An intensive period of testing begins in a few weeks for the BMW M Hybrid V8, with which BMW M Motorsport will be battling for overall wins in 2023 in the IMSA GTP class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The project had already reached a key milestone before the rollout: the successful fire-up of the hybrid drive system after installation in the test vehicle at the end of June.

An intensive period of testing begins in a few weeks for the BMW M Hybrid V8, with which BMW M Motorsport will be battling for overall wins in 2023 in the IMSA GTP class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The project had already reached a key milestone before the rollout: the successful fire-up of the hybrid drive system after installation in the test vehicle at the end of June. The BMW M Hybrid V8 is powered by the P66/3 eight-cylinder turbo engine with supplementary electric drive. The combustion engine is based on the DTM unit used in the BMW M4 DTM in 2017 and 2018. During two phases of reconstruction, it underwent comprehensive adjustments to meet the stringent requirements of the LMDh hybrid drive system.

Ulrich Schulz, Head of Drivetrain Design at BMW M Motorsport, and his group had initiated an evaluation to determine which race engine would be best suited for conversion into a high-performance hybrid drive system, even before the BMW Group Board of Management had given the green light to the BMW M Motorsport entry in the LMDh category in June 2021. Time constraints and the need to consider sustainability aspects that are playing an ever more critical role in motor racing, as well as the automobile industry in general, meant that returning to the drawing board to design a completely new engine and building it at great cost was not an option. Consequently, the question was to establish which proven race engine would best meet the stringent requirements and specifications of the LMDh regulations.

The normally-aspirated P66/1 eight-cylinder engine used in the 2017 and 2018 seasons in the BMW M4 DTM was the one that got the nod. As a fully load-bearing component in the BMW M Hybrid V8, it had the advantage that it could be used in a monocoque chassis without an additional subframe and it was also the one that most closely corresponded to the regulatory requirements after conversion to a hybrid turbo engine.

“During the evaluation phase, we also took a look at the P48 four-cylinder turbo engine from the BMW M4 DTM and the P63 eight-cylinder turbo engine from the BMW M8 GTE, but potential problems with the durability of the P48 and the heavy weight of the P63 were negative considerations,” is how Schulz explained the decision to choose the P66 engine. “It is a huge plus that we were able to make use of existing materials such as steel and aluminium from BMW’s time in Formula 1 for the basis of the engine, as well as for individual components – like shafts, housing and small parts. That saved us time and a lot of money and was therefore efficient and sustainable. Efficiency is a critical factor for this project, as we have a very short period of time available between getting started and the first racing appearance at Daytona in 2023. Converting the normally-aspirated P66/1 engine into a bi-turbo and then working with the electric drivetrain colleagues to turn it into a hybrid drive system was very complex. Thanks to the expertise, the great collaboration and the high level of motivation of all departments, we managed to complete the fire-up of the complete drive unit just a few weeks ago. We now feel that nothing is standing in the way of testing.”

The first phase saw the normally-aspirated P66/1 DTM engine converted into an intermediate engine, named P66/2, primarily by adapting two turbochargers and adjusting the crank drive. The focus was on durability, increased performance and temperature management for the engine. The P66/2 completed numerous testing units, including complete racetrack simulations, on the test bench. The next step was the creation of the P66/3 race engine, including a twin-turbo version, adjustments to the specific requirements of the Dallara chassis, final exhaust system, oil tank, cabling and integration of the high-voltage environment. The cylinder block and cylinder heads were recast in the BMW Group foundry in Landshut (GER) and the injection system was rebuilt for direct injection. Engineers who already boasted plenty of experience with electric drive systems from the Formula E project were testing and integrating the electric motor in parallel. The unit that forms the hybrid drive system in the car consists of the e-motor, the inverter and the high-voltage battery. There is a separator clutch between the electric and combustion engines, enabling fully-electric driving – in the pit lane, for example.

The two drive components were connected in the car for the first time at the end of June. The first fire-up for the hybrid system was a success. At the end of July, that will be followed by the rollout in Varano de Melegari (ITA). The intensive test phase begins immediately after that.

Specifications for the P66/3 engine in the BMW M Hybrid V8.

BMW PRESS

Event date: 9-10 July 2022 

Alarm strikes at 6am - ready for our first road trip as members of the BMW Drivers Club.

Heading for Ballarat and Sovereign Hill we pack Moby (The Corolla Hybrid)  and drove through rain from Pakenham up the Monash and over the Westgate Bridge.

We can see blue skies ahead as we pull into Maccas at Derrimut to meet up with the rest of the weekend crew. We see a few BMW's of various shapes, models and vintage as we get ready to order breakfast. There's Jo and Graeme and a couple of familiar faces we had seen at the Waverley BMW visit the Tuesday night  before. 

Then it was convoy time (although being in 'RKS',  the Corolla Hybrid we managed to remain incognito throughout the journey), we hit the Western Freeway and off to Ballarat and straight to our state's gem of a tourist attraction, Sovereign Hill. Bev and I have been here many times with our kids and with overseas family members to show off Australia's early gold mining past.

Opens at 10, so we all line up ready for the gates to open, going through as a group before dispersing into a past lifetime. Beautiful blue skies with no clouds. Perfect.

We headed straight for the old time photo studio and registered for a 1pm photo shoot, then we toured the town.

After a quick trip to the bowling alley, the Chinese village, the gold diggings, the old homes and all the buildings we head to watch the Pantomime (Blackbeard) in the United States Hotel.

Great show and suitably Christmas panto.

After a quick trip back to our hotel to check in and get our bearings we are back at Sovereign Hill as the sun goes down and the Winter Wonderlights begins.

It was fantastic, with animated scenes projected onto each building and fake snow pumping out over the crowd (some 6000 we were told) combined with the cold weather - it was a delight. We had not seen anything like it before and all the hundreds of families and kids dressed in Christmas outfits and beanies were thrilled.

Once it was over we battled the car park in Moby and headed to the Robin Hood Hotel with the rest of the crew for dinner. The club raffle and Christmas jumper competition kept everyone amused. We didn't pack our Christmas jumpers (to be honest we don't have any yet!).

Early on Sunday some of the crew went to see the hot air balloon display while we visited lake Wendouree and the Botanical Gardens. Saw the Prime Minister's sculptures (with Kevin Rudd's head made half the size of everyone else's).

Met up again with the rest of the crew at the Park Hotel for lunch and some more conversations about which BMW we all owned and whose call signs were which.

Whatsapp became our go to app over the weekend as the crew communicated where they were and what they had seen. Great idea!

Then as quickly as we had arrived we headed back to Melbourne to avoid the end of school holidays traffic jams (which we did not see).

Big thanks to the organisers and for us it was a great introduction to a club weekend away and it was great to meet other members for the first time.

The weekend flew past and we certainly had a great time. 

Richard & Bev Sherman | Member #843
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

From exploding muffins to sky divers falling from the sky, the BMWDCM trip to Sovereign Hill was set to be full of surprises.

Starting at Macca’s is always a great land mark to begin a journey with friends (as long as you know your inbound from your outbound!!)

Our BMW convoy (and a zippy hybrid Corolla) set off towards Ballarat.

Our tour guide, Peter, gave a very informative commentary along the way about extinct volcanoes, churches and temperature gauges on the cars (notable as the outside temperature was rather low).

We finally arrived in Ballarat, driving in a convoy through the beautiful historic streets with restored Victorian/Federation homes and gorgeous gardens.

BMWDCM then proceeded to fill the carpark at Sovereign Hill. Many different models and varieties of BMW were on show.  Friends and families spilled from the various BMW’s (and Corolla), to excitedly start our goldfields adventure.

The goldfields involved a lot of walking and exploring. Some chose to pan for gold (unfortunately no fortunes were made), others went on a tour of the mine or watched gold being smelted. “The Red Coats” put on a performance and you could also go to a LOUD musket firing demonstration. There was candle making, bowling, coach building, coach riding and shopping – for trinkets, souvenirs or warm hats and gloves. All very necessary attire.

As with all adventures, refreshments are a necessity.  The old fashioned lolly shop was exciting for big and little kids, the bakery was warm and inviting. The tea rooms were perfect for scones and coffee in front of an open fire.

After a brief exit from Sovereign Hill to book into our hotel, we returned for the main event.

The Winter Wonderlights!!! How exciting. The light show and the snow were fantastic. There were roaming choirs singing Christmas Carols and Santa walking through the crowd. Christmas trees, Christmas lights and fires to warm your hands. There were so many happy faces enjoying the snow and the total immersion in the Christmas spirit.

After a warm cup of tea and a change of clothes back at the hotel, it was off to dinner at the Robin Hood Hotel, famous for having 33 parma’s to choose from. BMWDCM had a large representation at the pub, many wearing their favourite crazy Christmas jumpers!! Not sure how many had parma’s but, we all ate well and enjoyed a glass of wine (or two) and a few beers.

Sunday morning showed who the keen adventurers were. A select few were up early and at the park to see the “Whale Hot Air Balloons”. In icy conditions they eagerly watched, took photos and were disappointed when the balloons failed to lift off.

The day was then filled with a tasty breakfast at cute cafes, walks around the Lake or Botanic Gardens, antique shopping or the Eureka Stockade. Some ventured down the “Avenue of Honour”, which seemed to go on forever (we actually lost radio reception and still hadn’t reached the end).

Some then went on to enjoy lunch at the Park Hotel prior to the return journey, while others started their trip earlier and elected to return home via the scenic route.  Lots of miles were covered and lots of memories were made over the weekend.

Thanks again to Jo and her team for organising a great weekend. We had a fantastic time, and we are looking forward to our next adventure with BMWDCM.

Adrian and Patricia Masotti | Member #848
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

It was such an awesome experience witnessing and attending the return of the Grand Prix to Melbourne in 2022, not only as a spectator but also as a guest in the BMW Driver’s Club’s Car display. The guest car display meant that you would be entitled to two four day general admission passes. A priceless price given that the tickets had already sold out for all for days due to popularity. I felt like a kid before Christmas.

On the morning of bump in I made a quick dash to the car wash to give the beloved a last minute tub before heading to the meeting point.

Looking clean and fresh..

We headed to Albert park for bump in. I was really impressed seeing all the different cars that would be on display.

The smooth and well organised bump in was a breeze, Credit to Jo and the committee. We rolled in slowly as the power of the Porsche Carrera’s Roared around the track giving us a glimpse of the excitement to come.

With all cars lined up and ready for the weekend it was time to enjoy the very thing that brings us enthusiast together…

The long awaited FORMULA 1 Grand Prix.

It sure was a weekend that didn’t disappoint and with sell out crowds and fuel filled excitement it would be crowned the best ever Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix thanks to the Staff, Volunteers, Officials and all the car clubs who came together to share in this annual sensation.

And a huge thanks to BMW Drivers Club Melbourne.

Marlin King | Member #521
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

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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

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Dear members,

Once again, another busy month we have all had through June, even though it has been very cold out there, it hasn’t stopped our members getting out and about and joining us for some great events.

On 7 June we started the month with a zoom meeting about our upcoming Tasmania Trip, this was well attended and we got some really great information from Peter Williams and Jo Mawson who are co-ordinating this trip in late October. I’m looking forward to getting back down to Tassie and seeing the beautiful countryside and enjoying the wonderful roads they have down there for us to enjoy.

On 11-13 June a group of members drove down to Port Fairy for the long weekend, with the hope of seeing whales, but that didn’t happen. We still had a great trip, and it was so much fun catching up with new and older members.  For us it was wonderful as we got to spend time with our granddaughter who joined us, with her parents for this trip. The drizzle over the weekend didn’t really dampen the weekend at all. We found some amazing roads, saw the Southern Ocean at its roughest but most importantly, had a great time with a fantastic bunch of friends. We also got to take our new X5 for its first club run. I am missing the note of our old X5, loved the sound and power of the V8, but pretty amazed at the economy of the turbo diesel and it does have a bit of get up and go, it’s just different to the V8.

On 19 June BMWDCM we had the Sandown Come and Try/Driver Training Day which is always a fantastic event, and we had a fabulous turn out of both entrants and officials to make this a brilliant day.   Special mention to Andy Hall who took so many passengers for a spin in his Porsche, Jo was one of them and she did look a little green after a few not so hot laps.  I secretly think she enjoyed it. I must thank all of the drivers that come along and offer their time and skills to teach others, this is what it’s about, giving back to others and imparting some of the skills you have learnt on the track. Also, a huge thank you to the officials that come and donate their time so that we can all have a safe and fun day doing what we love.

26 June was our first fully funded First Aid course, with National First Aid, who are very professional.  The event was well attended, and I am positive all who came got a lot more from it than just a certificate. It is important to keep up to date with your first aid  as the recommended procedures change all the time. If you missed it, we will look at doing a course every year to keep us all up to date and provide the Club with a stock of certified people at our events.

Looking ahead to July, it is looking like another fun month with our first event at Winton on Saturday.

2 July is Round 4 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship and Cross-Border Challenge with the NSW BMW Club and as with previous years we will fight it out for the Cup. The event is now closed to enter but there is always next year!

5 July is our monthly members meeting and this one will be at Waverley BMW in their service department.  This should be something different and be sure to have all your questions ready for the team.

On 9 July we are doing something a little different with Christmas in July – we are off to Sovereign Hill for Winter Wonderlights.   This event is selling out fast so if you are wanting to attend, please register now so we can pre purchase your tickets.  We are also offering this as a stay over night and then a drive home on the Sunday. 

16 July is a new event for us, we will be teaming up with E30 Racing and running a Come and Try Day at Broadford with them.  There will be instructors and lots of E30 race cars there. YES, you can enter in your regular car, you don’t need to own a race car of any sort, this isn’t just for those who are keen to try out what it is like to drive an E30 race car, it is also for those who already own an E30 race car to join others and get some tuition.

17 July will be Round 5 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship at Broadford, so why not register for both events and really make a great weekend of it and get some practice on the Saturday and then do the Drivers Championship on the Sunday.

A few other dates to remember are:

            AGM - 6 September

            Tassie Trip - 26 October – 2 November

            Christmas Show and Shine – 11 December at Cruden Farm

            Australia Day Drive - 26 January (yes we’re already planning for 2023!)

            BMW Clubs Australia Nationals 17 – 20 March in Brisbane

Due to popular demand, we have decided to do a rerun of edition 1 of our wonderful “idrive” magazine, and these are available for sale in the online store.  We will be offering editions 1/2/3 for those who would like the full set.  These will be posted only no pickup.

Edition 4 of our wonderful “idrive” is with the printer now so look out for it in the mail very soon. Sorry for the delay but life and other matters got in the way, but it will be with you soon.

We also have a new winter polo shirt and hoodie in the store too which looks great.  Sizing is a little larger than normal so go down a size when placing your order.

In our dates to remember the next AGM is on there.  Please remember we can’t run this great club of ours without your help, if you think you might be able to assist in some areas please let us know as we are growing faster than we ever thought and it needs YOU to keep this club as good as it is.

Take care out there and I look forward to seeing you at an event soon,

Graeme Bell | President
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.

P.O. 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: 26 June 2022 

Attendees: Graeme Bell, Jo Mawson, Jeff Palmer, Darryl O’Neill, Tim Oh, Graham Thomas, Lawrence Glynn, Nella Santisi, Mel Sedmak.

Instructor: Kym Eden – Author of Fun with First Aid

First aid, how well prepared are we if someone collapses in front of us on the footpath, in the supermarket aisle, we come across a car accident, at work, our partner or your child loses consciousness?  A family member suffers from asthma; 1 in 9 Australian children do.  Australia is the world leader in asthma affected members of the population.  This DOES NOT earn us a gold medal.  But it does mean that 550 people a year die from asthma!  However, cardiac arrest is Australia’s major cause of death.

Do you know how to respond if one of the above scenarios occurred on your watch? 

How confident are you to step up and take control of the situation until an ambulance arrives?

Would you be overcome by fear, uncertainty and doubt and prefer to let someone else carry the can?  What if that’s how people reacted when one of your loved ones was the victim?

It’s a long time, decades, since I did a CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] course.  It would have been 50 years ago at least; last century!  Yeah, go easy, so I’m in my 70’s, cut me some slack.  I’ve got three children and 6 grandchildren. I’d like to know what to do if they ever need crisis care.

Hands up if you’ve taken out the first aid kit in your BMW.  Do you know where it is?  You should, there’s a white cross on the cover of the compartment in the boot.  I can’t see many hands! 

True story.  A month ago, I took my kit out and spread out the contents.  I’ve had my car for a bit over 2 years, a 428i M Gran Coupe [Eat your hearts out ], 4 ½ years old when I bought it, 4 500 km on the clock.  Why?  And why did it take me 2 years to check it out.  Anyways, it was interesting to be aware of the contents.  Funny, but 3 days later, on my way back from my volunteering role, 8:30 at night on a chilly Mornington winter’s evening, I came across a car with flashing indicators, two women standing by and an 86-year-old, half on the footpath, half on the road. I pulled up, checked the state of play and rang 000.  We proceeded to provide Bob, who was very lucid, but with a painful hip and who couldn’t get up, with some warmth.  I thought, ‘Ahhh, there’s a space blanket in the first aid kit,’ which I retrieved, and Bob was quickly made as comfortable and warm as possible, considering the circumstances.  It was a bugger of a job trying to refold it, to get it back in the pack. 

Stop reading if you’ve never checked your car’s first aid kit, go and grab it and lay out the contents.  You just never know!

On Sunday 26 June, 9 of your colleagues attended a first aid and CPR course at National First Aid in Cheltenham.  Kym, a medic with 25 years’ experience, the last 10 as a MICA [Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance] medic, has suffered 3 heart attacks in his life; it’s in his genes.  For many of us, that’s the case.  He is such a laid-back guy but with a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, when it comes to medical support. 

He took us through the process for performing chest compressions on an adult, a child and a baby.  We looked at the process from both sides of the coin.  What do we do if we come across someone who is experiencing significant discomfort, has collapsed but is conscious or has collapsed and is comatose.  They may or may not be moving.  And then we looked at how the process works from the 000 side.

Kym took us through how to apply a defibrillator and he outlined how Kerry Packer had gifted 5 000 units to groups throughout the community; because one saved his life.  Kym had met him several times and holds Kerry’s contribution to the cardiac care of Australians in high regard.

The purpose of the defibrillator is to reset the heart.  It functions by electrical impulses.  The heart may develop arrythmia [it stops serving its purpose] which can continue for up to 10 mins before it becomes non-reversible, and the patient will be lost.  If we’re the man or woman on the street, it’s our job to keep them alive until the ambulance arrives.  000 will talk you through the process, they start a metronome, so you get the pace right.  Whilst that’s taking place, they’re scouring the data base to find the nearest defibrillator and arrange to get it to you as soon as possible.  If the patient can be stabilised prior to the ambulance arriving, you’ve done your job, and a good one at that.

Using a defibrillator is not all that difficult. It gives step by step recorded instructions on what to do. Follow the instructions and the defibrillator does the rest. It can analyse the patient’s condition and will advise if a second jolt is needed.

We all came away from the training with more confidence in ourselves and certainly the 000 system in knowing what to do if we ever come across, what can be a, a very confronting situation.  But if you follow the procedure, stay calm, reassure the patient if they’re conscious, do the compressions to keep oxygenated blood moving through the system and apply the defibrillator to reinitiate the heart’s natural rhythm, there’s a 74% chance that they’ll live to thank you.  For every minute’s delay in treating a cardiac arrest, the patient’s chance of survival reduces by 7% - 10%.  Without early intervention, the survival rate drops to 3%!  The message here, is get cracking, but of course remain calm.  000 has your back.  Australia is a world leader in recovering people from cardiac arrest.  The medical service is always looking for ways to improve the patients’ chances of recovery.  The key takeaway – it’s time critical.  If there’s no intervention within 12 mins, they’re gone

Kym also took us through other common medical situations.  Asthma attacks, anaphylactic shock – it mainly affects children, but adults are not immune, snake bite, stings, burns, button batteries and more.  If you have button batteries in the house [who doesn’t?], and you have children or grandchildren, you need a process for storage and disposal of used batteries.  If a baby/toddler ingests one, it’s likely to become stuck in their system and can have catastrophic effects on them, including death.  They’ll be restless, coughing, unwell, but you won’t know why unless you saw them swallow one.

As Baden Powell said, ‘Be prepared.’  Are you?  If you’ve never done a CPR course, we would all recommend you do.  You never know when, and in what circumstances, you could become one of your countrymen’s saving grace.

National First Aid 1300 099 297 - www.nationalfirstaid.com.au - have lots of resources available.  Books, Automated External Defibrillators [AEDs] and first aid kits.

Suggestions: Fun with First Aid and Handy Hints [a mini guide]

Graham Thomas | Member #534
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Event date: 15 May 2022 

This run was organised by Paul Holliday, and left from two Melbourne points, Port Melbourne and Officer, then on to San Remo to join up with the remaining members.

Weather on the Sunday was sunny and dry, but Saturday's racing was held on a wet track.

The State Series had the usual classes in the series, including Formula Ford, E30, Brabham BT62, HQ, MG and Invited British, Historic Touring, to name a few.  There were 13 E30s racing.

Jo Mawson was Deputy Secretary for the meeting, and was also the "chequered flag waver" for the final E30 race, which she was thrilled about!

Graeme Bell and Tim Oh were busy helping in the pits - it was good to have pit access for everyone,  and be able to chat with drivers and crews.

Walking around the pits and getting close up to numerous cars, as well as the racing, is what this day is all about.

The afternoon saw the lap record broken by Tim Slade in a Brabham BT62 Supercar. This record had stood for approximately 22 years, and it was good to see and hear this record being broken.

This was another brilliant BMWDCM event, thanks to all those involved for organising it.

Jeff Palmer | Member #682
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

BMW M GmbH will be focusing its activities at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed on its 50th birthday celebrations. BMW M is showcasing numerous models from the past, present and future to mark the occasion. This includes global debuts like the one of the first-ever BMW M3 Touring MotoGP™ Safety Car. Festival visitors will be among the first people able to take a close look at the newest safety car from BMW M, the ‘Official Car of MotoGP™’ since 1999.

BMW M GmbH will be focusing its activities at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (23rd to 26th June) on its 50th birthday celebrations. BMW M is showcasing numerous models from the past, present and future to mark the occasion. This includes global debuts like the one of the first-ever BMW M3 Touring MotoGP™ Safety Car. Festival visitors will be among the first people able to take a close look at the newest safety car from BMW M, the ‘Official Car of MotoGP™’ since 1999. The BMW M3 Touring MotoGP™ Safety Car will also make its first race appearance in Great Britain, in early August at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The newest member of the safety car fleet is based on the first-ever BMW M3 Competition Touring with M xDrive (fuel consumption, combined: 10.4 – 10.1 l/100km correspond to WLTP, CO₂ emissions, combined: 235 – 229 g/km correspond to WLTP)*, which is also set to celebrate its global debut in Goodwood. It combines the high level of technological capability, performance and know-how of the BMW M3 and BMW M4 family with the practical nature of a five-door touring model. Both cars, the series production vehicle and the safety car, will be unveiled on Thursday 23rd June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and will then take place in the renowned hillclimb race on all festival days.

“The world premiere of the new BMW M3 Touring represents another highlight in our anniversary year, as we will be introducing a BMW M3 as a touring model for the very first time in our 50-year history,” said Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “Including this new high-performance automobile in our fleet of MotoGP safety cars is the obvious next step for us. Throughout our decades of partnership with MotoGP rights owner Dorna Sports, we have always set great store by providing the newest BMW M models for safety purposes at the circuit, and we are continuing this tradition with the BMW M3 Touring MotoGP Safety Car. We are very much looking forward to seeing it perform at the legendary Goodwood hillclimb and then appear later in the races at the top level of motorsport.”

The visual appearance of the new BMW M3 Touring MotoGP™ Safety Car is a tribute to 50 years of BMW M and to the decades of partnership with MotoGP™. The safety car will sport a special 50 Years of BMW M Livery, and all MotoGP™ safety cars from 1999 to the present day are listed on the car.

The BMW M3 Touring MotoGP™ Safety Car will be equipped with the entire product range from BMW M Performance Parts for its appearance on the racetrack. Further modifications to the MotoGP™ safety cars include Recaro race seats, 4-point harness, safety cross beam, roof lights, front flashes, emergency disconnector and a fuel extraction system.

BMW PRESS

Event date: 19 June 2022 

In a “brisk”, misty 7deg start we readied the vehicles at Sandown for our 19 June track day. Then the weather-Gods shon favourably as, under a sunny sky, the engines roared to life. 

Newbies were welcomed with in-car introductions to the course. Anyone can share a ride to hear “turn-in cone here & apex-cone there, close-wall here & run-off space there” advice from the more experienced drivers (I’m not in that learned group yet).

Cold tyres and track wet patches challenged many of us on the early laps and that gave plenty of room to improve skills through the day.

A vast array of experience was evident, from fast Porsches, newbies in M2s to Camrys, on that… Jessie joined our garage 26/27/28 squad for her very first track day. Jessie’s smile and energy we’re contagious as she replayed her in-car coaching session. “There is so much to learn”, to which I replied “we’re all learning, it’s only the angle of the learning curve that changes ”.

We experienced quite a few stoppages through the day, but mostly mishaps, which resulted in “poorly parked car” having to be moved. 

My mishap had me rejoin the action from Turn 6. That provided my key learnings for the day, which gained me the day’s “Encouragement Award”: There is no need to rush back onto the track.  If needed, safely move the car to provide good visibility of oncoming cars ensure good analysis of oncoming car speed.

Sandown provides much hard surface run-off space and offers grass beyond. One of our team used all that as he mowed through the mud off Turn 1. You can understand why his car “left a deposit” afterwards. Note the good practice of “clean up after your pets”. Again, no harm done that a Gerni can’t fix.

Thanks to the hard-core BMW DCM crew for all your hard work in prep, delivery and post-paper work.

I had a blast!

Cya next time.

Martin Taylor | Member #598
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

An early morning heading to Sandown…. The come try day. I was excited and nervous for my first track day.

After a chilly foggy morning where you couldn’t even see the track, we registered, set up the car, had the driver’s briefing then we were ready to rumble. LOL

I was so nervous but soon settled in with Igor as my instructor. Playing it very safe, learning the track and negotiating the corners. Keeping my speed pretty comfortable.

I got around the track in one piece feeling very proud of myself.

In my second run all that changed as I had Matt as my instructor, and boy did he push me harder telling me to trust him. With my foot hovering over the brake he repeated…. Trust me, trust me, foot off the brake, put your foot down. My fear reaching an all-time high!

I actually don’t think I did too badly, given my fear of speed and with each run, I think I actually improved, eventually trusting Matt enough to reach a top speed of 200k on the straight.

I am not sure if I’ll do it again but I am sure glad I gave it a go. I think I’ll stick to being Alex’s pit crew. My arms and neck were so stiff and sore from the stress and clutching the steering wheel for dear life.

It is always great to meet up with other club members and have a chat and check out their cars.

Alex and I have loved being part of this group. Jo and Graeme are great and the events they run are always so well organised.

In our retirement, we have been able to go to many events and have enjoyed each one of them and look forward to many more in the future.

Thanks for all your hard work and to all the officials and instructors that give up their time so we can enjoy the day.

Lots of thrills and spills during the day, but a bloody good day as usual with the club.

Lucy Walsh | Member #834
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne