Is this the ultimate street legal Time Attack E46 M3? Lap Meta Drivers Spotlight - Dustin Furseth
Edition #3: Dustin Furseth and his BMW E46 M3 Street Legal + Global Time Attack Car
LapMeta Drivers Spotlight: Dustin Furseth
Can you build a car that’s still street legal yet competitive in Global Time Attack? Dustin Furseth might have built the ultimate blend of practicality with performance.
performance.
Cars are certainly unique based on the modifications that each owner tastefully chooses. Some mods are focused around aesthetics. Others are based on performance. The blend of both comes together to create something beautiful sometimes. Dustin Furseth’s silver BMW E46 M3 is a fine example of this.
He classifies his M3 as a dual purpose build that is still streetable yet competitive at Global Time Attack events in the competition Street class. It’s no easy feat to accomplish this, but we feel Dustin has done it to perfection. His car maintains its Bavarian roots while exuding its own sense of swagger and class.
A few highlights of his build:
- MCS 2-way adjustable dampers
- Ground Control competition coilovers, sway bars and endlinks
- Ground Control camber plates, arms, and tower mounts
- Bimmerworld 18x10” TA16 wheels
- Bimmerworld carbon CSL plenum & headlight delete intake duct
- Bimmerworld lightweight flywheel and (clutchmaster) ceramic clutch
- Rogue Engineering resonated v2 section 1 & 2 exhaust
- Agency Power section 3 muffler
- Fabspeed headers
- Recaro Pole Position NG seats
- PB 380mm front/356mm rear BBK
- PFC brake pads
- Yokohama ADVAN A052 295/30ZR18 tires
- Custom 4-point roll cage
- CSL carbon fiber roof and headliner
- CSL trunk and rear diffuser
- RSFuture carbon front splitter
- APR GT-250 61” wing
- Mishimoto radiator, oil cooler, and AN lines
He purchased his car in May of 2016. The same month his son was born. Since then it’s been a labor of love evolving it to its present state. He got his start in HPDE events when he attended his first Hooked On Driving event. “I did three events that first year, and as their name suggests...hooked. I slowly ramped up my yearly participation in local HPDE clubs and in 2020 moved into the competitive world of Time Attack. Specifically, GTA's first pacific northwest event at the Ridge Motorsports Park. I used the Street Class rules to build my aero package, and heavily modified the suspension, engine, interior, etc.”
As time progressed he explored other series and continued to focus on doing more competition events. “In 2021, I also entered the OnGrid shootout time attack series and won GT Class at their first Oregon event (The Oregon Cup) at Oregon Raceway Park. Later that year I also won OnGrid's first Washington event, RidgeWars, in the Street Class. In 2022, I am planning on competing in both OnGrid Shootout (five PNW events) as well as Global Time Attack events in Washington and California (Buttonwillow).
Having achieved some success winning some local events Dustin believes that the coaches that have sat next to him have made a huge difference in shaving lap time. “There is no substitute”, Dustin says. “I also record and watch videos but it's not the same as a fresh set of eyes and ears to see things you don't even realize. Data analysis is great now that I've elevated my driving skills but I've only started looking closely at data in the last 18 months.”
However Dustin understands that racing isn’t all about the competition saying that “motorsports is very much a hobby for me. I love driving and it's opened many unexpected doors in my life. A huge community of friends, support, and encouragement. I was recruited to be a driver in a LuckyDog endurance car owned by a team. Just getting some true wheel to wheel race experience has been eye opening. I have also always documented the evolution of my car and driving via a public profile instagram account. It started as a way to document modifying and driving an E46M3 time attack car for fun, and has now snowballed into much more, attracting sponsors, event organizers like OnGrid and GTA, and has deeply rooted me in both the E46M3 community (DIY, forums, car clubs) as well as the PNW racetrack culture.”
Dustin recently suffered a significant engine failure where a rod snapped and one of the piston’s ejected the engine. What blew him away was the immediate outpouring of support from the local track and car community. “A group of 20+ people, without me knowing, put together a small fundraiser to help me start the rebuild. Some of these people I barely know outside of a nod or "good luck" at the track.” He commends the track community as a whole for what they do to support one another. “The people: my friends, competitors, event organizers.. Everyone just has each other's backs and it makes all the difference in the world in a sport that takes so much time, money, and dedication to participate in”.
Dustin’s approach to motorsports is obviously well received by his peers based on the amount of support that was garnered after his motor failure. His execution of a streetable track weapon is something we admire. These are the types of builds that resonate with people and inspire them to want to join the track community. It’s obvious you can have the best of both worlds if you’re diligent with your modifications and keep a car true to its roots without going crazy on custom mods.
They sometimes say a man or woman’s car often fits his or her personality. That theory seems to be proven true with Dustin and his BMW E46 M3.
Follow Dusty on Instagram: @dusty_m3
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Check out his onboard video from Dustin’s favorite track, the Ridge Motorsports Park, on LapMeta here:
https://lapmeta.com/en/lap/detail/16