BMW 116i Trophy Build
BMW 116 Trophy Race Car
The Gaz Shocks 116 Trophy is a competitive one make endurance race formula. Dedicated to the BMW 116i, holding events across the UK’s most historic circuits and in partnership with the 750 Motor Club, the 116 Trophy is the country’s fastest-growing RWD Endurance series.
Anthony Seddon has been involved in the series from the very beginning both as a competitor and assisting the series organisers in the development of the 116 Trophy car. With a competitive nature Anthony and his teammates have achieved great success in the championship with multiple podium finishes and outright wins.
The car is the E87 BMW 116i, a great road car, and even better race car. An affordable, readily available car is between £700 and £2000. To get on track the mandatory modifications have been kept to a minimum. A roll cage, race exhaust, suspension change, ECU and set of control Nankang tyres along with basic safety equipment is all you need - but where on the grid will you be? Front or back?
After many years of motorsport experience it’s clear to see that some people are happy to compete whilst others want to win. If you are in the winner category a quickly assembled road car isn’t going to get you the success you deserve.
Anthony and his team specialise in building regulation compliant BMW 116 Trophy race cars with that same attention to detail shown throughout the organisation. The following is a basic overview of some of the work completed to create a potential race winning car.
This particular car built for the 2021 season for drivers Dave Whitmore and Simon Walker-Hansell started life as a non-runner road car that we collected from Hereford. The car was a good example with a clean and tidy underside and minimal scuffs and damage for a 2005 model. The engine was due to undergo a full rebuild so we were unfazed by the prospect of it being a non-runner.
The car came into the workshop and was fully stripped of its interior, engine and drive train. The car underwent a complete rationalization of the wiring loom to remove unwanted wiring and thus minimize the risk of future issues. All sound proofing was removed and any other lightening that can be carried out as per the technical regulations for the series. All of the necessary fabrication was completed to enable a perfect roll cage fitment with dashboard neatly cut away to allow the cage to pass through to the floor mounts. Repainting where necessary and a general tidy up of the cockpit area to give a good comfortable and safe race car cockpit interior. The fitment of essential safety equipment including a lightweight race battery, extinguisher kit, race seat and harness were all completed. The customer also specified a Racelogic V-Box installation which we carried out during the build.
To be competitive it’s essential to renovate, repair and replace various suspension components including removal of the rear sub-frame for the fitment of poly bushes. This in itself is around a week’s work for one man to complete. The series specified Gaz shocks were fitted to the car along with a Klarius exhaust system. New braking components including discs and racing brake pads were installed and all propshaft components and drive shafts replaced for new.
The engine underwent a complete strip and rebuild where we located the original engine issue and replaced components as necessary. We have seen repetitive issues with the 116i engine that has potentially covered around 100,000 road miles in its life and we are fully conversant with where to look for trouble and rectify it before you get on track.
We finish the build off with wheels and control Nankang tyres. We have a local graphics company and access to a graphic designer to add your racing/corporate wrap to the car and make it look racy!
Finally we apply our expertise to the basic car set-up. Having completed hundreds of hours in testing and racing with our own car, we are fully compliant with getting the best from these cars. They are extraordinarily sensitive to change and to get the car in a potential winning window requires some delicate and accurate adjustments in geometry and suspension settings. If we build your car then you not only get the benefit of this knowledge but also the ongoing knowledge we have gained on a race by race basis in all weather and circuit conditions.
