Dear members,
I hope you are all well.
We started February with a large group of BMW enthusiast and members travelling to Bathurst for the Bathurst 12 hour. It was great to see BMW back at the mountain again this year and to see so many BMW shirts walking around the paddock.
We were lucky to have members from BMW clubs from Melbourne, NSW, Canberra and Gold Coast join us at the event. Thanks to Jo we also enjoyed a tour of the BMW garages and got up close to the drivers and the cars.
We are looking at doing a private suite next year so watch this space.
7 February was our February members meeting at SEA Electric which was absolutely fascinating. It was a brilliant turnout and it was wonderful to see so many members just so enthralled by Glen’s commentary. Thank you again the Margaret and Warren Fairweather for putting on this night and for the lovely nibbles. All went away very knowledgeable and well fed. Just amazing that this growing Aussie business is leading the world in electric trucks and even better that they are building them here!
11 February was our pre-Torquay Motor Show drive. It was nice to see lots of people staying over ready for the event the next day. It was also great to be able to share a meal and chat with our members from the other side of the bay.
12 February of course was the Torquay Motor Show. We always have a fantastic display here and it was even better when one of our members taking out best car on the day, sadly not a BMW but still one of our members, so well-done David Pye and his beautiful Mercedes AMG Black even if it is orange!
On 12 February we also had our second round of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship at Sandown. There was a little bit of drizzle in the morning and then the sun came out for the rest of day. Thank you to all the members who just came along to support the others competing on the day.
On 17 February two of our club’s members did their OLT (Observed License Test) at Sandown and I was one of the Testing Observers. I am happy to say, even through the sweltering heat they both passed. Congratulations to them both. Well done Adam and Jesse, you now have a licence to spend more money on motorsport!
19 February was our annual family fun day, this year at Enchanted Maze, Arthurs Seat. It was another beautiful day and the weather being perfect. We hired a party pavilion so that our members had a base to come and go from. We were exhausted after walking so may kilometres and dragging tubes up and day the hill for the tube slides, but it was again great to see so many families out and enjoying club life.
22 February was our mid-week twilight drive and this time we left from the Geelong area. It was fantastic to see so many members out mid-week and again enjoying some great Melbourne weather and then a nice social night for dinner.
24 February was our monthly catch up with the BMW team in Munich. These nights are always informative and great for our members to be able to chat with the staff in Munich via the chat option on the link. The events are certainly gaining more popularity, which is nice to see.
26 February was our last event for the month. February being and a short month, but not short on events to keep us busy. This is the first time the AOMC British and European Car Show was held at Caribbean Gardens. We parked beside the other Victorian BMW Club and it was great to have so many BMWs from both clubs there. Everything from early 60’s to current cars for the crowd to enjoy.
Looking ahead, March is here and we have a full month ahead of us.
7 March is Round 2 of the Shannons Simulator Challenge. There are still spots available and even if you are not wanting to compete, pop by and cheer on the competitors. It is a lot of fun, and we would love your support behind this event.
11-12 March will be a big weekend with the Phillip Island Historic Car Display. We have a huge response for this event so far but still have room for more registrants. Get your entries in now to not miss out. Also if you are attending on Saturday you will be able to do parade laps of the track see details here.
17-19 March is the BMW Clubs Australia Nationals Hosted by BMW Car Club Gold Coast. Bookings for this event has now closed and it is looking like being a great event. Watch out for photos from us on Facebook.
On 23 March we have our last twilight drive before the end of daylight savings, starting from Westerfolds Park in Templestowe. This is a great location, and we will be starting off with a sausage sizzle and then heading off in a group to enjoy the sun set.
29 March - 2 April is the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. This year we will have 30 cars on display so make sure you come by and check out our display area.
Some other events to put in your calendar:
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7 April - Royal Children’s Hospital good Friday Appeal Coffee and Wheels. (all welcome, any makes of cars, bikes all brands)
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22 April - Anzac Long Weekend Away – Silo Tour
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6 May – Our fifth birthday and presentation dinner
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2 June - Kings Birthday South Australia 10 day tour (a shorter version will be also available just for the long weekend)
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9 July - Christmas in July – Phillip Island
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27 August - German Auto Show (this will be huge)
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23-24 November - Challenge Bathurst (a group of 55 this year)
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10 December - Christmas Show and Shine and Family Picnic
These are just a few of the larger events we have already up and ready for your entry. German Auto Show should be released within the next week or so, look out for that. We will be needing volunteers again as we are anticipating this to be much bigger that previous years. It is also great that we will be hosting at this event the 100 years of the BMW Motorcycles and R32 celebration and BMW Motorcycle Club Vic will be holding their display with us on the day.
BMWDCM have been given a great deal with the West Waters at Caroline Springs for any members who would like to stay the night before or after this event, so please go to this link and make your booking. We also have other hotels which are part of this group who will be offering our members great discounts on your stays with them so be sure to keep an eye on our members area of the website for information on that.
Both Jo and I have been working with BMWMCCV (Motorcycles Victoria) over the last year to get them more involved with joint events with us and we are happy to say that we have had a few already and look forward to having them join us at a few more. We offer a huge welcome to all their members.
We have a sale on at the moment with two of our summer polos being reduced by 50%, so be sure to visit our online store to place your orders. There is limited stock so get in early to avoid missing out.
Remember when your club registration is due, PLEASE do not leave it to a day before it expires then call us panicking that you need a signature. You receive it at least two months before it is due, and it is your responsibility to get it to us in plenty of time. We are all volunteers so you have to fit in with our schedules and sometimes if you just turn up at the club rooms we may not even be there. It is important to call and check first before driving down.
Vic roads also offer an online process which we have had operating for over a year now and this is working great. You complete the necessary form and forward to cpsrenewals@bmwdcm.com.au and it is then returned to you within a few days. Again, this is not a guaranteed immediate return as again, we are volunteers, and we could be busy or away. It is imperative you give us plenty of time to get your paperwork back to you.
All new applications must be made by appointment.
On a health matter both Shaaron and Jo are heading off to hospital to have various body parts replaced this month, Shaaron with her knees and Jo with her right shoulder, so please be patient as things will be a little slower while they are both out of action.
Jo has been working very hard to get at least the first half of the year up on the website with events and most of the other half of the year is pretty much nearly completed too. She has done an amazing job to do so, so thank you Jo.
Please also check out the Carbon Offset Scheme. Sign up and help offset your carbon output. It is a great initiative and very proud that we were involved in getting this up and running.
We would like to thank all the sponsors and advertisers who supported our Members Award Program. Please see below the sponsors and winners.
We would like to congratulate the eight lucky winners:
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Thomas Schneider
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Garry Pakenham
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Souhail Raydan
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Andrew Wallace
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Nick Benassi
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Reece Todd
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Simon Bartaby
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Tynan Corbett
On another point, we are really grateful to the members who are volunteering to help with the different aspects of the club. One area we would like to cover is videographer, we would like to set up a YouTube channel with videos of the club’s events and get more information out to new and current members regarding what we are up to. If you have skills and time in this area, please contact us for a chat.
We are happy to say that we now have some Facebook series captains, E30, E36, E31 and we need a few more, again, chat to us about it if you are interested. If this is something you feel is up your alley, please let us know and we can set this up on Facebook and make you a group moderator.
What will this entail to be a captain, basically as much or as little as you wish. Holding the odd meet up with your series at a coffee shop on a weekend, making sure the content on the Facebook page is up to standard and not breaching any of our social media rules, helping with technical advice or directing the member to the appropriate areas to find this, that sort of thing. It does not need to be a full time job, just a casual group who get to meet up from time to time and chat about all things BMW. Occasionally we do get a call out from BMW Head office for a specific type of car, so this is where these groups will work, being able to just target a small group rather than the whole club.
Our Welfare team is also quietly working away in the background and helping out where required. If you need anything at all, please get in touch with one of the Welfare Team. welfare@bmwdcm.com.au.
We are off to a fantastic start to what will be an amazingly busy year, I look forward to seeing you at an event somewhere soon.
Graeme Bell | President
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.
PO 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
