After an unfortunate start to the day for me with the 325is deciding not to start immediately, probably through lack of use over the winter, I had a lovely run up the various freeways from Rye to St. Kilda Road.
Arriving by 8.15 at the event, Jo and Graeme had a huge area already marked out for the BMWDCM, with the club tent, flag etc. I was lined up with the first 1/2 dozen arrivals and very quickly the area was inundated with close to 50 BMW's - E30's being the prominent model!
The events turnout was amazing, BMW's, Mercedes Benz, VW's of all shapes and sizes, one NSU and a few other variants.
Credit must go to the VW Car Club for their overall organisation of the event, site allocation, food vans, german sausage van and coffee outlet.
Having said that, the efforts put in by Jo, Graeme, Lawrence and Sharron, not only in having the BMWDCM set up and running in record time, but having the day so well organised deserves a huge thank you from what must be by now 200+ members of the BMWDCM.
Michael Franklin-Jones | Member #39 BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
An eye-catching digital campaign presents the BMW M2 Competition (combined fuel consumption: 10.0 – 9.8 l/100 km [9.2-9.0]; combined CO2 emissions: 227 – 224 g/km [209-206]*) as a record breaker with very unusual tools: a high-power laser and a precision blade. The impressive films will be shown in BMW and BMW M social media channels.
The BMW M2 Competition is out to break records. To deliver on this promise, the BMW M2 is drawing inspiration from world records set by humans. At first glance, these appear to have nothing to do with cars: cutting through more than 87 straw mats with a blade within a minute and popping over 63 balloons in 60 seconds with a laser beam.
Uwe Dreher, head of Brand Communications BMW, BMW i, BMW M: "The BMW M2 Competition showcases BMW M genes in their purest form. It is an exceptional car with outstanding dynamic performance, presence and handling. With our digital campaign, we capture the heart of our target audience right where they live and inform themselves: in social media. We provide the BMW M2 Competition with the perfect stage to demonstrate its qualities in impressive style."
For these spectacular challenges – attempted for the first time worldwide – a slightly modified BMW M2 Competition was brought to Cape Town. It comes with the same technology as the series-production vehicle, plus the additional features required for attempting the records: a high-energy laser installed into the front of the vehicle and a blade attached to the rear.
Following meticulous planning and testing, the course was set out and everything was ready: Rolled-up bamboo mats were arranged in semi-circles so that they could be cut by the blade on a drift; the balloons were set up in long straight lines angled sharply towards each other for quick turns. Fans will instantly recognise the shape of the letter M, the most powerful letter in the world.
Technically, the BMW M2 Competition already has everything it takes to be a genuine record-breaker: At its core is a new engine based on the power unit used in the BMW M3 and BMW M4. The inline six-cylinder engine with M TwinPower Turbo Technology produces 410 horsepower and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. For the first time, BMW M2 drivers will be able to use two selector switches in the central console to directly adjust various characteristics and settings for the engine, steering and Drivelogic functions, if M DCT is available. Optically, the BMW M2 Competition also shows its most expressive side: The revised front apron with a bigger, redesigned high-gloss black BMW kidney grille and the exclusive new Hockenheim Silver metallic finish give the BMW M2 Competition an even stronger presence.
“This is a very tricky bit of driving, it is virtually impossible,” says stunt coordinator Marc Higgins, talking about the set-up. “The demands on the BMW M2 Competition are immense. Every drift has to be performed with absolute precision; there is no room for error. A strong presence and agility naturally help a lot.”
“This challenge is now reaching its finale, after months of preparation. The driver is an expert in his field, but he needs the car to respond precisely to the slightest feedback from him. If the car does not respond, we will not break this record,” explained director Oison Tymon.
And the BMW M2 Competition kept its promises: Despite the complexity of the challenge, the high-performance sports car broke both records. After just a few attempts, 117 bamboo mats were cut and 79 balloons burst – both in precisely one minute.
To proof the authenticity of the stunts, real-time drone footage was captured of the BMW M2 Competition performing the stunts.
The BMW M2 Competition’s record-breaking attempts are part of the “Same street. Different game.” launch campaign and fit the tonality of the campaign perfectly. The extroverted motifs also reference the world of gaming, with high scores and record-breaking runs. That makes sense: From the start of communications, millions of fans worldwide were able to experience the new BMW M2 Competition virtually, within just a few hours of its world premiere at the Beijing Motor Show, in the popular mobile racing game CSR Racing 2.
BMW PRESS CLUB
What a glorious morning for our August members meeting with a fabulous turn out of existing members and some new members which was wonderful.
Antique Motorcycle café is an amazing place if you are into bikes and anything mechanical or you just want to catch up with some friends for a coffee and some great food.
We had a very casual members meeting with over 30 members attending and it was great to see so many of our members wearing the new merchandise.
Very pleased to see new faces each month at our meetings and looking forward to September’s meeting.
Jo Mawson | Member #2 - Vice President BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
So thrilled to be able to join this BMW club!
We have two BMW’s in the USA, I was glad to be able to ride with Jo and Graeme - great hosts!
I met a lot of lovely people, especially Sam, I think we share the same humour!
We started bright and early at McDonalds to listen to the brief of the days events. It was nice to meet and greet to familiarize.
We drove through some beautiful areas, I especially loved the mountainous area at BawBaw (I think it was!). The natural beauty was unsurpassed, the winding roads made for a fun drive.
We had lunch at Jindy Cafe in Jindervick, which was so nice! The family run environment was a welcome change, they were very accommodating.
The lake at Blue Rock dam was picturesque and I took some pretty pictures there.
All around a great day and would love to attend again, when we are in Australia!
Holly Laine Parsons | Guest BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
New six-cylinder in-line engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology, based on the power unit from the BMW M3/M4, three-litre cubic capacity, 302 kW/410 HP, peak torque of 550 Nm (combined fuel consumption with sixspeed manual gearbox: 10,0 – 9,8 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 227 – 224 g/km*; combined with optional M Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT): 9,2 – 9,0 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 209 – 206 g/km)*.
Sprint from 0 to 100 km/h: 4.2 s (with six-speed manual gearbox 4.4 s), top speed: 250 km/h (limited), 280 km/h with M Driver´s Package (limited).
MONTH IN REVIEW
We kicked July off with our first Christmas in July event. We had the perfect winter's day with over 40 attendees, we started with brunch at The Royal in Mornington. We then went to Arthurs Seat, on to Flinders and finished in Hastings at the Marina for coffee, cake and of course, Christmas pudding. Read more and see photos from our day here.
We then had our July members' meeting at Shannons Insurance with the Victorian Flagmarshalling Team. This was a great insight into what it is like to get involved in motorsport without getting on track. Read more about the night here.
On 28 July we kicked off the first round of our Drivers' Championship! We had the perfect 25 degree day with Simon Lyne being the quickest BMW with a 1.06.6358. Read Royce Lyne's recap of his day here.
On 29 July we joined Mercedes Benz Club Victoria for Coffee & Cars at Lorbeks, Port Melbourne. Thanks to Chris from Mercedes Benz Club Vic for inviting us to attend! We were lucky to enjoy the day before the rain. Read more about our morning here.
For more about our month, catch up with our July update from Graeme Bell here.
THE MONTH AHEAD
EVENTS NOT TO MISS!
MOTORSPORT
NEWS | BLOG
SPECIAL OFFER!
MEMBER SERVICES
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.
Dear Members,
Another month down and the club is going from strength to strength. Events of all kind have been happening and lots of our members are coming along and enjoying the company of friends. It is so satisfying to have been involved in building something that everyone is enjoying so much. Very proud over here!
We are fast approaching our second century, with close to 180 Members and still growing every day. By the way, we are currently the 4th largest BMW Car Club under the Clubs Australia umbrella. Quite amazing and very happy that we have so many people that love what we do and want to join us.
We are working on some new ideas and hopefully soon will be able to run some different events we think our members will also love. Stay tuned!
Our merchandise is starting to come online now, our first and second batches of motorsport shirts have sold out and we have ordered more again, see the Online Store to check them out! Our lanyards and card holders are also in, those that have come to recent events will have been given theirs, others will be posted out as soon as our Secretary and Treasurer come back from their overseas trip this week. We are also working on car window stickers and windscreen banners, they should be available soon too.
Our Drivers' Championship has begun, with the first round run at Broadford with the Alfa Club last Saturday, with Simon Lyne taking quickest BMW time of the day with a 1.06.6358 followed by the E30 race cars of Chris Bell, Alex Jory, Paul Kertes, Myself, Blake Kolar and Simon Leach - all within a couple of seconds of each other. Igor Kay, Rachael Kertes and Rod Martin all also improved through the day. We couldn’t have asked for a better day, the sun was out and almost cracked 25 degrees! Perfect for driving around in the countryside.
Round 2 is at Sandown on 1 September so if you want to come along let me know and I will send you an entry form. Even if you just want to come and have a look and see what goes on, you are more than welcome to come and join us for a sausage or a coffee.
Look forward to catching up with you all one way or another over the coming months, and don’t forget, we are always available for our members by phone, email or facebook. If you have questions about anything, from club plates to upcoming events or motorsport, always happy to chat.
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
Sunday turned out to be wet cold and not looking overly promising for a Coffee and Cars day but as we got closer to Lorbeks the sun starting to appear.
What a surprise to drive into the car park and see so many shining cars already there! It was a struggle to get a parking spot but fortunately, the car park is huge, and we did manage to squeeze our little E21 into a spot.
What an amazing array of cars on the day, with a fantastic show of BMWs and some truly amazing Mercedes and also the odd VW and Cobra on display as well, with a few other exotic cars to throw into the mix as well.
Lorbeks were kind enough to open their showroom to us all and this was a real treat. They have some amazing cars and fantastic memorabilia.
Look out for more of these combined Coffee and Car days as this one was a huge success and I would like to thank Chris McDermott for inviting BMWDCM to join Mercedes Benz Vic on the day.
Jo Mawson | Member #2 BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
On Friday afternoon dad picked me up early from school so we could go leave to race at Broadford. We slept at a motel in Broadford. At the motel we meet two Alfa Romeo drivers there, one car was red and the other was blue.
We left at 6:30 in the morning to go to the motorcycle racing complex. When we got there, we said hi to everyone from the BMW Drivers Club. After that we had a practice lap on the track that we had never been on before. We all drove our best and had great fun.
For lunch Jo was handing out free sausages and egg and bacon rolls for us all to eat.
Graeme then took me out in a ride in Chris’s car and it was great fun but the people in front of us were going to slow. The weather was great and we all had great fun.
Royce Lyne | 11 years old. BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
I thanked Eric Rigg, David Thornbury & William Gaff (who all came & spoke at our BMWDCM meeting).
After expressing an interest, and before the meet, Eric was very helpful in walking me through the process of signing up, training as a flag marshal and getting a CAMS licence. Arthur Cooksley also followed up to check if I had any problems or questions.
On arrival, all went out of your way to welcome me on my first day, introducing me to who I'd be working with and letting me know where I'd be going.
Brian and Glenn, who I flag marshalled with were equally friendly and welcoming. Glenn arranged for me to have an extra headset so I could hear how the meet is managed and what was going on around the track.
Brian and Glenn were more than happy to answer all my questions and give me helpful advice on what I was supposed to do on the day plus helpful tips on how best to do it.
There is more to flag marshalling than just waving some flags. Having the opportunity to listen over the radio and actually doing some flag marshalling, I now have a better idea, how professionally an event is run. In particular:
Not just at the induction but throughout the day and at the BBQ after, I felt welcome and well looked after.
Overall it was a lot of fun to be doing the next best thing to be in a car racing in a given race and maybe better as we were involved in each session or race, on the day not just one event.
David Ebeling | Member #24 BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
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