We catch up with longtime friends of Fast Car and 2018’s TRAX headline sponsor MMR Performance to find out what the company is all about, what’s planned for the show, and what makes Director Max Marshall tick…
Q) Hey Max, so it’s been a big year for MMR in 2018, what have been the highlights?
A) We have officially launched to the public and attended shows throughout the year with our fleet of demo vehicles and product displays, meeting many fellow enthusiasts along the way. We have also been developing and testing our very own product range in house using our extensive knowledge in this field.
Q) What are your plans for the rest of 2018 and 2019?
A) I’m excited to announce that MMR’s own branded products will be available to buy from October, with the full range officially launching in January 2019. We will also be moving on some of our current development fleet to make way for some new exciting cars. We will be heading out to SEMA in late October to keep ahead of tuning developments. It will also be an opportunity to work closely with the people who will be supplying our products in the US. Our brand new M2 competition car will also be getting a large number of upgrades, so keep a look out for that on a track near you soon!
Q) Tell us more about Betty and her sole purpose – other than being an awesome demo vehicle for MMR Performance.
A) I started building Betty as a demo vehicle to promote my single seater racing and to be able to thank my sponsors who have supported me by taking them on track in something exciting. But there is more to me than driving cars at speed around a race track, Betty signifies my passion for working on and setting up vehicles too. After being injured, which halted my racing career, Betty was delayed in being completed. But it has been a great flagship car for MMR and many of the great relationships I have built with suppliers are down to working with them on the build. When we have a little more time, we will try and do more and more events and demos with it, as we know that’s what people want to see. I also want to show off the quality of workmanship that has gone into the build.
Q) What made you want to get involved with TRAX and what have you got planned for the show?
A) Having attended TRAX for many years and having a long-standing relationship with the people that make the show happen, it looked to be the perfect show to reveal a bit more about what we do and what we have planned for the future. TRAX is the biggest one-day performance car show in the UK and has been established for such a long time, that I don’t feel there is a better show for us to be associated with. We plan to have our full fleet of development vehicles on display, with the majority of our BMWs on our stand in our BMW Paddock area, along with some of our customers’ cars on our stand in the trade village. We may be BMW tuners most of the time, but that doesn’t mean we don’t get other makes and models through the door, from the likes of Range Rovers, Mercs, and VW to Audi, Abarth, and Porsche etc. We also plan to have some of our vehicles on the track and during our MMR versus Fast Car track session.
The Evolution of MMR
MMR Performance Director Max Marshall was born with racing in his blood. From a young age, Max honed his driving skills at his family’s old airfield, Max then went on to compete in the British Formula Ford Championship before moving to the British Formula 3 Championship where he won numerous accolades, including multiple podium finishes.
In 2016 Max decided to put his racing experience and relationships with world-renowned brands to good use by setting up MMR Performance, a tuning shop and garage that specialises in German cars, specifically those of the BMW and VAG variety, with MINI coming soon (they are a Master Distributor for Racingline Performance’s OEM+ Software and hardware).
As well as being stockists of industry leading brands including Bilstein, Eibach, Alcon, Eventuri, Remus, Milltek, and Scorpion, MMR Performance has now started developing its own product line including MMR+ software, MMR Performance paddle shifts and MMR Performance intercoolers. There’s plenty more on the horizon too, so keep your eyes on their website for updates and new product releases.
MMR Facilities & Services
Whether you want an informative dyno reading or a complete custom software calibration, the team of master calibrators at MMR are equipped with the knowledge, experience and toolset to ensure an impressive and reliable outcome of your chosen tuning package. Whatever your needs, be it gaining more power or driveability from your car or maybe increasing the vehicle’s miles per gallon, a team of expert engineers are on hand to help and advise on the products that are best suited to your vehicle and budget. MMR can tailor services and packages to meet your requirements, whether it be a fast road, race or track car, or an immaculate show car.
The staff at MMR Performance have invaluable experience developing and perfecting engine management software. This experience and knowledge allows MMR Performance to unlock the ultimate results from your vehicle.
Operating in the heart of the Midlands, from its premises at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, MMR Performance has the unique advantage of access to a full testing facility including a two-mile straight for acceleration and brake testing. And all of this is just meters away from its purpose-built workshop, boasting the latest diagnostic and fitting equipment.
MMR Also Offer…
• Full fitting service for hardware.
• Tracking, setup, alignment and advice.
• Software Calibration/ Remapping.
• We are on hand to give support via phone or email.
MMR Demo Cars
MMR’s flagship demo vehicle is the track-prepped, twin turbo M60 V8 E30 that goes by the name of Betty. The car was first put together back in 2012 to compete in the British Drift Championship, but after lying dormant for over a year, Max decided to rebuild the car in early 2014 and it is finally nearing completion. The spec is insane and we can’t wait to see Max back behind the wheel of this crazy BMW E30 again.
To complement Betty, MMR has a range of road-going demo vehicles that all showcase MMR Performance’s products, including a BMW 1M, BMW M4 GTS and its very own Racingline Performance Audi S3. The vast majority of these cars can be seen on the MMR Stand at TRAX. They’ll also be on track during the MMR versus Fast Car track demo at 12:00 noon. And you don’t want to miss that!
TRAX sponsored by MMR Performance, the ultimate performance car event, is coming to Silverstone on 7th October 2018. See you there!