Dear Members,

Wow! Christmas is done already! Where did 2018 go?

Who would have thought this time last year what 2018 would bring? Here we are on the cusp of 2019 and we are very close to hitting 300 members!  I just can’t express how proud I am of our little club and how much it has grown in such a short time.  Thank you all for coming on board and supporting us to give you what you want, to make this the best car club we can, for you.

We had our final club meeting for the year at Waverley BMW in December, thank you to the Staff there for looking after us and showing us around the dealership, what an amazing place!  Keep an eye on the 2019 calendar, as we will do another meeting there to have a closer look at the drive-in-drive-out repair system and the wheel repairs they can do in house.  It was great catching up with the members that came along and won a few prizes too.  Remember, always bring your membership card to go in the barrel for a prize at all of our meetings.

The first weekend of December was our first interstate inter-club event, with members from BMW Drivers Club NSW, BMW Car Club Canberra and our own BMWDCM members, all meeting in Albury for a two-day run through the high country on fantastic driving roads, up and down the mountains.  It was a great weekend away and one we will definitely do again next year!  It was great to see friends from the other clubs and making new ones that share the passion for our wonderful cars.  If you missed this, put it in your calendar for next year, as we will be making it an annual inter-club event.  There were 2 different driving routes, one with more twists and turns for drivers to enjoy (not so sure all of the passengers would think they were as good though?) and the other more leisurely for those that came for the drive through some equally lovely countryside, without so many bends.  Read more of the stories about the events on the blog.

The second weekend of December saw a few lucky Members at Phillip Island for the last round of our Driver’s Championship.  It was a very popular event so not many of our members were able to get a spot.  When considering your entry in our 2019 calendar, ensure you get in quick to avoid missing out.  Final results for the year will be up on the website soon.  Our 2019 Drivers' Championship calendar is now online.  Our Driver Training and Come and Try dates will be up soon too!  We have quite a few bookings in place to run our own events at tracks and other venues next year, we will also do a few events with AROCA to spread out the year.  The first round will be at Sandown with AROCA - entries are out now, so get your entry in, and we’ll see you there on 16 February.  If you don’t want to drive but still want to be involved, we need lots of people to get their CAMS Official’s licences and help us run the events.  There is no cost involved in getting an Official’s licence, but it is a great way to be involved and come and help your club and other members enjoy our shared passion.  Call or email me if you want to now more about becoming a CAMS Official.

In December we also had an impromptu coffee, cake and cars meeting at Cooee Café in Capel Sound.  It was a great spot and we will be using them again for a coffee stop on runs down the Peninsula.  There was plenty of parking, fantastic meals and great coffee.

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and have a safe and Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing you at one of our events in 2019.  We have lots of very special events in the planning for new year and beyond, so keep an eye on the calendar and emails so you don’t miss any of them.  The first one being the Eastlink Great Australian Rally to Cruden Farm - one not to miss, there will be some amazing cars there to see, both from our club and others.

Thank you all for a fantastic start to the club’s life, we look forward to seeing you in 2019!

Take care and drive safe.

Graeme Bell | President
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.

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