Dear members,
I can’t believe we are already one month into 2024! We barely paused for the Christmas break and with so many events already attended, it sets the stage for what the year has to come for you all.
On 12 January we had our first drive for the year - a twilight drive leaving from Calder Park and finishing in Geelong. All attending stopped and had dinner at the Sphinx, which looked like a great venue and from all accounts everyone enjoyed the night and as always, Peter’s great drive route.
19 January was a very informal coffee, cars and dinner night at Moon Dog World, which is a brilliant venue for all ages. They have great facilities for children too and a large car park at the rear, which meant all of our cars could be parked together. It was great to see so many new members joining in with the existing members attending. We also celebrated Tim Oh’s 40th birthday on the night, which was a bit of fun. Happy Birthday Timo!
21 January was the AOMC Festival of Motoring. We had a brilliant turn out, as per usual, with a real diverse display of cars and even a motorbike. This event is always fantastic with so many great clubs attending and so many amazing cars on display at Cruden Farm.
23 January was our first members meeting for 2024 at Creative Custom Cars. Again, it was well attended. We enjoyed talking with the Creative staff about the new things they are specialising in and looking at some of the restorations happening there.
26 January was our Australia Day Drive and lunch. We are very proud to hold an event each year to celebrate Australia Day. Some years it is a weekend away, but this year was a drive through some of our beautiful countryside, finishing in Marysville for lunch at Peppers Resort. Some stayed the night to make a weekend of it while others explored the area and waterfalls and went home.
Looking ahead to February - 3 February is the Shannon’s Auto Caffeine coffee and cars event. Be sure to attend and let the staff know you are a member of our club. If you have a race car to put on display, they would like you to put it inside in the display area. If you would like to display a race car, send Jo an email and we will put you in touch with Belinda at Shannon’s.
On 10 February will be running our annual Pre-Torquay Show Drive along some great roads around Torquay.
Of course, this means 11 February is the Torquay Motor Show. This is always a great event with some of our cars also winning prizes over the years, so be sure to polish your car up! You never know..
On 13 February we will be holding our members meeting at Melbourne BMW. Please join us and see what fantastic cars they have in the showroom and explore their great lifestyle area. Remember if you are purchasing anything or servicing your car there, to mention you are a member and you will get our BMWDCM discount.
On 15 – 19 February a large group of us are heading up to watch the Bathurst 12 Hour. This year will be a lot of fun with members attending from four states and joining us in our own private suite over the pits. We have some very special extras for those attending, with grid walks, driver visits, team arage visits and a gift bag full of useful things from our wonderful sponsors for each attendee.
22 February we are doing another twilight drive, leaving from Ringwood BMW. We will be having dinner at the Coldstream Brewery. Be sure to let us now if you are attending so we can book enough tables for everyone.
We will finish the month on 24 February for our Coffee Cars and Devonshire Tea at Black Rock House. This is a limited number event, so be sure to book so you don’t miss out. There is only so much room at this very special pace, so we have restricted numbers for this event.
Upcoming dates to remember.
As you can see from the events already attended and what is on for the next month, we are very busy and offering you some amazing events this year.
The above list of upcoming dates is just a list of a few, keep an eye on our calendar to see all the great events and make sure you make a note in your diary to save the dates.
Jo and I will only have sporadic contact for the next two weeks, as we are off on a cruise around New Zealand. So if you are wanting your CPS signed, you need to contact Lawrence Glynn, or complete the online form and send to cpsrenewals@bmwdcm.com.au and Lawrence will attend to this very quickly.
We will have limited internet connectivity, so if you need us, best to send us and email and we’ll get back to you as we can.
We have a new motorsport long sleeved shirt for 2024, which has been selling very well, so check out our store to place your orders and check out everything else we have for members. Please note, any orders placed between now and 10 February will be processed when we return. For all those that come on our drives we sell UHF radios that are a necessity on some of our longer drives.
Jo has been very busy, running around securing new sponsors for our club, with some great offers for our membership.
Racer Industries are coming on board to support our track days and members with discounts and vouchers for everything you need to set yourself and your car up for track days or even racing. Welcome aboard Racer Industries, we look forward to a great relationship going forward.
Talking Beauty, owned by one of our wonderful members, Rachel Taylor, offers advice and treatments to make us all look and feel better. Pop in or call for a gift voucher to treat your loved one to something special. Make sure to let them know you are a club member, as always, to receive a club discount.
We welcome aboard also, Doncaster BMW. It is great to have one of the largest dealerships in Melbourne join us, offering not only BMW sales and service, but Mini, Motorrad and of course, Alpina. We will be doing a very special night at Doncaster BMW in April to welcome them to our club and introduce our membership to this amazing Dealership. Keep an eye on your emails for the event date and be mindful you will need to register for the event.
Kaos Custom Bikes have stepped up to sponsor our Come and Try and Driver Training Days, thanks Andy O. Make sure you talk to Andy about all your biking needs if you are into two wheeled exercise. Jo and I bought a couple of new bikes off Andy for Christmas, and they were great on our annual trip to the seaside.
Welcome also to Wrenfield Cottages in Marysville. Owned by one of our long standing members, Walter, make sure you contact them if you are visiting the area and would like to stay in the absolutely beautiful cottages in Marysville.
Thank you to all of our existing sponsors and supporters that have come back again for 2024 to support the club and you, our members. We are very grateful for the support we receive and hope that you all show your appreciation by supporting them back. Make sure you check out our club partners page and let them know you are a member and are supporting them for supporting us.
Jess will be putting the next edition of idrive together over the next month, so if you have any unfinished articles you would like to share with the rest of us be sure to get them to Jess as soon as possible via editor@bmwdcm.com.au.
As always, our Welfare Team is working away in the background, supporting some of our members in need. Remember you have someone at the end of the phone or email or even available at our club rooms, if you need a shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen, there is someone there. We are one big family, and we are there for you if you need anything.
We also announced an exciting initiative in January, our Motorsport Scholarship Program. In association with the Cooper Family and Bell Motorsport, we are offering a funded pathway into motorsport for a successful applicant, through our Come and Try and Driver Training days into sprints and on to club level Motorsport. Applications have started to come in already and we are very proud to be supporting our young members to get involved in the exciting world of motorsport.
So much going on and always something coming up, no matter what you like doing, driving, showing, getting away or just meeting up with other members and lovers of BMW. Keep an eye on your emails, as there are always lots of things happening or being added to the calendar.
Also, don’t forget, being an Official BMW Club, we have special access to BMW Classic and the BMW Museum in Munich if you happen to be traveling to Europe. Let us know your dates with as much lead time as possible so we can organise special tours and guides. One of our members is currently over there and has had a wonderful day with Matthias from BMW Classic. You will be able to read about Tim’s trip in the next edition of idrive and on our socials.
Thank you all for joining us. This is your club, so if there is anything you think would be great to share with other members, let us know. We are always open to new ideas for events or places to visit.
I look forward to seeing you at an event somewhere soon, take care out there.
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
