Event date: 11-14 March 2022

After waiting for so long it was finally here.. BMW Clubs Australia Nationals 2022!

I'd been hanging out for this for so long, I didn't care what else was happening, I just wanted to make it to Canberra. 

Even if it meant missing my flight and waiting for another one, but thats another story..

Don't be deceived, Canberra is not the 'dead' quiet town that it's made out to be, it took the DiDi driver 20 minutes to get out of the airport carpark. Canberra airport maybe small, but it's nice and clean.

It was a 20 minute car ride to Canberra BMW, where we were been hosted by the nice people there for our 'meet 'n' greet' and also the all important registration session for the nationals. 

Here we were given our lanyard and name tag. I thought it was a great idea to list the activities you had signed up for on the back of your name tag, to remind you of what activities you were participating in.

I met up with Lawrence, Shaaron, Jo, Graeme, the Cooper family, Adrian, Jean (apologies to anyone I've forgotten to mention) and John Shreeve, who had kindly offered to let me tag along in his car since I flew up.

Canberra BMW is a nice little dealership in what is known as the industrial area of Canberra on the outskirts of city where a lot of other car dealerships and car related business's like Toyota, Volvo, tyre shops and Repco are located.

The hospitality at Canberra BMW was very nice with a very in depth overview of the full range of BMW cars on offer at the dealership and with the world trying for much greener look for the future, there was mention of the i4, iX and iX 3 electric models. We were also treated to some nice food with pizza, spring rolls, prawn crackers and noodle boxes from Wok It Up.

After a hectic day it was nice to head back to QT Canberra (the hotel where most of us from BMWDCM were staying) and turn in.

On the Saturday of the Nationals, John and I went to visit the National Gallery of Australia. No offence to any art loving person because I'm not an artty person, but there was some funky stuff here!

Surprisingly we spent a couple of hours here before heading to ACU for the Concourse and shown 'n shine. A great display of BMW cars was put on by all the Australian clubs with a few trade stalls on a perfect sunny day. In the afternoon John and I decided to go for a drive. I was quite excited to have a drive of John's M340. His car drives so nicely with a slight similarity in the weight of steering and sounds a little like a E36 323i. Yes I know people will raise an eyebrow at that, but it's just what I think!

We drove to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. That was a great experience, Thanks John!

We rushed back to join others from BMWDCM at Lake Burley Griffin for ai segway tour around the lake which was heaps of fun.

Sunday was motorsport day and the final day of the nationals.

We went out to Sutton road driver training centre in Majura to get stuck into some action on the skid pan and for others a bit of sideways action in the motorkana course, which was much enjoyed by everyone including the kids!

In the evening it was the gala dinner including champagne and beer pre drinks followed by a 2 course meal of alternating dishes. Accompanying the food was presentations of the show n shine awards, BMW car club Canberra member awards, auction of a few items and speeches by the Canberra car club president Luke Wise. Congratulations to all the receipts if awards, well deserved for all your efforts!!

Rally driver Casey Price was the guest speaker and is an inspiration to all girls who aspire to get involved in motorsport. Well done Casey o all your achievements!

It was great to also make new friends with other club members from other clubs, what a fantastic event.

Well done BMW Car Club Canberra, looking forward to BMW Nationals Gold Coast 2023!

Tim Oh | Member #538
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Event date: 5-6 March 2022

This was my first time attending the Geelong Revival Motoring Festival and it did not disappoint! The range of vehicles on display was a feast for the sensors and I could have spent hours wandering the pits and through the car displays.

Manning the finish line was a highlight as a range of vintage and modern cars came thundering towards me, drag racing style!

Incorporating a high speed component into a car show like what the Geelong Revival has done is what take this “car show” to another level. The thrill and excitement of watching the competitors put pedal to the metal over the 1/4 mile track was so much fun, and the crowd loved it! 

Not even a bit of rain could dampen spirits as it certainly made for some exciting runs from the competitors. It was also brilliant to see 2 wheel and 4 wheel categories into the one event.

Once again the BMW Drivers Club Melbourne demonstrated what a world class act they are by taking out best car display! Better get a bigger trophy cabinet! I can highly recommend attending the Geelong Revival to everyone of all ages, a great way to spend a weekend!

Meg Boers | Member #556
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,

After a great start to the year with a busy January, we went straight into February with a member meeting and twilight drive leaving from Berwick BMW.  We had a fantastic turnout with many members attending to meet with the staff at Berwick BMW before we headed out to the car park for a driver briefing and went off on another of Peter Williams' drives.  We had a perfect summer night and quite a few new members join us, it was also great to see some families coming out for the fun too.

We were supposed to join the Maling Road display on 6 February but this was postponed again due to Covid. This is planned to be rescheduled to some time in May.  As soon as we get confirmation we'll let you know the details. It will be a limited event as there are only so many places allocated to each club.

On 12 February we had a huge field of competitors join us for Round 2 of our 2022 Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship at Sandown with the weather turning on a stunning day and everyone having a ball.

We also had a Pre-Torquay Motor Show drive down the Great Ocean Road on 12 February with a nice selection of cars.  The group finished their night at the Torquay Hotel for dinner, ready for the Motor Show on the Sunday.

The Torquay Motor Show never disappoints with so many different cars on show. It was great to see so many new people interested in our display, and we signed up quite a few new members on the day - so welcome to all who joined.  Welcome to all the other new members who have joined us recently, we are currently at 686 members and still growing strongly each month.

On 19 February some of our members attended the Shannons Auto Caffeine morning with a beautiful collection of cars ready for their auctions.  It's always a joy to catch up with all the Shannons staff that we have not seen for what feels like years, have a chat and a coffee and a look over some of the cars I may or may not have bid on… although I didn’t win it anyway.

On 20 February 100 members and friends joined us for a private tour of Lindsay Fox’s museum and wow what an incredible display of cars.  We were there for just on two hours, I'm sure I speak for everyone who attended when I say we could have stayed there longer.  There is so much history in the building alone, let alone all the amazing cars which were on display.  

We finished February with our monthly virtual hook up the BCCM which again did not disappoint.  We really enjoy catching up with our Munich friends, we highly recommend attending one of these if you get a chance.

Quite a few of our members were then competing at Sandown on 25-27 February for Round 1 of the E30 Racing Championship.  We also had one of our members doing their OLT (Observed Licence Test) and passing, well done Shannon Cooper.  It's great to see four new members joining the E30 field for 2022.  Our very own Jess Bell qualified third, her best starting spot to date, well done Jess. Alex Jory won the round to start off the year where he left off last year, well done Alex. I even slipped into a seat for the weekend when Shannon took ill and couldn’t race on Saturday. It was a lot of fun, although I now see Shannon’s car needs a bit of engine work to give it some extra go!

On the Sunday it was also Jess’s 30^th birthday and it was fantastic to have a bit of a party at the track with all of the E30 and DCM members joining us to help celebrate. Jess does a fantastic job in the background for the club, pretty much everything you see, from the website and the newsletter to idrive magazine, it's all Jess’s hard work behind the scenes to make us look as good as possible and function so well. Thank you Jess and happy birthday for Sunday!

Speaking of birthdays, 4 March is our very own Vice President, Jo’s, 60^th birthday and seeing as we will be in Geelong for the Revival, make sure you drop in and say Happy Birthday to Jo over the weekend! Jo does so much for the Club and we are so lucky to have her driving the events and organising just about everything we do. She is a dynamo and deserves our thanks for her tireless efforts to help the club be as good as it is.

We will be taking our BMW club of the Year Award to all events for everyone to see too, another reason to come along and have a selfie with the trophy, as it is an award for all the members.

On 4 - 6 March our club will have a huge display down at Geelong foreshore for Geelong Revival, so if you have not registered yet, please do.  There are a few ///M cars we are still looking for so contact Lawrence on secretary@bmwdcm.com.au and even if we have one like yours, we will be happy to have another.

On 8 March we will be holding a Zoom member meeting to run through all our events for 2022 and boy do we have a load. 

As you will all know by now, we have the BMW Clubs Australia Nationals being hosted in Canberra this year.   Registrations have closed but we're really looking forward to catching up with our interstate friends over the long weekend.

While the Nationals is happening up in Canberra the Phillip Island Historics will be on both Saturday and Sunday,.  It's a great opportunity to display your car and watch the Historics race over the weekend.

On 25-27 March our racing members are at Winton for Round 2 of the E30 Championship. If you’d like to come to some fantastic State level racing you are more than welcome to join us.

Looking ahead to April on 2 April we have our first come and try day at Broadford.  This is focused on women being our International Women’s Day event, but men and boys are more than welcome to join us on the track or as officials on the day.

Straight after our International Women’s Day Come and Try is the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne. We have been looking forward to the F1 cars coming back for two years now and we will have another amazing display of cars on show. So if you are at the Grand Prix, come and say hello!

On 30 April we are holding our presentation night and fourth birthday dinner, so be sure to register for this.  While the theme is to come dressed as someone famous from history or the silver screen, if you are not comfortable then just come dress in smart casual wear.

Lastly, we have our new limited-edition shirts and caps to celebrate our award for winning International Club of the Year in 2021. They are available as a special edition and so are limited, so if you want one, get in quick! They look great and if you are in Geelong for the Revival, we will have them available there.

Thanks for reading, as always, keep an eye on your emails and our event calendar, it is packed with all sorts of events to suit every taste.

Drive safe out there and I look forward to seeing you at an event somewhere 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: 13 February 2022

A glorious two days around the Torquay Motor show started with a Saturday drive from Geelong to the Great Ocean Road via Forrest before joining the pre-Torquay Motor Show Cruise from Lorne to Torquay. An excellent collection of BMWs and an even more excellent collection of members and family set off along the Geelong Ring Road on a surprisingly clear day which provided splendid views from the Princes Highway out towards the coast.

Turning off at Birregurra we started the descent through the cool and shady tree arched winding roads down to the coast.

A quick stop in Forrest confused my Google Maps - which I was trying to use for turn buy turn instructions as a back up to paper instructions in the hope I would get the route and radio calls correct! The Google Maps wanted to go to the centre of Forrest but the toilets (which is where we wanted to go!) where on a parallel road. Unable to figure out how to correct this in time or on the move meant my phone was desperate to go to Forrest even when we arrive at our final destination.  As we pulled into the lunch stop car park at Kafe Koala some 50 kms away it was urging me to perform a U turn! 

Putting the distractions of a hair-brained sat nav to one side once on the Great Ocean Road the vista opened up with amazing clear views out to sea and forward to the promontories ahead. This certainly lived up to the road’s name.  Sadly other people were also enjoying the view and our progress towards Melbourne seemed barely faster than a container ship we could see out on the water.

After lunch we drove further along the GOR to Lorne golf club and assembled with interesting selection of about 50 other cars.  We had enough time for as quick look around, a bit of a chat and a short address from a representative of Rotary (who organise the Torquay Motor Show) before droving to Torquay in a sort of convoy, forming a small scale car show at the Elephant Walk grounds overlooking the beach.

There was live music and a BBQ for those who wanted it and more opportunities to look at cars (more than had been at Lorne) and conversations for as long as one wanted.

Many of our group met up again for dinner at the Torquay Hotel to cap off an enjoyable day.

Sunday saw us back at Elephant Walk for the car show proper in a slightly sheltered spot with beautiful views out to sea amongst an eclectic range of about 340 other cars.  Although the air temperature was a bit high (35- 37) the gentle breeze kept things comfortable. It is a lovely spot and a very popular show with plenty of passing foot traffic and other attendees. Our display was consistently popular and many engaging conversations arose.

Around 2 pm the wind picked up dramatically and the decision taken to take down the marquee before it headed off to Tasmania.  I am very grateful for the ready assistance provided by those of our members close by at the time. We took down the rest of the flags etc too as people were starting to leave. However, the fact that there was still a reasonable number around at 3:45 when we called it a day shows just how well the show went.

Thanks to all of our members who came along to make the weekend so special and to those who helped me set up and pack down at the show.

Lawrence Glynn | Member #3
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne 

Event date: 20 February 2022

Last Sunday was a great morning out for all who attended the Lindsay Fox Car Museum site visit. 

The collection is housed in the historic two storey red brick Queens Warehouse at Docklands. From my rough count there were up to 50 immaculate cars on display, with more cars housed elsewhere, ready for rotation duty. 

There were many cars from many eras.

Too many to mention and more than enough to satisfy most tastes.

Attendants ran casual tours to discuss and answer questions on the cars – most enlightening. For instance, the 1950’s Porsche Speedster on display, is the car produced one chassis number away from the car James Dean died in.

Future expansion of the display is currently in the planning stage, which can only improve the enjoyment of visiting this Fox establishment.

Lindsay deserves a great vote of thanks for sharing his love of motor cars with the general public.

Chris Mcsteen | Member #267
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne 

Event date: 16 January 2022

I recently joined the BMWDCM because I was interested in getting involved in more driving events such as track days.  I drive a very original 1999 523i (E39) certainly no rocket ship but a great handling car.

I saw the invite come out for the sprint event at the iconic Phillip Island track hosted by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROCA). As it was my first event and really wasn’t sure what to expect I reached out to Graeme Bell explaining my stock standard car and lack of racing experience. Graeme was extremely supportive, told me to sign up and encouraged me by letting me know that they would look after me on the day.

So I sent off my application and was excited when I received the confirmation email back from the organisers with all of the details for the day.

In preparation for the day, I decided to fit some EBC performance brake pads and as I was due for new tyres, I fitted some semi slick tyres. The car is not a daily driver, so I was happy with this set up.

With a 7am start at the track I booked a motel for the night before so I was closer to the track and organised a car trailer so I knew I could get home if the car had any troubles.

The day finally arrived, I drove the short distance to the track and lined up with several other cars ready for the gates to open at 7am. It was a stunning morning and the day ended up being perfect with clear skies and very little wind which was unexpected for such an exposed site.

There was a good turnout of BMWDCM members with a mix of daily drivers to E30’s set up for racing.

The organisers arranged for any first timers to have their own practice run accompanied by an instructor. I found this invaluable as the instructor was able to give me some helpful tips about the track.

I had about six 10-minute runs over the day. My car ran very well, the brakes and tyres performed flawlessly and gave me great confidence through the corners. I didn’t have the top line speed of the other cars but still had a lot of fun.

I was made to feel very welcome by everyone from BMWDCM, thank you very much to everyone. I had a great day at a great track and can’t wait for the next event!

Tim Trainor | Member #745
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne 

From today, the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink is on display in the new BMW i exhibition at BMW Welt.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the BMW Group presented the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink – a unique technology that enables the exterior to change colour. From now until the mid-March, visitors to the BMW Welt have the opportunity to view the spectacular vehicle in the recently opened BMW i exhibition.

What is the technology behind the color change and what is the added value?

The special paint finish works in a similar way to the technology in e-book readers. A special body foiling integrates several million colour capsules. Negatively charged white or positively charged black pigments are stimulated by electrical signals and collect on the surface and in this way change the exterior colour. "In this way, we give drivers the freedom to express different sides of their personality to the outside world and redefine them on every journey," says Stella Clarke, Project Head of BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink. With the ability to change the exterior colour and to display different patterns, the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink opens up new worlds for an individual driving experience. But the technology also offers numerous potential areas of application beyond the customer experience, for example to improve energy efficiency. The electrophoretic paint in the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink differs from displays in that it does not constantly consume energy. Only when switching over is electricity very briefly required. The matching exterior colour actually improves the energy efficiency of the vehicle. A white surface will reflect sunlight significantly more than a black one, meaning the interior heats up less. Changing the colour thus reduces energy consumption. The colour change in the all-electric BMW iX not only boosts the mood of the passengers, but also the vehicle's range.

BMW PRESS

50 years of BMW M. In 2022, the commitment as Official Car of MotoGP™ is all about BMW M GmbH’s special anniversary. The first highlight is a first in the BMW M safety car fleet. The BMW M2 CS Racing is the first thoroughbred race car to be used as the lead car in MotoGP™. The BMW M2 CS Racing MotoGP™ Safety Car heads the fleet of powerful BMW M safety cars in the 2022 season.

50 years of BMW M. In 2022, the commitment as Official Car of MotoGP™ is all about BMW M GmbH’s special anniversary. The first highlight is a first in the BMW M safety car fleet. The BMW M2 CS Racing is the first thoroughbred race car to be used as the lead car in MotoGP™. The BMW M2 CS Racing MotoGP™ Safety Car heads the fleet of powerful BMW M safety cars in the 2022 season, which begins on 6th March with the Grand Prix of Qatar.

“M stands for Motorsport – something we are underlining with the new BMW M2 CS Racing MotoGP™ Safety Car,” said Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “BMW M GmbH combines high-performance production automobiles and motorsport under one roof. It is for this reason that we selected a race car from our BMW M Motorsport range to be the new MotoGP™ Safety Car – an appropriate choice to mark the 50th anniversary. The BMW M2 CS Racing has been successful in a wide range of championships – and, as a thoroughbred race car, is perfectly suited to leading the field as the safety car in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. We are looking forward to our 24th season as ‘Official Car of MotoGP™’ and to seeing the BMW M2 CS Racing in action as a safety car for the first time in Qatar.”

“BMW M has been our partner since 1999 and, over the course of this long-term collaboration, has always thrilled us with new highlights,” added Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP™ rights holder Dorna Sports. “With a safety car based on a real race car, BMW M is once again setting new benchmarks this year. The BMW M2 CS Racing MotoGP™ Safety Car shows how deeply rooted BMW M is in motorsport. It is also more proof of just how intensively BMW M GmbH brings its passion for motorsport to play in our partnership. We would like to congratulate BMW M on its 50th anniversary and are looking forward to an exciting new season together.”

The BMW M2 CS Racing is part of BMW M Motorsport’s extensive range of race cars. It is successful in championships around the world, and there are also multiple international and national one-make cups featuring the BMW M2 CS Racing. BMW M Motorsport drivers and teams also score points towards the BMW Sports Trophy on their outings with the BMW M2 CS Racing. The competition is the only one of its kind in the world for drivers and teams who compete with BMW M race cars in various series and at renowned racing events. The most successful of them are rewarded with an attractive amount of prize money.

As well as an engine generating up to 450 hp (depending on the version), the race car also has motorsport-specific driving aids like ABS and DSC, a mechanical limited-slip differential with pre-load and separate cooling, as well as specially manufactured drive shafts and a carbon roof. For its role as the MotoGP™ Safety Car, the BMW M2 CS Racing only required modifications in a few areas, including the addition of light bars and front lights. The livery of the new BMW M2 CS Racing MotoGP™ Safety Cars is a reference to the 50th anniversary and based on the anniversary logo of BMW M GmbH.

Completing the BMW M fleet for the 2022 MotoGP™ season are the BMW M3 Competition Safety Car, the BMW M4 Competition Safety Car, the BMW M5 CS Safety Car, the BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupé Safety Car, the BMW X5 M Competition Medical Car, and two BMW M 1000 RR Safety Bikes. The fully-electric BMW i4 M50 Safety Car will also lead the field in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, the electric motorcycle series held on the MotoGP™ support programme.

For more information about BMW M GmbH and the involvement as the ‘Official Car of MotoGP™’, see: www.bmw-m.com

BMW PRESS