NASA Challenge

1993 BMW E36 built to NASA ST5 specification to compete in 2022 in NASA for the sprint and endurance championship.

2022 E2/ST5 Challenge

Palomar Racing will campaign a BMW E36 to compete and win in NASA’s very competitive WERC E2 and Super Touring ST5 clas-ses. In addition to the Regional titles we will also run for the National ST5 championship as well as compete for the E2 class title in the grueling 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Our challenge will be formidable, can we win it all…

Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) is a NASA series run primarily in the Western US traditionally from California to Utah. The series consists of approximately 6 races ranging for 2 – 6 hours each. Winning a championship will require an ex-tremely reliable car capable of running consistently fast laps. Due to the endurance factor, it will require 2 to 3 drivers to partic-ipate throughout the season and a dedicated team to perform pit stops that are required in each event. Cars are classified to a formula based on the NASA Super Touring series. The E2 class is based upon the rules of ST5.

Super Touring is a NASA sprint series that classifies cars based on a power to weight formula. ST5 has a base LB/HP of 14/1, with penalties and/or bonuses calculated based upon modification factors chosen in the race build. Being a sprint based race series, pace is the most important factor in order to win. The car must be reliable, but it must also be extremely competitive in order to give the driver the chance to win consistently.

The BMW E36 fits Palomar Racing’s vintage background, as most competitors will be in more modern cars; in 2021 more than half the competition was fielding BMW E46’s. Obviously choosing an E36 makes perfect sense, because it will allow us to stand out from the crowd and prepare the car as we intend instead of following everyone else’s formula.

Our driver team is anchored by Nik Romano a previous NASA ST5 class champion, as well as Matt Million a previous NASA E2 class champion as well as previous winner of the 25 hours of Thunderhill. We believe this driving team will definitely give us a very strong chance of success.

2022 E2/ST5 CHALLENGERacing Schedule & Results
October 2021 ButtonwillowJan 2022 Buttonwillow—ST5 season openerFebruary 2022 Willow SpringsMarch 2022 California SpeedwayApril 2022 ButtonwillowJune 2022 California SpeedwayJuly 2022 NASA UtahNASA National ChampionshipThe 25 Hours of ThunderhillPalomar Racing Challenge Review

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