM Crew Josh Mabie (Crew Chief) and Michael Shawhan (Driver Coach) and Gary McClure (Data Acquisition specialist)

Please watch the race video and enjoy. If your interested in Racing one of our Cars, please call BTM Motorwerks for details.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vaxf1QPzKD4

Thursday, May 29, 2014

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BTM MOTORWERKS SCORES 3 WINS AND 3 SECONDS AT THUNDERHILL
NASCAR Test Up Next for Mike Shawhan10362855_10154188681415650_7584036426102402124_n.jpg


With temperatures reaching into the mid 90’s the Campbell, CA based BTM Motorwerks crew had an eventful weekend at Thunderhill as they battled the holiday heat, and their competitors, racing in both the USTCC and NASA events.


The United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC) ran a qualifying race on Saturday with BTM racer Mikee Sekhon besting the TC field and scoring the win in his M3 E46 BMW.  On Sundays feature race Mikee held the lead but was under pressure the entire race finally subcumbing to a last lap, last turn pass which left him in a disappointing 2nd place at the finish.  Mikee is now 2nd in the USTCC TC Championship.


BTM Principal Brad McClure had some issues on Saturday as the oil separator in his GT Class 996 Porsche malfunctioned and, with no spare available, forced a “call to action” by the BTM crew who used their experience, ability and skill to manufacture a suitable substitute solution in a record amount of time.  


Th BTM crew got his Porsche ready in time for Saturdays qualifying race and Brad ran a steady, safe pace finishing 2nd.  Pushing the envelope a bit more on Sunday, but still taking care of his equipment, Brad had a decent start during Sunday’s feature race but finished 2nd again, this time by a narrower margin.  


In the NASA Spec E30 class Mike Shawhan won on the track in his BMW on both days but the results are still Unofficial as there were unanswered technical issues being debated and examined on the legal/illegal aspects of the valves in Mike, and another competitors BMW.  No matter what the final decision is Mike will still retain his lead in the extremely competitive, driver oriented, BMW Spec E30 class.


Next up for Mike is an exciting test in a NASCAR stock car at Buttonwillow this Thursday May 29th which if successful will result in Mike making his NASCAR debut in the K&N West Pro Series race at Sonoma on Saturday June 21st.  


Affordable marketing & hospitality packages are available for any organization looking for exposure on Mike’s car with the very loyal and large NASCAR fan base.  Prior to the NASCAR race Mike will be racing his Spec E30 BMW at Sonoma in the NASA race weekend June 14 - 15.


Brad McClure and Mikee Sekhon will next compete for BTM in the USTCC race scheduled for Laguna Seca the weekend of June 28th - June 29th.  Both are looking to move up from their current 2nd place standings in the GT and TC classes, respectively.


Plenty of seat time coming up for the BTM drivers which means that there will be several “close to home” opportunities for local fans & enthusiasts to see the BTM team in action.












BTM Motorwerks, 1661 S. Bascom Avenue, Campbell, CA 95008, 408-369-1911

Friday, April 11, 2014

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BTM Motorwerks Perseveres at the USTCC Season Opener at Buttonwillow

BTM Motorwerks Owner/Operator and racer Brad McClure drove his Porsche 996 to a 4th place finish Saturday evening narrowly missing a podium finish in the opening race of the 2014 United States Touring Car Championship.  The 2-Hour Twilight enduro held on the 2.75 mile Classic Course at Buttonwillow Raceway Park started in the daylight at 6:20 p.m. and ended two hours later in the pitch-dark.

As reigning 2013 USTCC Champion in the TC class, Brad is going after the GT Class Championship in 2014 but this first race in his new Porsche had its challenges.  After qualifying first in the field of 26 entrants with a Best Lap of 1:55.70 Brad settled into second place in the early going keeping the leader in sight and, holding to the pre-race plan, turned laps consistently on average under the 2:00 minutes/circuit mark.

Then after 55 minutes a call came in from Brad on the radio that the Porsche had stopped and appeared to be out of gas.  After recycling the system Brad got the Porsche going again and came in for an earlier than expected pit stop.

In the rush to get back in the game we had a small gas spill during the pit stop and then the marshalls dinged Brad for excessive speed in the pit lane.  The result - a six minute extra “stop & hold” penalty in the pits for both infractions which put us out of any chance for the win.

Brad soldiered on running consistent fast laps and made up some time on the leaders but was only able to get back up to 4th at the finish.

Brad’s teammate Mike Sekhon began his 2014 campaign by qualifying 2nd in the TC class with his BTM Motorwerks built and prepared BMW M3.

Mike’s pre race optimism for a top finish faded early in the race when the control tower announced to the team that Mike’s transponder (brand new) was malfunctioning and that they were not able to record times for every one of Mike’s laps.  The crew called Mike in and reset the transponder but the situation still persisted.  This led to a finish well down in the charts because although Mike ran the entire distance and got some good seat time his his newly built M3 race car, the official results had him only doing about ⅓ of the laps he actually ran.  This was extremely disappointing for the very competitive Mike and BTM Motorwerks crew, both of whom came to Buttonwillow to win.
Brad and Mike are now looking forward to the next USTCC stop on the calendar at Spring Mt. Raceway in Pahrump, NV, May 3rd & 4th, and both hope to score class wins in their respective GT and TC category’s.

About BTM Motorwerks

BTM Motorwerks is a Diamond Certified Specialized Service Center for Porsche, BMW, Mini, Cooper, Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes with 6 Bays and plenty of parking, conveniently located at 1661 S. Bascom Avenue, Campbell, CA.

At BTM Motorwerks, Porsche, BMW, Mini Cooper, Audi and VW are our specialty so we understand & know these cars exceptionally well.  We have extensive experience in System Diagnostics, Engine Management, Antilock Brakes, Dynamic Stability and Climate Control Systems.  We can rebuild your engine or handle regular factory scheduled maintenance and everything in between.  Relax and let BTM Motorwerks be your Car Doctor.

“We’re known for our straightforwardness, honesty and integrity.  Our training, certifications and advanced tooling are all geared toward German cars, so customers can feel comfortable knowing they’re getting specialized, expert service.  We take a team approach to getting work done, and our ultimate goal is to provide high-quality work at a fair price. “Brad McClure, Owner/Operator.

Brad's porsche front view with light bar.jpg  Mike Sekhon BMW M3.jpgMike & Brad post qualifying.jpg

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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

BTM Motorwerks Racing Dominates rounds 1 & 2

Team BTM Motorwerks racing Dominates Rounds 1 and 2
 - Michael Shawhan - Driver
 - Brad McClure - Driver & Team Owner
 - Mike Cesario - http://racersdrive.com/ Marketing
 - Bill Shawhan - Crew
 - Gary McClure - Crew

Spec E30 Rounds 1 & 2

Sonoma CA, March 14 & 15.
The Spec E30 field of 24 drivers with veterans and several newbies to field which is great.
Qualifying - Michael Shawhan Team BTM Motorwerks was P1 with a 1:55.9 P2 Larry Fraisier 1:56.3 P3 Tim Barber 1:57.0 P4 Matt Row 1:57.4 and Brad McClure 1:57.8 for p5.
The start of the race was exciting. Larry almost jummped the start, then the flag dropped and Michael missed 2nd gear which let Larry get the lead with Tim in Second, Michael in 3rd with McClure in 4th. Michael was on fire and charging after Larry and Tim with McClure hot on Tim's bumper. Michael got by Tim and battled side by side with Larry for several laps eventually Shawhan got the lead.. McClure got a great exit of t11 and drag raced Tim up into T2 and it then it was a competition to see who would out brake each other in to t2. McClure thought he was the king of braking, but Tim pulled a miraculous braking maneuver that got his position back. A fuel leak on McClure's car causing massive oversteering on left turns allowed Matt Row get by for 4th and McClure in 5th.
Results: Shawhan wins Round 1, P2 Fraiser, P3 Barber, P4 McClure (Matt Row DQ'ed)  http://www.mylaps.com/en/classification/2988515?perClass=1

Sunday
Qualifying. Shawhan P1, Fraiser P2, Row P3, McClure P4, and Ferario P5
The Race: The start was clean, but Ferrario issed 2nd gear in a bad way and lost several positions. Shawhan, Fraisier, and McClure pulled away from the pack and had a fast clean race to the finish, but Reiger was making some good lap time and creeping up closer to McClure. The race was cut short do to a Miata incodent. We all hope he's OK.

Results Sunday Race : P1 Shawhan, P2 Fraiser, P3 McClure, P4 Reiger
http://www.mylaps.com/en/classification/2988518?perClass=1



Next Race is the USTCC race at Buttonwillow. Stay tuned!

Monday, February 25, 2013

It’s a New Season - 2013 NASA Norcal Spec E30 Racing

Maybe it’s just me, but it always seems the new race season starts way too early. Reading on the SpecE30 forum, everyone is getting new cars, paint jobs, engines, and my #1 car seems like sits in the trailer during the Holidays then January comes around and finally get to think about what we got to do to prepare for the next season. Luckily the #1 BTM motorwerks spec E30 only needed a quater panel and decals to get ready!

Round 1: This year Spec E30 approved a new TOYO RR1, supposedly a faster more stable tire. With e #1 car equiped with the new tires and calibrated alignment, we set a smoking qualifying time of 1:54.9 for a P1 pole position. The next time set .83 sec slower is new comer Jason Godfrey for a p2 position, 3rd place is DeeJay Raily, Bennet McMicking in 3rd, Lauren Trefethan in 4th, and the Iron Man Ferrario in 4th, Gary Reiger in 4th, and Mike Shawhan in 5th. we had 23 drivers in total.
The start of the race, The BTM car #1 gets a good launch, but Godfrey also launches good for a dragrace into turn two. Godfrey with a slight lead exiting T2 gets sidways and bumps me into the dirt allowing McMicking, Ferrario, Reiger, and Larry Frasier to walk on by. The battle of the top 5 lasted till the end of the race, with Ferrrario 1st, Rieger 2nd, and BTM in 3rd. It was a epic race with great battles. BTM Motorwerks with Brad McClure driving sets a new lap record of 1:51.1.
There were a couple typo’s in the video, sorry about that.

Round 2: Qualifying. BTM motorwerks Brad McClure takes P1 again, Ferrario P2, Godfrey P2, and Michael Shawhan BTM Motorwerks new Team Member in P4, Deejay Raily in P5, and Reiger in P6. The start of the race was clean and McClure pulled Ferarrio to T2 and began a good lead. Several alp into the race Ferrario had a grea run exiting T6 and got the inside line on McClure into T7 for the lead. After a few laps McClure got a fast exit of T11 adnd drag raced Ferrario to T12, T1, and made the pass going into T2 and lead the race to the Checker flag. Ferrario in 2nd, Godfrey in 3rd, Reiger4th, and Shawhan in 4th. It was a good clean race that the fans loved to watch.
For the season points, Ferrario leads McClure by 5 points. It’s going to be a exciting season who claems the 2013 Championship. Ferrarion still trying for a Championship, McClure going for a 3rd time Champion. Next race in 5 weeks!


-- Brad
Saturdays Race Click Here!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Team BTM Motorwerks 2012 NASA Norcal BMW Spec e30 Champions!


With two 2nd place finishes this weekend at Sears Point, Brad locks up the 2012 NASA Norcal BMW Spec e30 Championship for Team BTM Motorwerks, successfully defending the team's 2011 title.



And with a 3rd and a 4th place finish this weekend, Andy brings the #19 BTM car home in 3rd overall for the season.


Full story, Video, and more coming soon!