Just wanted to send Jo and Graeme and the BMWDCM a special thanks for your incredible support and efforts in asking members of the BMW Drivers Club Melbourne for trackside support at the recent Island Magic event at Phillip Island, particularly at such short notice.

Please pass on our heartfelt thanks and appreciation on behalf of myself and the VFT to Adrian White, Chris Allen, Marlin & Simon Lee for their amazing efforts. The guys fitted in with the team very well and were excellent contributors to the weekend.

It was a pleasure to work with them all and without their support and enthusiasm it would have been difficult to provide the service the VFT is renowned for.

Again, thank you to the BMWDCM for your assistance, we take this opportunity to wish you and the entire BMWDCM family a very Merry Christmas and safe and prosperous New Year.

Mark Thompson | Chief Flag Marshal
Victorian Flagmarshalling Team Inc

Event date: 16-17 July 2022

I’d only driven the Broadford track once before, so I was keen to deploy those skills & improve my lap times.

We also gifted a birthday track day to Jenny’s eldest kidult (Jay) & partner (Cozzie). That demanded more cabin space so Jenny drove my E93 and I in the Toyota 86 (all marques welcome). The 86’s race suspension made it a harsh ride, but it was an uneventful drive up.

We met the DCM crew for Friday dinner at the Broadford Hotel, a 10min walk from the Sugarloaf Motel; so DUI was eliminated.

Day one was a “come & try day” and was overcast and cool, with rain forecast so it was going to get interesting, especially for the newbies.

I was feeling apprehensive about teaching the kidults in my 86, so I expected to have someone else do the coaching. At the briefing we got the details of the rules and running order and as it turned out the newbie numbers were up & coaches were stretched, so I just went with it & did the coaching (good decision).

I conducted the orienteering laps, explaining “cut here, stay wide there, adverse camber over the top , watch the outside (it falls away)”. Then I got a bit more focussed on a real session (just to warm up the car ;) ).

The coaching laps kicked off and my appreciation rapidly turned to solid enjoyment of the coaching role (not rolls, Phew). 

My day then got busier, as I also coached a newbie from the AROC, who had me coaching in a CX3 Auto, not my 1st or 100th choice of track car, but it was great to hear from Yit Yuan (Eatyen) that she was there to learn about how her car performed at higher speeds on straight & corner (she certainly got that).

The students listened & tried. Mistakes were made improvements were rapid.

We reviewed & planned on the whiteboard back in the office, discussing lane position, braking strategy and turn-in locations.

My nerve held across the 3 students and I only had to slap the dash “BRAKE!!” A couple of times. I got back in the zone via my own fun behind the wheel too, which added up to a very busy day.

More DCM fun at the hotel for dinner, with even a birthday cake (thank you so much for that surprise!).

Day 2 (Sunday) was a bit more serious, both in driver experience and weather (lots of rain). Whilst lined up for my 2nd session I thought I spotted an E30 in the group, which wasn’t in the first session. I then found it chasing me down the home straight, it could only be our President (Graeme Bell). I pushed hard around turn 1/2 in the rain and backed off when I felt the rear end go light. I had nervous fun for the rest of the session, then Graeme came for a chat in the paddock. “Play with the oversteer in the wet, push to the light-feeling then feather the gas to maintain that slide, enjoy it [rather than avoid it]”. I took that advice to my next sessions & I had so much fun! Yes, I lost the rear end on that adverse camber section, but I kept it on the black stuff. 

What a weekend! Great fun with the DCM crew, some teaching skills developed, some awesome lessons & track time for me.

Thanks Jo and committee for giving us the chance to safely “give it the berries”.

Martin Taylor | Member #598
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Event date: 11 November 2022

I must admit as this was the first time I had attended an Oktoberfest event, I wasn't sure what to expect. But it turned out to be a lovely and relaxed evening for the young (and young at heart!) to enjoy each other's company, swap stories, and enjoy a hearty meal of exquisite German food (and of course, sample some superb German beer, cider, or wine).

Although the weather was on the cool side and threatened to rain, the car park was filled with a fine variety of German cars to admire - including a Bell Motorsport racing BMW, Porsches, Mercedes, and of course several classic and modern BMWs. 

Thanks to all Members who organised or supported and participated to make this an enjoyable evening.

Richard Van Essen | Member #946
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Every time I’ve thought about writing this article, I wanted to use that title – “Fun with flags” … and for the geeks out there, yes – it always makes me think of Big Bang Theory! Although that is where the similarity ends.

I decided to try flagging as my partner, Martin, is always going to track events and I’m either tagging along or don’t go because he’s not on the track and just chin-wagging. I’ve been really enjoying my time at the track and add to that super enjoying the BMWDCM community, so I wanted to be more a part of it – but I didn’t want to drive.

There is always a need for volunteers, so I signed up. I didn’t expect to be flagging. I thought I’d get an admin / numbers task, given my accounting background. The first volunteer opportunity asked of me was flagging – I was thinking ‘I have no clue!’, but Jo assured me I would be trained, and she was more than true to her word.

I was buddied with Andy and lucky enough to be at start / finish for the morning, which gave me great exposure to that flagging element. Andy was great in training me in all the flagging requirements, even those that weren’t needed on the day. With the combination of my inquisitive nature and Andy’s open and easy-going style, we rehearsed all the flagging requirements, embedding a great foundation for my understanding and flagging future!

It was a cold day, and in the afternoon, I became even colder – to a point I would usually not tolerate, but the activity was so enjoyable that it didn’t’ bother me and I simply moved to keep warm and continue enjoying the day. As I crewed my post, I recognised the cars of those I knew from BMWDCM – I was so close to the action! Each time they came around I could see right away how they were performing compared to the other times.

This was extra cool as not only was I recognising our members, but I was looking out for my partner, my son and his fiancé’! The timing of our trip to Broadford for the ‘come and try’ day coincided with my eldest’s b’day and with our timing of selling the car that Martin takes on the track.

It’s important to deviate from the track-side to something else wonderful about this trip and to acknowledge a very special lady, Lucy, who bought a b’day cake for my son, which was brought out at the evening dinner. She had the whole BMW crew helping us celebrate! Thank you, Lucy!

Ok, this is also where I need to fess-up that we took a Toyota 86 to Broadford, not a BMW (but don’t’ be disappointed, it was a means to an end, and it’s now gone with an E30 in its place).

I recognised the “family” race car each time it came around the track, but the driver was another matter! I thought the kids were getting really brave, only to find out later the lad that yelled and waved out the window was just Martin, my partner.

I loved my day of flagging. I spent the afternoon at a different spot with a different buddy and looked forward to doing it again.

This happened at Philip Island. And this is when I truly realised, I LOVE FLAGGING!

The call went out for flaggers for Philip Island and aligned with a break from my workload, so I went for it! I encouraged my partner (usually a driver/ pit-crew) to give it a go also, which he did (and loved, but he can tell that story). I was given my own post – just me. I was a little nervous, but confident and excited. I also took the time to get a lift out with the flag deliverer – helping drop off the flags whilst testing out my memory on the requirements and gaining the local insights.

This time I had come more prepared – suncream and hot packs! I was on my own, but I remembered my training and I went into action! It was extra challenging and therefore extra fun adapting to the different events. The two Porsche in one event meant the blue flag was a constant – as they were lapping everyone! In other rounds the vehicles rarely needed a blue flag – but other course action was prevalent with a few gravel detours, and we even had a lack of adhesion opportunity. That was a good refresher that now all flags are waved – some need to be held.

A huge thank you to Andy for the great training and to Jo for setting me up for success! I’m very much looking forward to flagging again and I recommend you give it a go - at least once!

Jenny Rose | Member #887
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Event date: 26 October - 1 November 2022

Most of our group of 26 departed on the Spirit of Tasmania on Tuesday evening at 6.45pm for the overnight sailing to Devenport. We all met for a 6pm buffet dinner, before retiring for what turned out to be a very smooth sailing - we all arrived in good spirits on Wednesday morning, before heading off to McDonalds to join up and have brekkie.

8.30 a.m. saw us depart for Cradle Mountain on quite narrow and winding roads - lots of roadworks to contend with in this area. Beautiful backdrop of craggy mountains, and the sun obliged by emerging just as we arrived at 10.00 a.m.

We all split up and went our own way for the morning - some for walks around Dove Lake, after exiting the shuttle bus, some just enjoying the scenery with a coffee in the lodge. the Enchanted walk was just like stepping back in time and being in a wonderland. Lunch was at the Peppers Tavern with a large log fire to send us to sleep! The lodge has resident wildlife, including kangaroos, wallabies and quite a large wombat.

Casey from Launceston BMW joined us for lunch, and subsequently lead the group out from Cradle Mountain for the drive back to Devonport.

Unfortunately on this drive, which was in the rain, Adrian White's 525i had a top hose failure. Lawrence was "Tail end Charlie" and noticed steam coming from under the car. Once we were aware of this, the group all pulled over whilst Graeme made a temporary repair to the hose.

Adrian was then able to travel slowly back to Launceston to try and arrange a replacement part, followed by Lawrence and Shaaron to make sure he arrived safely. The rest of the group continued back to Devonport - we separated into two groups in the town of Wilmot - some chose to drive the direct route to Devenport, others to go the "long" way round on some Targa sections.

This reinforced to all of us some of the reasons we belong and travel in a group - there is always someone there to help, and in this instance the the Glynns and Graeme and Jo came to the rescue.

We arrived back in Devenport at 5.00pm and 6.00 pm respectively, just in time to have another meal!

I think most had an early night - the weather had turned quite drizzly and cold by this stage.

Our second day in Tasmania, Thursday, started with an 8.00 a.m breakfast at the motel, ready for a 9.30 am departure. Again, light drizzle and quite cold, the drive was again along some winding sections with lots of roadworks enroute.

We had a 10.30 am stop at Sheffield for morning tea, which allowed time to view numerous murals in the town.

Off again at 11.15am for Longford, again interrupted by roadworks and rain most of the way, with the occasional burst of welcome sunshine.

Lunch was organised by Jo at the historic Longford Pub, which gave us all a chance to view the

memorabilia. We were joined by Simeon's family for lunch, (they had flown over earlier that day to join up with the rest of the group). It was lovely to also celebrate Elsie's 13th birthday, with a small cake which Jo managed to purchase from a local bakery. Weather by now had really taken a turn for the worse and it rained heavily as we left for the drive to Hobart for a 5.00 pm arrival. The trip was again interrupted by lots of roadworks. 

Once we arrived at the Wrest Point Casino, we all went in different directions and organised our own activities. By now, Adrian was still in Launceston on his own trying to obtain the part he needed for his car - as it was going to take too long, Graeme and Jo were able to source and collect the part and coolant in Hobart for him. He was able to drive very slowly to Hobart, (with a little help from the RACT), and arrived late that night. Fortunately Graeme saved the day again and the car was quickly repaired and back on the road in the morning, and he was able to join a group doing a great drive down to the Huon Valley.

Some went to Bruny Island, others to Port Arthur, Salamanca Markets, Mt. Wellington, and fortunately the weather had started to improve, so by Saturday the sun was shining for us. Jennifer Rose had been on the trip, and had taken over as lead "navigator" to give Jo a break on the drive to Hobart - unfortunately she had to leave us on Saturday morning due to work commitments.

Thank you for a job well done. So Martin was now traveling solo.

Monday, we headed off to St. Helens, via Richmond to view the historic bridge - such a popular place that we couldn't find a parking space so kept moving on to Swansea for lunch. By this time, whilst the rain had gone, it was so windy it was almost impossible to stand up straight! Numerous fallen trees and foliage on the roads, lots of road crews cleaning up the mess - (we called into Freycinet, for a quick look) - all added to the time it took to arrive at St. Helens for our final night.

Lovely motel (Anchor Wheel), where the owner Attilla provided exceptional pre-dinner hospitality, even driving some to the local hotel for dinner. If ever in St. Helens, you must stay there.

Tuesday (Melb Cup Day) was another fine day, with an 8.30 am start. After a winding road, lots of road debris, we called into the Pyengana Dairy for a quick stop, and to purchase some lovely cheeses to bring back home. We then travelled on to Legerwood to view the stunning outdoor wood carvings a Anzac memorial.

Continued on the main road to Launceston, where we stopped at the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm for a pre-arranged lunch - another fabulous venue organized by Jo. We farewelled Simeon's family, as they were flying back to Melbourne in the evening; he was traveling back on the Spirit with the rest of the group.

Last stop on the way to the ferry was the Anvers Chocolate Factory- we all had good intentions but managed to sample their delicious fare, and most of us also purchased more chocolate than we needed.

From Anvers, it was just a 15 minute drive to the ferry terminal - the weather had stayed fine until then - once we were all on board it started to rain quite heavily. A buffet dinner again on board at 6.00pm the ferry crossing again was reasonably good - a little rough through the heads but not enough for anyone to be unwell, and we arrived on time in Geelong at 6.00 am.

Eight of the group managed to make the 8.00 a.m. Queenscliff to Sorrento ferry crossing, to enjoy our final "Tassie trip" coffee together.

Can't finish this without mentioning the two non-BMW drivers.

Both Rob and Mary in their Audi, and Terry and Anne in their Jeep, copped quite a bit of flak- Terry in particular for some reason - they were all such good sports about it - particularly Terry and his quickly re-badged "BMW Jeep"! I don't know how you sleep at night Martin.

Last of all, we know that all the participants would like to send their thanks to the organisers of the trip - Peter Williams for all the pre tour work, although not able to join in, Graeme and Jo, Lawrence and Shaaron - no doubt there are others in the background we haven't mentioned; thank you to all of you for arranging such a fabulous holiday for us.

Jeff and Jill Palmer | Member #949
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

See the next issue of idrive for more member articles and photographs from our holiday!

THANK YOU BMWDCM

We both would like to say to you all (at least the Tas trippers) a heartfelt thank you for the way you accepted us into your group for what turned out to be the time of our lives in the apple isle.

Even though we were from Mars (Jeep drivers mostly are), we both commented on the fact that there were no disapproving glares upon meeting you for the first time.

Thank you for the efforts of Lawrence who heard of our misery of not being able to get a booking for Tasmania before Terry’s dance with the surgeon on the 7 November …his impassioned plea to Jo (mother duck) worked!

Jo, it was great to pull up beside you in the waiting line to board the ferry and to get your BMW pack (you all know what happened to the BMW sticker) thank you also for the amazing way you organised the trip especially for us virgins.

Special mention for Martin who kept us in stiches with his repartee (Jeep Jesting), thanks mate you are one of a kind.

An extra special thank you to Graham Thomas along with Jeff and Jill Palmer who took time to assuage my obvious nervousness about my upcoming journey into the unknown…(not like me to blurt out personal matters, must have been the beer).

To John, thanks for the lessons on how to park.

To Adrian, your trip was crapped out on day two…bad luck, but you still spent time with us interlopers.

Rob and Mary, I tried lots of times to catch up with you to have a chat about your rocket, to no avail. But when we shared a meal with you both it was an enchanting evening, thank you Mary for spending time with us to say goodbye on the return ferry trip.

To Warren and Margaret thank you both for treating us both to your warmth and we got a kick out of hearing “at least the Jeep was something to follow through the traffic”.

To Simeon, Trent and anyone we may have omitted, you welcomed us into your group that you had all waited for, for two years, we appreciate it.

Until we meet again.

Terry and Anne Lane | Cave #6 Grand Canal
MARS

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As always - thanks for reading, we look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

President | Graeme Bell 0407 186 296
Vice President | Jo Mawson 0412 661 900
Secretary | Lawrence Glynn 0414 563 290 
Treasurer | Shaaron Glynn

Cover photo by Paul Holliday.

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*BMWDCM's Quarterly Membership Promotion terms and conditions:

VIC residents 18+ only, who are/become a member of BMWDCM. Between 12.01am (AEST) 1/10/22 & 11.59pm (AEDT) 31/12/22, if not already a BMWDCM member, sign up by visiting bmwdcm.com.au & fill out join form, incl. providing the name of the person that referred you (if applicable) to get auto entry; or if you are already a BMWDCM member, after you have received an invitation to renew your membership, follow the instructions in the invitation email to do so to get auto entry; or if you are already a member of BMWDCM & a new member signs up to BMWDCM & nominates you as their referrer, you will get auto entry. Draw: 7.35pm (AEDT) 9/1/22, 27 Georgia Way, Hastings VIC 3915. Watch the draw live on Zoom by clicking here. Max 1 prize per person. See BMWDCM newsletter following draw winners. Entrants will get future marketing from BMWDCM. See bmwdcm.com.au/terms for full Ts&Cs incl. privacy statement. Promoter: BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc (BMWDCM) (Inc no. A0102695G).

Event date: 22 October 2022

'Glad it’s not my car’ I thought to myself as I was pinballing off the walls down the Esses at Bathurst. Thankfully I had no financial responsibility for the e30 m3 that would otherwise have been written off; main reason being that we experienced the Mountain in one of Motum’s Virtual Reality state of the art driving simulators.

Showing just how far technology and accessibility to it has come, BMWDCM members were punting around high end machinery around Bathurst, the ‘Ring, and Watkins Glen, trying to beat the score leaderboard or at least the person in the seat opposite them.

Towards the end of the night, a handful of somewhat competitive punters were determined to make it onto the leaderboard, track limits and obstacles be damned.

In all, was a very enjoyable experience and a less physically and financially risky proposition for those wanting to smash pb’s or sample other cars around the best tracks the world has to offer.

Just remember that stepping back into your car that the speeds are real, the obstacles are very real, and there’s no ‘reset’ button.

Igor Kay | Member #151
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

BMWDCM in Full Motion Virtual Reality

We’re the Drivers Club, we love driving and we love racing even more. But sadly, not all of us are fortunate enough to own a race car, let alone be brave enough to get out onto race track in one. So when I saw Motum Simulators, I thought, this is perfect for our Members who either don’t have a race car or want to experience the next closest thing.

The Motum Simulators are a 6-axis full motion simulator with 360° virtual reality headsets and with endless cars and circuits to race on, they are truly the closest thing to the real McCoy. I approached Motum Simulators to arrange an event evening and they were completely on-board with it. They were aware of our Club and knew we had many racer members. 

10 BMWDCM Members quickly jumped on-board with this exciting new event, which booked out in 48 hours, and clearly the enthusiasm maintained right through the evening with some ultra-competitive head-to-head racing. 

After we all “qualified”, using the Formula Renault 3.5 at the Watkins Glen International Short Circuit, it was Killian Treacy and Royce Lyne who came out on top. With sub-1 minute times, they were very close to hitting the alltime Motum Leaderboard, missing out by just over 1 second. Regardless of this, their times were incredible - well done to those two guys. For those interested, the current leader is “Colin”, a very smiley Australia race car driver who loves papaya orange and shoey’s. 

Thanks for all the Members who supported this unique event and please stay tuned for the 2023 BMWDCM Simulator Driver Challenge.

Mark McDermott | Member #50
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Dear members,  

This report is coming to you from across Bass Straight, as a group of us are currently touring Tasmania on our first ‘overseas’ club trip.  Join our facebook group for daily reports and pictures of the trip. We are having a ball and enjoying lots of Tasmania’s awesome roads as well as everything else our Southernmost State has hidden away.

October was another busy month which was jam packed with events.

On 2 October we had the Euroa Car Show with a great display of cars and many of them enjoying the drive up to the event as well.

On 4 – 10 October, Jo and I headed up to officiate at the Bathurst 1000 with some of our club members, which was just an amazing event.  Jo was back in the events office with the Supercars team, and I was working in Scrutineering.  The conditions were not as bad as we had been expecting so most of us managed to stay warm and dry.  Read about how some of our officials enjoyed the event here and here.

7-9 October our club was invited to display with BMW Group Australia to celebrate 50 years of ///M at Motorclassica.  We had a fantastic display of M cars ranging from early to current and there were a few variations through the weekend with some cars coming in and out through the three days. The display attracted great interest from the general public.

11 October was our first swap meet at All Marque Storage where members joined us to sell some of their bits and this went off really well.  I would like to thank Matt and his staff for opening for us and holding this event and supplying and cooking up a ton of sausages.  We are hoping to hold another event like this in the new year, so if you have some bits and pieces to sell, come along to our next swap meet, set yourself up a stall and empty out your shed of some of those parts you will never need again.

18 October was our monthly drop in donuts coffee night which again was great with some usuals and some new members popping in to say hi and enjoy the cars, coffee and, of course, donuts.

19 October we held our first twilight drive for the summer season, out of our new offices in Hastings. We had a fabulous turn out and the night was just magical.   The sunset at the top of Arthurs Seat was one I have not experienced for many years.  It was such a clear night you could see for miles. We couldn’t have asked for a better evening, and everyone enjoyed the catch up and drive, and then the views of the sunset were just amazing.

On 22 October we held our first Motum Simulator Challenge, which was heaps of fun.  A few of our members got some great results and there was some great competitive racing on the Sims. Next year we will be running a Sim Racing Championship, for those that want to race in the virtual world instead of, or as well as the real world.

On 23 October we were invited to Melbourne BMW for their coffee morning celebrating 50 years of M.  What a fantastic turn out of our members and congratulations to the dealership for putting on such a great event. Was great to be able to tour the newly rebuild dealership with the Dealer Principal, Daniel and see the four new M cars on display. 

On 23 October we also held a display at the Future Vehicles Expo which again had a great turn out and again, lots of interest for our club members.

Finally, on 23 October, 30 of our members boarded the Spirit of Tasmania to start a weeks’ driving tour of the Apple Isle.  We left from Geelong which was a new experienced and boarding was very smooth.  So was the crossing it was flat as a mill pond. I have never experienced a Tasmanian crossing like this, and I have done a few.

Watch our FB pages for daily updates of this trip and in the November report there will be some great articles from members who are with us on this trip.

Some events to watch out for in November:

• 6 November we will be holding a display at Sandown Historics, this is always a great event and we welcome you all to register to display and gain discounted entry.
• 11 November is our All-German Fest at the German Tivoli Club, please make a table booking if you are wanting to join in the Oktoberfest fun and go in the running to win some prizes.  Cars will be on display in the car park.  Gold Coin donation for our charity. Space is limited in the carpark, so register your interest on the event page and be there on time so you don’t miss out.
• 25 November there is a large group of us traveling up to Bathurst for our first DCM Challenge Bathurst. Keep an eye on Facebook for some fun photos from the team up there!

• 11 December - Christmas Show and Shine at Cruden Farm
• 2 February Bathurst 12 hour (still rooms available), watch the event in the comfort and luxury of the Bathurst Club, on top of the pits.
• 17 March BMW Clubs Australia Nationals hosted by BMW Gold Coast at South Port

We have some great weekends planned with some of Peter Williams fantastic driving roads coming up so keep an eye on the events notices too.

If you are wanting to help at events, please contact Jo on 0412 661 900.

Lastly, please remember the Club is now running out of 213 Marine Pde Hastings and any club related enquiry which would normally go to Bell Motorsport, please direct to this new address unless Jo happens to be out and about.  Please call Jo on 0412661900 to let her know you are coming.

Thank you and again stay safe and dry.         

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

Event date: 6-9 October 2022

On 5 October we arrived at Mount Panorama ready for a long and very exciting four days of early morning wake ups and the constant roar of the engines. We decided to stay at a caravan park near the track which had loads of activities for my younger brother and sister. On our first day helping (Thursday) we arrived at the track at 5 in the morning ready for all the action. We found it easy to find a park, however mum was a bit worried due to the mud we had to park in. But it was right at the front gate, so I was pretty excited as less walking for me!! We said hi to many other volunteers that had already started, then climbed a few flights of stairs to be greeted by view of the beautiful mountain, camp grounds and the track. OMG the feeling was amazing, it was quiet still, the sun was trying to come up, street lights were still on but so many volunteers walking around saying hi and very happy.

Once we found our way to the volunteer shed after walking through the paddock with all the team trucks and supercars garages, we signed on grabbed out food for the day and headed to meet the paddock team. We were introduced and briefed on the day ahead of us, before we knew it the heritage revival cars were making there way to the dummy grid once we had lined them all up we had the chance to look at all cars, there was our very own BMW 635 and a bunch of other very nice looking cars. Now my excitement was building as you could hear all the other engines starting up in other garages and it honestly was a sound I could get use to every day. 

Our next lot of cars to come out were the v8 Super utes, these Utes weren’t your average farm Ute these were upgraded to the max, nothing stock on them in fact stock isn’t even a word in their vocabulary. After the Utes it was the Toyota 86s turn these guys may have been in a tiny car but they are fast and fun to watch next was the porches these guys are awesome to watch as they fly down mountain and onto the chase. Our last lot of cars was the super2s then it was time for the supercars to have a go at the mountain.

The crowd grew as the day went on but the excitement was on another level.  So many people which just wanted to chat like I had met them before, it was such a friendly atmosphere.  The rain didn’t deter anyone, people put on gumboots, rain ponchos and umbrellas came out, and still you heard laughter amongst the sounds of engines.

The team I was put in became a second family to me, they made sure I was comfy and happy and helped me when I didn’t know what to do.  I loved been in pre-grid as I had best view of the straight, a massive big screen plus was up close with all the cars except supercars.

As the day progressed and jokes kept happening amongst my fellow team, the excitement still kept building.  Seeing Jo in the Brock memorabilia tent was definitely a picture moment.  Graham was so busy but he always took time to check on me to see if I having fun. It honestly was amazing.

As day 1 came to a close and after seeing loads of races, drivers and eating so much. I actually was pretty excited to bring on day 2.

Day 2 the races ran in the same order, however the lunch pack was even yummier.  The rain came and it made everything more muddier, today mum parked ages away…. I had to walk…..  The accidents were pretty constant which had some excitement about it.  All the smashed cars would come into the paddock I was in. It was pretty cool to see what scrutineers do to review the smashed cars.

On the Saturday we arrived at the same time we had been the past few days ready for another day in the wet. All the categories where going out like normal until around 3 when we got hit by the massive storm, but we were all still so happy. Normally people get sad with storms but the buzz was still around the track.  Unfortunately shoot out was cancelled so the day was called to a close.

Sunday was a day like no other, with the crowds, the excitement and the noise.  It is definitely something you need to be there to understand.  I loved seeing the excitement of everyone even if most people were still wet from the Saturday.  The planes came out, and they were LOUD LOUD and LOUD, the entertainment was going off.  The cars came out, and one big accident came into my area.  I loved the rest of the day hanging out with my other volunteer family members watching the race.  Once race finished the next excitement was all the supercars were parked in pre-grid, I wanted to go high-five Broc Feeney, however your not allowed to go near them in pre-grid.

To finish off our weekend, my mum got to drive her car down grid lane….. not sure who was more excited, me or her…. Of course we filmed every minute.

Bring on Bathurst 2023 as its definitely the best experience and a must to do!!!

Emma & Brock Migues | Member #932
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Event date: 7-9 October 2022

Motorclassica is the most prestigious car show event on our calendar with the gloriously atmospheric wooden floored Royal Exhibition Building housing up to 200 of the finest cars from yesteryear in Australia.  Augmenting this extravagant array of finery, car clubs, such as ours, are invited to display member’s cars for one day each in the outdoor area between the Exhibition Building and the adjoining Museum.

Since our inception DCM has been one of those invited clubs and this year we were elevated to 3 day status to put on a display in conjunction with BMW Australia celebrating 50 Years of M – which has been our display theme all year.

BMW Australia had put together a bold and exciting display stand to showcase M cars new and old and a top secret “significant product reveal” with our member’s cars alongside.  Initially intended to be housed in the same space as the club display the location had to be changed at the last moment when the multiple parties involved (I counted at least 8) realised that erecting the stand required a mobile crane and the outdoor display space is actually the roof of the underground car park, which is not strong enough for such a crane.

In the end the result was good for all. BMW Australia’s stand was now in front of the main entrance and our display area was enlarged and right outside the door from the main hall to the outdoor area with seating for the food vendors’ area at our perimeter.

Our member’s provided an excellent selection of M-cars allowing us to tell the story of M from its inception in 1972 (with an E9 3.0 CSL road car) the iconic E30 M3, the start of the “non-homologation” M-cars with one of the early 5 series M models which preceded the M5, the remainder of the M3/4s generations plus most of theM5 family.  To add to the narrative we had an E46 M3 CSL back to back with the E9 CSL and a 1M alongside it next to its spiritual successor the M2. Completing the line up we had two XxM models, showing that M is not just 2 door coupes and an M6 to complete the spectrum of M’s modern reach.

To say that our display was popular would be an understatement and I was very glad to have assistance from several members, Steve Garth, Adrian White and Tim Oh in particular.

BMW Australia’s stand featured club member Keith Olsen’s E9 Group 4 3.0 CSL “batmobile” in Motorsport racing colours, the new XM, BMW Australia’s E46 M3 CSL, an F82 M4 GTS, the Jeff Koons M8 art car and the new G81 M3 Touring.

And the secret reveal? The new M2 in a special room with no mobile phones or cameras allowed.

The display of cars inside was markedly different from previous years with a new curator team at work.  There were less of the pre WW2 cars and more of the contemporary models – not to everyone’s satisfaction but you can’t please everyone. Whilst I felt this was a change for the better, my own view, if one must find fault, is that too many cars were there because they are special in terms of being expensive or in exceptional condition rather then being special because they are different or historically significant.

Overall, a brilliant weekend.  A big thank you to all our members who surrendered their cars to the vagaries of the weather (which included torrential rain on Friday) to make our display so magnificent.

Lawrence Glynn | Member #3
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne