Peter Agapoglou’s Plainville, Connecticut, shop, AutoSport Fabrication, supported 13 racers—over 20 percent of the field—during the recent Watkins Glen Tire Rack BMW CCA Club Racing weekend. Roundel asked Agapoglou to describe what went into supporting that many cars at the event.
Roundel: Tell me a little about your shop, and how you became involved with BMW CCA Club Racing.
Agapoglou: AutoSport Fabrication is the Northeast’s one-stop road-racing shop. We design, construct, and maintain only race cars. We focus on BMW, but can build anything. Shaun McKenzie invited me to join about six years ago to get a feel for the club.
Roundel: What was involved in supporting thirteen race cars at the Glen? Was there prep in advance of the race at your shop—for some racers, or for all of them? If so, what did it involve?
Agapoglou: Ten of the cars were prepped recently by ASF prior to the event; the other three maintain their own cars. We perform a detailed and thorough inspection and handle any items. All cars get aligned to WGI specs, and 50 percent usually get dynoed before every race.
Roundel: What does active support at the track involve?
Agapoglou: We collect data from the drivers and their tires after every session, managing tire pressures and static setup. We address any handling issues and maintain the cars over the weekend.
Roundel: How many people do you bring?
Agapoglou: Three clients requested support—including myself. Depending on the event, it can range from one to twelve people. The rest take care of their own cars and escalate any technical questions to me directly.
Greg Miceli scored four PWR3 podium finishes at the Glen as the AutoSport Fabrication team addressed his car’s ABS issue [Susan Dobson photo]
Agapoglou: We have maintained Greg Miceli’s #828 PWR3 E36 M3 for over ten years now. The master cylinder failed during a brake bleed Friday night; we replaced it, only to have a soft pedal after bleeding. On Saturday morning we bled the brakes again, and the right front stopped bleeding—no fluid, no air, nothing! We quickly traced the problem to the ABS system. After 40 minutes of struggling, partially out of desperation, I grabbed the anvils out of two jack stands and used them to hammer on the ABS body while we bled the brakes. The right front freed up, and he was able to reach the podium twice that day!
Roundel: Which cars did you support at Watkins Glen?
Agapoglou: There was my car [a C-Modified E36 M3], that finished first in C-Mod in Race One, second in C-Mod in Race Two, and third in class in the feature race.
Greg Miceli (PWR3 E36 M3) had four podium finishes.
Oner Khera (Spec E46 330Ci) led half of the feature race, only to catch a lapper into Turn Eleven and get caught letting P2 and P3 by, leaving him in P3 for the feature. He also put down one of the fastest Spec E46 laps at the Glen in history!
We also supported Scott Glenney, who did a personal best of 2:00.6 in a lightly modified E46 M3 in C-Modified, running in a class of 370–430-horsepower monsters.
Rob McInerney (Spec E46 330i) had two podium finishes.
Greg Martin (I-Sport E36 M3) finished on the podium in the feature race.
Other AutoSport clients at Watkins Glen included James Bee (PWR3 E36 M3), Rich Brainerd (Spec E46 330Ci), Joe Fuchs (Spec E46 330i), Flann Lippincott (Spec E46 330Ci), Shaun McKenzie (C-Modified E36 M3), and Mike Wittman (Spec E46 330Ci).
Peter Agapoglou, flanked by Wayne Dobson (left) and Ross Karlin (right) received the Bud Merrill Spirit of Club Racing award for his efforts in supporting racers and assisting Club Racing leaders in addressing a scheduling issue [Susan Dobson photo]
Agapoglou: The Glen has become an annual end-of-season gathering for ASF clients. Last year sixteen clients joined us! We prepare for it all year with testing and honing in-car setups. We also usually have two driver coaches helping clients extract as much as possible out of their weekend. While we continue racing down south through December, WGI is an end-of-season race for many clients.—Brian Morgan, Roundel motorsports editor.
Top Photo: Susan Dobson
