On Saturday 30 June, a large contingent of BMWDCM members attended a sprint event at the famous Phillip Island GP circuit. The event was held and managed by AROCA – the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia who had invited us to take part as associates for the day.
An early 7am start saw us arrive, unpack, get our cars running and through scrutineering by 8:30. The AROCA officials were terrific – helping us through the formalities and doing everything they could to ensure we got to run our cars on the day. Then it was time for a drivers’ briefing with the Clerk of the Course and race officials providing us with the rules governing the event, the etiquette and responses required of us as drivers, and more detailed information for first time drivers at the Phillip Island track.
As the rain bucketed down assisted by a howling wind, and the temperature plummeting, we got into our practice runs. The cars had been divided into 3 groups of approx. 20, with our BMWs grouped together (mostly) with some Mazda MX5s and a lone Alfa Giulia. Practice on a wet and wild track had a few of us facing the wrong way coming out of some bends, but thankfully no excursions onto the grass. Driving in these weather conditions in a controlled environment, on a purpose-built tarmac with gaps between competitors created the ideal opportunity for us to test our driver ability and responses and to assess our car set up and condition. Much better than finding these things out on the freeway at 100kph.
The timed runs soon followed with the first couple in similarly wet conditions. I think we all maintained good control, and no-one was trying for outright pace – just having an enjoyable time on a great track amongst others doing the same. As the day went on, the track started to dry, and lap times started to tumble, especially for the better developed cars and racers amongst our group.
Over the day, we had 6 timed runs of approx. 15mins each which gave us all plenty of track time. The event wound up at about 5pm and weary but happy, we hit the road for home.
One of the advantages of being a smaller club is that we can easily combine with larger or more established car clubs for sprint events – in this case it was AROCA. The AROCA members were great and they had some fantastic cars on the track. Even though we may be a bit BMW centric, it is good to be able to get up close to other marques and to share the track with them. Our hosts for the day deserve a real pat on the back, and I for one look forward to sharing future events with AROCA. Great bunch of people.
If I may, I would like to add some opinion about why I think these club level sprint days are such memorable and anticipated days and why I would encourage other BMWDCM members to give it a go (if you haven’t already) –
Jim Tucker | Member #26 BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
Numerous new features in the area of drive technology enhance driving fun as well as reducing emissions in the current MINI models as of summer 2018. Emission control in all petrol-engine variants of the MINI 3 door, MINI 5 door and MINI Convertible as well as the MINI Clubman and MINI Countryman will include a particulate filter as of July 2018. The models of the British premium brand with this feature meet the particularly rigorous requirements of the Euro 6d-TEMP emission standard. This demonstrates how MINI consistently continues to pursue the optimisation of emissions in its current models. The diesel engine variants of the MINI Clubman and MINI Countryman have met the Euro 6d-TEMP standard since March 2018. Their emission control system includes not just a diesel particulate filter and an NOX storage catalytic converter but also an SCR catalytic converter which features a special urea injection (AdBlue) for highly effective reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions.
In addition, the relevant model variants of the MINI Clubman and MINI Countryman will be fitted with enhanced petrol engines as of July 2018. Here, optimised MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology especially benefits fuel consumption and emission levels. As an alternative to the standard manual transmission, the petrol engine models of the MINI Clubman and MINI Countryman will be available with a 7-speed Steptronic transmission in future.
Fast gear changes and a high level of internal efficiency are the properties of the 7-speed Steptronic transmission with double clutch available as an option for further variants of the successful MINI models in the premium compact segment from July 2018 onwards. The use of two clutches when changing gear enables particularly sporty acceleration without torque interrupt. In addition to enhanced driving fun, the design principle adapted from motor racing also has all the comfort features of an automatic transmission. It ensures harmonious and acoustically barely perceptible changes in drive position, free of load change reactions in the engine – not just when sprinting but also when decelerating. The 7-speed Steptronic transmission with double clutch also enables use of the auto start/stop function and the coasting function to increase efficiency. Furthermore, the transmission control is networked with the navigation system if the vehicle is fitted with one. In this way, navigation data can be used to adapt the choice of gear perfectly to the route. Operation of the 7-speed Steptronic transmission with double clutch is by means of an electronic gear selector switch. This transmits the driver's instructions by means of electrical impulses to the transmission control.
From July 2018 onwards, the 7-speed Steptronic transmission with double clutch is also available as an option in combination with the enhanced petrol engines for the MINI Clubman and the MINI Countryman. The efficiency-optimised petrol engines fitted as standard with a particulate filter meet the requirements of the Euro 6d-TEMP emission standard. With the 7-speed Steptronic transmission, the combined fuel consumption figure for the MINI One Clubman and the MINI Cooper Clubman is now 5.7 litres per 100 kilometres in each case (CO2 level: 130 g/km). The figures for the MINI Cooper S Clubman are 5.8 litres per 100 kilometres and 133 g/km. The combined fuel consumption and the CO2 emissions level of the MINI One Countryman with 7-speed Steptronic transmission are 5.9 litres per 100 kilometres and 135 – 134 g/km. For the MINI Cooper Countryman the figures are 5.9 to 5.8 litres per 100 kilometres and 134 – 132 g/km). The corresponding figures measured in the MINI Cooper S Countryman are 6.0 litres and 138 – 136 g/km (figures depend on the tyre format selected). All fuel consumption and emissions figures were arrived at using the new WLTP measuring procedure and then adapted to NEDC for comparison purposes by means of correlation.
Even faster gear changes are enabled by the 7-speed Steptronic sports transmission, available as an additional option for the MINI Cooper S Clubman and the MINI Cooper S Countryman. Shift paddles are available at the steering wheel in this version of the automatic transmission for manual intervention in the choice of drive position.
The new Connectivity Package is available for the MINI Clubman from July 2018, providing the very highest level of entertainment pleasure and intelligent connectivity. It includes especially high-quality fittings for navigation, communication and sound, combined with perfect operation and functionality. The central component of the package is the option Connected Navigation Plus with 8.8-inch touchscreen and MINI Touch Controller, Real Time Traffic Information and automatic navigation map update via mobile phone connection, established by means of the integrated SIM card. The Connectivity Package likewise includes Apple CarPlay preparation, MINI Connected XL and telephony with Wireless Charging, allowing cable-free charging of mobile phones with this capability.
An addition to the standard range of fittings for the MINI Clubman and the MINI Countryman from summer 2018 serves to enhance both comfort and safety. In future, the two MINI models in the premium compact segment will be fitted with automatic driving lights control as standard. This function ensures needs-oriented activation and deactivation of the headlights and rear lights depending on the light conditions in the environment of the vehicle. For this purpose, the driving light switch in both models can be turned to an additional position from July 2018: it is marked by a graphic symbol containing the letter "A". When using the automatic driving lights system, the lights are not only activated at night but also when dusk is falling and when visibility is poor due to the weather conditions, as well as when passing through tunnels or in dark multi-storey car parks.
Fuel consumption, CO2 emission figures and power consumption were measured using the methods required according to Regulation (EC) 2007/715 as amended. The information is based on a vehicle with basic equipment in Germany; ranges take into account differences in wheel and tyre size selected as well as optional equipment.
The information has already been calculated based on the new WLTP test cycle and adapted to NEDC for comparison purposes.
Sunday the 1st July began with the sun shining, air crisp and the winter woollens on. I was off onto The Royal Hotel Mornington for the Christmas in July gathering deciding to leave the e30 tucked away and take the e46 for an appearance.
Over 20 cars arrived and 40+ members to enjoy a big breakfast.
The theme of the day was Christmas attire, whereby I was surprised with the effort and extent some members went to and was quite impressed to say the least.
Judging for the Christmas dress was very funny with Jess Bell winning the prettiest Christmas outfit in her complete elf outfit, the Gigliotti family winning best dressed family, Olivia Mayworm winning most twinkly and Jo Mawson winning funniest outfit.
Everyone had a giggle and laugh which was also great to see.
After being handed out the driving instructions and some fantastic photos taken of the cars, we all headed off on the cruise with the crisp air still present but the sun beaming down on all the BMW’s. There were some great stops along the way at Arthurs Seat and Flinders Pier allowing us to enjoy some pretty amazing views.
Our final stop was at the Hastings Marina, with all attending for coffee and cake/Christmas pudding, beer and a wine where the fun and laughter continued.
It was great to catch up with friends and people who I have never met before and just really enjoy the company of people who are genuine, love their cars and the club.
Thank you to all involved in organising the day.
Sam O’Neil | Member #17BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
MONTH IN REVIEW
Graeme and Jo are now back from their 6 week stint in Europe and are busy planning the rest of the year out in motorsport and events.
"We are now a couple of months old and WOW, what a couple of months it has been!
When we first started down the road of building a new club and all the work it took to get it off the ground, we thought it would be great if in six months or a year we had 100 members, maybe a couple of years we might even make 200. I can’t tell you how proud and grateful I am, that it only took few short weeks to welcome our 100th member and now we are well on our way to 200. I am amazed. Thank you for joining and we hope we can give you what you want from a club. If there is anything you want to do, or think might be fun for us to organise, please drop us a line and you never know, we might just run with the idea. Our door is always open, and we are always looking for ideas. It is your club after all." - Graeme Bell. Read the full President's Report here.
Over the last month we have been doing a lot of work on our website. Our motorsport pages are now up and running and we have dates set for our "mini" Drivers' Championship for 2018! Special thanks to AROCA, who have allowed us to run our championship at their rounds this year.
There is also now a 'members only' area, where our members can find committee meeting minutes, our Drivers' Championship rules, information on BMW Clubs Australia and member services. We are keen to support those who support us, so if you would like to feature your business on our member services page we'd love to hear from you!
We had a number of events in June - we had our first members meeting at Shannons Insurance with our "Have you ever wondered why?" themed night. It was a great success and created some great discussion! Read more on the night here.
We then enjoyed a fantastic day at SkyHigh, Mount Dandenong on Queens Birthday! The weather certainly put on a show and our members had a fantastic day! You can read more about our trip to SkyHigh here.
We also had a number of members attend the AROCA sprint day at Phillip Island on 30 June to compete and also do the pace laps! The weather wasn't the best but that didn't deter anyone. Keep an eye on our website to read more about this.
THE MONTH AHEAD
EVENTS NOT TO MISS!
NEWS | BLOG
President | Graeme Bell 0407 186 296 Vice President | Jo Mawson 0412 661 900 Secretary | Lawrence Glynn 0414 563 290 Treasurer | Shaaron Glynn
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.
A visit to BMW Munich
As many of our members know, Graeme and I took a few weeks off and went to Europe. Prior to leaving Graeme had met with Eva Priller from BMW Classic at the recent BMW Clubs Australia AGM and she had mentioned that if we had the time it would be nice for us to visit BMW whilst we were in Europe. This was an invitation we did not want to turn down so after a little tweaking of the itinerary and Graeme forgoing driving Nürburgring (again), we managed to squeeze four days in Munich.
We were lucky to be invited to join a “Wheels & Weisswursht” morning, which is just like our “Coffee and Cars” mornings, except they have beer and sausage instead of coffee and cakes!
They are very fortunate to have such an amazing venue to hold such events, with BMW Classic opening their doors on a Saturday to invite the clubs to join them to enjoy everything BMW and other brands as well. All classic cars are invited to these mornings and there were some exceptional examples on display.
It was so refreshing to see so many cars in all different conditions and just see like minded members who love their cars, standing around chatting and enjoying the day. Cars rolled in and out all morning and it was amazing what turned up.
If you are ever thinking of visiting Munich, make sure you let us know and we will be able to assist you with gaining access to some of the amazing facilities that are available for members to visit whilst in Munich.
We also visited BMW Welt, had a private ‘white glove tour’ at the BMW Museum and were lucky enough to also have a private tour of BMW Classic.
If you love the brand, I really encourage you to try to make the pilgrimage to Munich and visit their amazing facilities and take a tour or two with their dedicated staff and learn more about everything BMW - from their history to their plans for the future. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, they are so helpful and full of knowledge. Also, if you have been before, its worth going back again as every time we have been the museum has different cars on display and we learn more interesting things each time we go there.
Our visit was over before we knew it and we sadly had to leave, but we will be back and there might even be a BMWDCM trip in the planning for the future..
Jo Mawson | Vice President BMW Drivers Club Melbourne The Ultimate Driving Club
Dear Members,
We are now a couple of months old and WOW, what a couple of months it has been!
When we first started down the road of building a new club and all the work it took to get it off the ground, we thought it would be great if in six months or a year we had 100 members, maybe a couple of years we might even make 200. I can’t tell you how proud and grateful I am, that it only took few short weeks to welcome our 100th member and now we are well on our way to 200. I am amazed. Thank you for joining and we hope we can give you what you want from a club. If there is anything you want to do, or think might be fun for us to organise, please drop us a line and you never know, we might just run with the idea. Our door is always open, and we are always looking for ideas. It is your club after all.
I apologise if Jo and I have been a bit hard to get in touch with through most of May and into June, we were off on holiday road tripping around Europe. We covered 9,980km in 6 weeks touring around France, Spain, Portugal, Monaco (for a little race they have there), into Italy briefly (where I almost died, literally, but that’s another story), Switzerland, Germany (where we spent 4 days in Munich), Belgium and back into France. There were a few other countries we popped into as well, but the bit most here would be interested in, was our visit to Munich.
When I went to the Clubs Australia AGM, just before our launch night, I met Eva from BMW Classic in Munich. Eva works for BMW and was not only the person that was responsible for approving our new club logo, but is pretty much in charge of all the BMW Clubs in our region. When Eva heard Jo and I were going to Europe she asked if we were coming to Munich and if we were, she would be very happy to look after us and organise some special things to do whilst we were there. So, I quickly got on to Jo and said we had better change our itinerary to include Munich, because at that stage we weren’t planning on going there this time, and well, when BMW wants you to visit, you visit. After a little juggling, which meant I gave up spending another day at the Nurburgring, we were able to fit in 4 days there. I'm very glad we did! Thank you so much Eva, for your hospitality and all your help.
We just happened to be in Munich over the weekend of the Wheels and Weisswurscht meeting at BMW Group Classic, so Eva invited us to come along too. This is a little like our Cars and Coffee days, just a casual event where people turn up and chat and check out each other’s cars. Except it is at the home of BMW Classic, where they have brought out a few of their cars as well and as well as coffee, there is German sausage for everyone to enjoy. This was a great event, with a group driving up from Italy and club people from Munich and all over Germany just coming down for the drive. Lots of nice cars and plenty you will never see on the road in Australia. It was fantastic to be invited to the day and see some beautiful cars and meet some more people with the same passion as we have.
Eva also organised a couple of very special tours for us. We had our very own ‘white glove’ guided tour of the BMW museum, where our guide opened bonnets and boots, unlocked doors and showed us lots of things up close that you don’t normally get too close to.
We felt like celebrities being allowed to get very close to some of BMW’s prized collection and it is always great to hear the stories about each exhibit from someone that knows all about them, instead of just wandering around and seeing things on our own. If you are going to the museum, let us know and we can help organise a tour for you too. So much better than just wandering around.
Our second ‘special tour’ was at BMW Classic. We were very lucky to have Eva personally show us through the archives and then the collection itself. The archives are amazing, all the original drawings and designs going back to the earliest models, even the original patent application document for the first roundel! All sorts of original items and photos, we could have spent all day in there alone. Best thing was we were allowed to open every drawer and look at everything up close and even touch some. Just amazing. Thank you, Eva!
After spending time in there we were taken into the original workshop building where BMW began making cars. Here they house about a third of the BMW collection. So many amazing vehicles, right back to the very first road going vehicle to have a BMW engine in it, a horse drawn fire brigade pump that was powered by a BMW aircraft engine. Elvis’ freshly restored 507 is there, along with a BMW Mclaren, a couple of F1 cars, lots of different race cars and loads of classic BMWs of every type imaginable. Must say, I was in heaven, only thing better would have been if I could have driven a few of them. Eva mentioned that if she had more notice, she might have been able to arrange a drive as quite a few of the cars in the collection actually do get driven quite often - either loaned to special guests or driven in special events all over Europe. It is great that they actually do get used and not just sit there gathering dust, as Eva said, they were built to be driven, so they still are! Fantastic!
I plan to put together a slide show of our visit to Munich and all the things we saw there, as me being me, I took hundreds of photos at each of the places we visited. Might even put one together of our whole trip, as some that followed us on facebook would know, we don’t just tour around and see a few sights. We saw and experienced a whole lot in our 6 weeks, in 13 countries and almost 10,000km of driving. Jo and I are a bit crazy sometimes, we jumped off a mountain in Switzerland, hiked out on a glacier at 12,000 feet altitude at -9 deg, rode the longest rodelbahn in the world, in Andorra, and the steepest as well, in Italy. We also went to some amazing places and took in some incredibly moving moments, that will stay with me forever. Like the last post ceremony at the Menin Gate and the Australian War Memorial at Villers Bretonneux.
Anyway, that is a bit off track, so back to the club and Melbourne now and full steam ahead.
We have a busy week ahead. We will be at Phillip Is tomorrow for the Alfa Club Sprint and some pace-car laps for our members, thanks to Neil and the Alfa Club for inviting us along. Then Sunday is our first Christmas in July event. Looking forward to that with lots of you coming along. Tuesday will also be our next monthly meeting and I, for one, am looking forward to hearing from the VFT about the benefits and opportunities available in becoming a CAMS official. I have been a CAMS Official for nearly 20 years now and have enjoyed lots of events from the other side, so come along and see what you can get involved in too.
Look forward to catching up with you all one way or another over the coming months.
Graeme Bell | President BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.
P.O. Box 81, TYABB, VICTORIA. 3913 Incorporated in Victoria #A0102695G BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc is a member of: BMW Clubs Australia and the BMW Clubs International Council CAMS Affiliated Motorsport Club
BMW PRESS CLUB
Following strong race starts, both driver-trios lost ground on the 13.626-kilometre track due to damper failures, which caused additional pit stops for repairs. The race was then ended for car #82 after an accident on Sunday at about 6:30 hrs. Shortly after that, the radiator of the sister car had to be changed after being hit by debris on the track. 12th place was the highest possible position after the extended stops. The #92 Porsche secured victory at the “Circuit de la Sarthe”.
The Le Mans 24 Hours was the second round of the 2018/2019 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The season will resume on 19th August with the 6 Hours of Silverstone (GBR).
“Our return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans turned out to be an emotional rollercoaster. First, it was great to see that were able to battle it out at the very front of the fiercely-fought GTE Pro class in terms of pace. Our drivers were involved in plenty of gripping duels with the competition and were even running in second place for some of the race. The BMW M8 GTE left a really strong impression. A podium seemed to be in reach but, unfortunately, technical issues and an accident cost us the chance to be rewarded for all the hard work in the build-up to this event. However, the positives outweigh the negatives: The fans were treated with action galore in the GTE Pro class. We were able to prove the full potential of our new car. In addition, we experienced the world premiere of the all-new BMW 8 Series Coupe on this unique stage. That’s another reason why this event will remain a good memory and give extra motivation to come back here even stronger for the Super Season finale in 2019. A big thank you and a lot of respect to everyone involved in this exciting BMW project with a lot of passion.” - Jens Marquardt | BMW Motorsport Director
Fourth generation of the BMW X family patriarch. New BMW X5 opens the next chapter in the success story of the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) segment’s founder, of which more than 2.2 million units have been sold so far. New edition of the BMW X5 captures the imagination with clarity of design, comfortable, sporty and authoritative driving attributes and innovative equipment features. Production at BMW Plant Spartanburg (USA). Market launch in November 2018.
When planning an event there are a lot of things to think about and to try and control.. The weather can be one of those but I haven’t found a way of controlling it yet (the Chinese Government famously controlled the raid for the Beijing Olympics but only in a very limited way in a very limited area).
So, it was more by luck than good judgement that we enjoyed glorious views from SkyHigh at Mount Dandenong at the end of our short cruise on the Queen’s birthday.
The photos I took with my phone do not do justice to the view. I should, it turns out, have taken my better camera, but who carries one of those anymore?
The service road outside Waverly BMW proved to be an ideal starting point, with the minor exception that there was no coffee on sale (surely a mandatory item in Melbourne but we seemed to survive) and no toilets (which became more of an issue for me once we actually reached SkyHigh – the transition from seated to standing seems to release something!).
Not only were we blessed with good weather but we had a good turnout too. It was great to see some families attend with younger children who seemed to be having a good time.
This event was the first time we’d used the new sign in process – designed to meet all the requirements for public liability insurance from CAMS – including approved non-members as day members on the spot. It worked well, just a signature against your name.
There was also time to showcase some of the merchandise we now have and have a chat.
Thanks to the numerous traffic lights our convoy got a little broken up and the climb up to Mount Dandenong was disrupted by other slower moving traffic. Nonetheless, the views on the way up and the little villages we passed through made a very scenic and enjoyable drive. The road was twisty and very much like being well out in the countryside in the foothills of the Victorian Alps, yet so close to Melbourne. A few brief bursts of spirited driving where the visibility and traffic permitted made it interesting and fun.
SkyHigh is clearly very popular but we managed to find enough parking spaces close together and then set off to explore the many features.
The view is obviously the main draw, and it was very pleasant to sit outside and admire the vista stretching across Port Phillip Bay to Geelong, the You Yangs, the Brisbane Ranges and beyond. Some made it into, and thankfully out of, the Maze and others just strolled around the grounds.
A coffee and a prolonged chat lead onto lunch and then people drifted off home.
A fun way to spend some of a public holiday!
Lawrence Glynn | Secretary BMW Drivers Club Melbourne The Ultimate Driving Club
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