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BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

An update from the President | July

31 Jul 2022 5:00 PM | Anonymous




Dear members,

Just like that, July has come and gone in a flash, and we are now well into the second half of the year.  This month we had lots of different events for everyone to enjoy. No matter what your passion is, whether driving on a track, touring our country roads, showing off your pride and joy, standing out on a flag point in icy central Victoria, or just joining a bunch of like-minded friends around a dinner table or two. July had something for everyone.

You should all now have Edition 4 of our wonderful idrive annual magazine.  Thank you to all who contributed to the 2022 edition to help make it the world class publication that it is.  Jess, our editor, does an amazing job editing and putting it all together, as does Jo, chasing everyone for stories, but it is your stories that make it as special as it is. If you haven’t received your copy yet send us an email and we’ll follow up where your copy is.

2 July saw us at Winton Motor Raceway for our yearly Cross Border Challenge with the BMW Club NSW, and Round 4 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship. We had perfect Victorian weather welcoming those from across the border where it hadn’t stopped raining for weeks! The day started out very crisp and cold but sunny, giving us perfect track conditions. The NSW Club again narrowly beat us on points to take the trophy back home again. Next year we need more of our Victorian friends to help us win it back!

5 July was our members meeting at Waverley BMW.  After some snacks and drinks and a bit of a chat, we went on a tour through the service department. It was very interesting to see under one of the new hybrid cars and compare it to a normal version of the same car on the hoist next to it.  Thank you to all the staff at Waverley BMW for staying behind and the very generous 30% discount off all parts and lifestyle products, which kept the staff very busy all night.  There were quite a few happy members walking out with some very nice goodies, including myself and Jo. It was a great way to celebrate Waverley BMW being awarded the Best BMW Dealer in Australia, having the best BMW Club in the World visit.

9 July was our Christmas in July at Sovereign Hill with the Winter Wonder Lights festival.  The weather was cold but sunny again and so many families attended to join in the fun.  This was a weekend event and on the Saturday night after the amazing light show we all had dinner and it was great to see most of our members and guests wore some amazing Christmas jumpers for our annual ugly Christmas Jumper competition. One of my favourite things about these events is having families along with the kids in tow and enjoying the varied social aspects of the club. 

For those who stayed on for Sunday we had time to explore Ballarat, some of us braving the cold in the very early morning to see the sky whales (balloons) being launched.  Well, they tried, but the wind was a little strong and one of them popped a seam, so they gave us a show on the ground anyway. After our early morning explorations, we all met for lunch and then some stayed on longer to explore further. With the Victory Arch Memorial, the Prisoners of War Memorial, Botanical Gardens, Historical Ballarat, Lake Wendouree, Wildlife Park, Eureka Centre and so much more.  Ballarat is an amazing city with so much history and as much to see. Well worth the visit if you are in the area with a few days to explore.

16 July was a great turnout for our Come and Try/Driver Training Day with E30 Racing. Another amazing winters day, with slight drizzle in the morning but after the sun came out for a fun day.  We were lucky to have Eugene Arocca and Chantel Collins from Motorsport Australia attend with VFT and help as trainee flag marshals for the day.  A huge thank you to you both.  These events are designed to give new Motorsport enthusiast the opportunity to either go on track or officiate in a more relaxed and safer atmosphere.  Thank you again for all who attended, we are so blessed to have so many officials who come along to make these days so special.  Just a few I would like to thank, Angelo Carideo, who stood out at pit exit all day on his birthday, Matt Thewlis, Andy Oosterweghel, Alex Jory, who literally were in an out of cars all day.  Without members like you guys we would not have such fantastic events.  Jesse Bryan who gave up his day to offer hot laps to members and officials, I THANK YOU. Of course, all our officials who attended on the day, I THANK YOU.  From the guys and girls in pit lane to race control, I THANK YOU.  To all the members of VFT, I THANK YOU.  To our administration team, I THANK YOU.  And lastly to all our members who attended as entrants I THANK YOU. To the E30 committee and members who came along and volunteered, took people for rides, or hopped in cars with them, I THANK YOU.  These days would be nothing if you did not attend.  This day show cased grass roots motorsport at its best with E30 Racing and VFT. Was fantastic to see so many new drivers as well as new officials, all getting a taste of what we love.

On 17 July some of us stayed at Broadford for Round 5 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship on the Sunday.  The weather was not as nice as on Saturday, but it gave our members a perfect opportunity to put everything they learnt the day before into action.  It was great to actually get out and have a drive myself, such a great little track for practicing your car control skills in the damp conditions without the worry of concrete or armco to worry about.

On 30 July we finished the month off with Shannons Insurance and their Caffeine and Cars morning.  What a fantastic turn out this was with cars lined all up corporate drive and in every available car park.  Again, another amazing winters day with the sun out.  So many of our members there and thank you again to Shannons for putting on free coffee and drinks.  What a fantastic way to spend a Saturday morning.  There were so many amazing cars out on display, not just in the showroom, but out in the carparks and street too.

Looking ahead, 9 August is our members meeting at Shannons Insurance. We’re calling it ‘Learn the Track’. This night will be for all members from beginners to more experienced.  We will have officials from VFT to explain what the flags are and the importance of knowing your flags.  Staff from Motorsport Australia who will explain the benefits of being part of this great association and what it means to be a Motorsport Australia licensed official or driver.   We will have a presentation on everything you want to know about driving, from cornering to heal and toe, and plenty of time for questions. So, bring along your notebooks and don’t be afraid to speak up.  This will be the perfect opportunity to learn more and work out what you are doing wrong on the track.  Perfect for all those members who are just starting out in E30 Racing too to fine tune their skills and maybe learn a little from some of our more experienced drivers. If you have some in car video you want us the give you some tips on, by all means, bring it along too.

12-14 August is E30 Racing round 4 at Sandown.  I know we have some of our members volunteering on flags for this event too, which is great.  No better way to learn what the flags are for than to be out trackside.

On 18-20 August Supercars are back at Sandown and Jo and I, and a few other members, will be officiating at this one.  Always a great event to go to and no better way to get up close to the action than be an official!  Let’s hope the weather is kind to us both.  Come by and say hi if you are there.

28 August is our “What Else is in your Garage” Coffee and Cars morning in Murrumbeena.  This event is to encourage our members who not only have BMWs to bring out their other beautiful cars and bikes and show us what they have.  Of course, you can bring your BMW too.  All vehicles are welcome.  Make sure you bring your membership card to gain a discount at the coffee shop nearby.

Jo and I won’t be at this event, we are lucky to have Mark McDermott running this event for us, so a huge thank you to Mark for stepping in and organising this event. We will be off to Armidale in NSW for my daughter’s graduation ceremony.  As most of you would have read, Jess is now a fully qualified and practising lawyer and due to covid and storms her graduation was put off last year, so we will be heading up to watch her graduate.  Very, very proud of you Jess.  So is the club.

We have introduced a Club Permit renewal system, where you don’t need to attend to get someone to sign your renewal.  This is going very well, and I encourage you to look into this and start using this new system.  For all renewals follow this link and email the renewal forms to cpsrenewals@bmwdcm.com.au.

Our new merchandise range has been doing really well, we sold out of the smaller sizing within weeks, so a new shipment is arriving this week. Please place your orders as these will not last. They are a larger fit than our other ranges, so take note when ordering. The long sleeve tops and hoodies are so warm it is incredible, just the thing for a Melbourne Winter and they look so good, as you will see in event photos. Great job again Jo, another fantastic design you’ve come up with.

For those who want the full set of our idrive magazine, we have done a limited re-run of edition 1 and orders can be placed here.  We also have stock of 2 and 3 for those who do not have the full set.

Some dates to put in your diaries:

Jo has been busy booking things right into 2023 already too, so keep an eye on the event notices coming through. She has some great events planned for us, both in the coming months, as well as into 2023. Always keep an eye on your emails, events often pop up that might interest you and sometimes they can be short notice, so always check the event notices we send out.

Remember we cannot run this great club of ours without volunteers. So please attend the AGM and see what you might be able to help us with to lighten the load on our very hard-working committee. It is a huge job to run a club like this and we welcome any help or input you might like to give us. You don’t need to commit to one of the four main executive committee positions, there are ways you can help us run the club, or events, with as little as a couple of hours here and there. Volunteers are the life blood of any club, so come and join us at the AGM and see what you can do to help keep DCM one of the best car clubs around.

As always, thank you for reading and thank you being a part of our journey.

Take care and I look forward to seeing you at an event soon.

Graeme Bell | President
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.

P.O. Box 81, TYABB   VIC   3913
Incorporated in Victoria #A0102695G
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc is a member of: BMW Clubs Australia and the BMW Clubs International Council
Motorsport Australia Affiliated Motorsport Club



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