Dear members,
May started off with a bang with our Fifth Birthday and Annual Presentation Dinner sponsored by Kalus Kenny Intelex, held at the Park Royal. It was great to have such a huge attendance with over 80 members attending, all looking amazing in their formal wear. We had great entertainment, raffle prizes and auction items from some of our sponsors. Our Charity for the night was The Smith Family and I am proud to say that we raised $5,500 on the night from our raffle and auction items. Thank you to all who donated and purchased tickets to help with this fundraiser. It was great to have our 2022 winners there on the night as well receiving their trophies, it's always great to support our champions. It was nice to see a 15-year-old motorsport recipient and four ladies receiving awards on the night as well.
At our presentation dinner we had the honour of hearing from one of members who was involved in the publication of a great small book called Tell My Story, which is a fantastic group of stories by 4 brave men. BMWDCM will have this book in our online store for a few months for members to be able to purchase from. Limited copies available so please do not miss out.
9 May was our Shannons Insurance Simulator Challenge which again turned out to be a bundle of laughs with Killian winning by the narrowest of margins. It is anyone’s championship at the moment, you have to be in it to win it. Make sure you register for the next one on 4 July, we will be doing an American theme for Independence Day.
10 May was the first of our midweek drive days. It turned out to be a fantastic day with sunshine coming through the clouds and a great turnout of cars. Look out for the next mid-week drive event coming soon.
13 May was Round 3 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship at Sandown. The event was a late starter due to thick fog but once it cleared, we had a fantastic day.
12 May was National Motoring Heritage Day. The day started in Brighton, driving through to the National Steam Centre in Scoresby. We really enjoyed seeing all of the eclectic vehicles on display.
26-28 May was Round 3 of the E30 Racing Championship. Young Royce Lyne (hard to believe he is only 15!) showed some brilliant driving skills in the rather damp conditions to take out the round. Keep an eye on Royce, a DCM member, he will go a long way in motorsport.
26-28 May also saw some of our members attend the VIP display at the Winton Historics, joined by the BMW Motorcycle Club of Victoria. As always, the racing was great, unlike the weather. I'm told those who attended still really enjoyed the weekend.
June is now upon us, as is the start of winter. I think it may have come a month earlier than it should as we had some very cold, wet days in May.
Our annual tour this year is heading west to South Australia. We have a group of BMW enthusiasts from Melbourne and two from NSW heading across to Mount Gambia then on to Adelaide, where we will stay for nine days, with some great day trips planned for each day. It will be great to meet up with some of the members from BMW Drivers Club SA and then on the Kings Birthday weekend we will head to Tailem Bend to watch round 4 of the E30 Racing championship which should be a lot of fun. Might even have a race in that event myself, so come and watch!
Our June members meeting has not been set yet, as Jo is waiting for a confirmation on the venue so watch this space. It will be a good one!
24 June is our Alex Baxter Memorial Come and Try Day, where one lucky member will have their entry paid for them by the Alex Baxter memorial trust. There are still spots available for this event and this one is subsidised by the Club to allow new and inexperience people the opportunity to get out on track.
We are also still needing volunteers for Broadford. Please email Meg at officials@bmwdcm.com.au and let her know if you are available to attend and which position you would like to fill or if you are happy to be an instructor. It is a very cheap track day for anyone that wants to come to practice or receive instruction, as the whole day is passenger allowed.
As you can see June is a little quieter as we are away for nearly two weeks of this month so look out for events coming up in July.
Other events to remember are:
Jo and her band of helpers are busy organising German Auto Show and she will need more troops than we had last year. We are looking for volunteers at the gate, throughout the paddock, at the main stand and general helpers. This event is going to be HUGE. If you have not registered your car yet, please do so here if you are wanting to help on the day, please email Meg at offiicals@bmwdcm.com.au and offer your services. All proceeds from this event will also go to Beyond Blue.
We have already had some very generous donations from Kaos Custom Bikes who are donating a $1,500 mountain bike as one of the main raffle prizes and some AMG lifestyle products from German Auto Haus. Shannons Insurance are on board again this year with a very generous sponsorship of this event. Check out our website for the event germanautoshow.com.au for more information.
If you have a business and want to have a trade stand at this event or donate to the charity, please contact info@germanautoshow.com.au and Jo will be only too happy to chat with you.
This year we will be celebrating with our friends from BMW Motorcycle Club Victoria as it is the celebration of 100 years of the R32 motorbike. Come along and check out all the great vehicles on display.
Want to stay closer to the venue? Then check out our special deals with WestWaters Caroline Springs and be fresh in the morning of the event.
Another event we need to start thinking about and start organising is the BMW Clubs Australia Nationals in 2025 that we are hosting. Sounds a long way off, but such a huge event needs an awful lot of planning and organising, and it will need a lot of people to make it all happen. So, we are forming an organising committee to get things underway. Yes, the plan is in place, but we have lots of jobs we need help with over the next few months. If you want to be involved in organising and then running the Nationals in 2025 send an email to nationals@bmwdcm.com.au and we’ll get you on board.
A note from our Welfare team is that one of our members who has been struggling with very ill health is now on the mend and looking like we might see him out at some events in the warmer months. We really look forward to welcoming back our member at some events soon. Remember, if you know anyone who is struggling give them a call as a kind word can go a long way.
Don’t forget, we still have access to our fundraising wines, so if you need to restock your wine cupboard check out these wines and help the club raise funds for our charities.
We still have some of the summer merchandise on sale, so go to our store and snap up some bargains whilst they are still available.
Welcome to our new members. We have had a huge number of new members join this month, which is always very humbling. We on the BMWDCM committee pride ourselves on our friendship, great events and communication and we are always happy to welcome new members along for the ride.
Finally, you would have all received the latest edition 5 of idrive by now. If you have not received it, then I would check postal details on your profile on our website to make sure you are receiving our mailouts. It's a wonderful annual magazine and each year it just gets better and better, full of your stories and articles.
Drive safely and I look forward to seeing you out 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
