Welcome to the start of a series of blog posts where we showcase RaceCapture/Pro customers. This week we’re starting with Scott Barton, one of our early customers and passionate users. Scott lives in New Jersey and competes in BMW CCA, SCCA and various other series.
What’s your racing history?
I started autocrossing in 1999 and did my first track event later that year. I did a lot of autocrossing, but only 1 or 2 track days a year until 2005 when I got more serious about doing more track events. I became an instructor in 2008, and started racing in 2009. I race with BMW CCA, SCCA, 24 Hours of LeMons, Chumpcar World Series, NASA, and NARRA. I won the Chumpcar 25.5 hour race at Nelson Ledges in 2011 and won the 24 Hours of LeMons at NJMP 2012 with my team Duct Tape Motorsports, as well as many other podiums. I started coaching for Monticello Motor Club and New Jersey Motorsports Park as well as private coaching in 2013. I’ve also done bracket racing, drifting, land speed racing (record for 2.0l forced injection), and hill climb racing.
What region / location / tracks do you currently race at?
I’ve been to New Jersey Motorsports Park, Mid Ohio, Virginia International Raceway, Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, Monticello, Carolina Motorsports Park, Autobahn, Road America, PittRace, NHMS, Pocono, Nelson Ledges, Summit Point, and Shannonville.
What class do you compete in?
I mostly do endurance racing with BMW CCA Club Racing, ChumpCar World Series, 24 Hours of LeMons, and SCCA. I also do sprint racing with BMWCCA.
What are your future racing related plans?
I would like to work with other teams to help them win endurance races as well as do more coaching. I really love working with people who are enthusiastic about this sport.
What cars do you currently drive?
My current race cars are a 1991 BMW 318is and a 1974 BMW 2002tii with M42 swap. I also have a 1984 Porsche 911 track car.
Any previous race cars?
I’ve owned or raced a Toyota MR2 Turbo, Porsche 911, BMW M Roadster, BMW E30 318is, BMW 2002tii, BMW E36 M3, BMW E46 M3. Favorite car I’ve tracked though would be a Ferrari 458 Italia. 🙂
In what areas are you using RaceCapture/Pro to fill in those data knowledge gaps (engine, driver behavior, etc) to help you drive faster?
I originally got RaceCapture/Pro + Telemetry just for the Telemetry aspect to monitor our endurance race cars health and status. It actually saved us and helped us get on the podium twice last year. I have also been able to use it to analyze the data after the race to get better insight into our fuel consumption and other aspects and allow us to better refine our strategy for future races. I have been using data logging for many years to analyze my driving and help make me a better driver, but I am really looking forward to all of the new features that RaceCapture/Pro is putting into their software, especially their live lap analysis. I plan on using RCP+T for coaching from now on, instead of my other data logger. I think it will be a very powerful tool to be able to give race drivers immediate feedback. I love that the developers at Autosports Labs are actively listening to their customers and working with them to provide the new features and functionality that we want.
If you were any race track in the world, what race track would you be?
VIR, it’s probably my favorite track, although the Nurburgring is at the very top of my bucket list.