BTM MotorWerks

After their first USTCC podium and a 2nd Place at NASA Nationals in 2007, MMM has spent 2008 doing some serious reworking of the chassis of the 318ti. Taking cues from the late 80s DTM cars together with BTM Motorwerks has the car is now lighter, lower, and more consistent. Results this year have demonstrated the value of this work.

In April at Infineon raceway, Chittum qualified 4th, and jumped to 2nd by the end of T2. Ultimate pace still eluding the dynamic driver, he faded back to 6th, but in a late-race charge managed to get the car back up to 4th passing Rod Rojas and Pete Bovenberg late in the race. In June at Infineon raceway, with full support of BTM Motorwerks, Chittum qualified 6th in a large USTCC field. Once again Chittum's LeMans Karting tuned skills saw him dive into 3rd place by T2 and slot into a solid 4th by the end of the 1st lap. For the entire race, Chittum's task was now holding off two former series champions Tom Lepper and Dave Brown driving faster Spoon Opak cars. The battle with Dave Brown for nearly the 1st half of the race ended up with Dave sneaking inside on the exit of T10, and getting the coveted inside line at T11. Chittum came back several times with Brown's car suffering from Chittum's pressure, but in the end, the former two-time series champ got a small gap that couldn't be bridged. Then the crafty veteran Tom Lepper attacked. Up until the last lap the BTM Motorwerks 318ti and the former series-winning Spoon Opak JDM Integra battled, with each car getting the upper hand at various parts of the track. Finally, Lepper managed to squeeze by in lapped traffic and make the pass count.

While posting a 5th place finish for the race, Chittum's driving gained praise from both the former champions. "You did everything right." Brown grinned at Chittum after the race. "You are one of the most difficult people I've ever had to pass." Lepper smiled, high praise considering his long and illustrious racing career. For his effort and daring start, Chittum won the Molecule Keep It Clean Move of the Race award. Looking to the past 6 USTCC races that Chittum has particpated in, his hard-charging style has brought home more Move of the Race awards than any other driver, gaining the award in nearly 50% of the time. Be sure to catch Mad Man Motorsports at Thunderhill August 24th, where the team will be back with updates to the car ready to battle for those hotly contested podium positions.