MONTH IN REVIEW
With only 3 events in August, we certainly made the most of ourselves! We started the month off with our Jindivick Cruise. It was a beautiful day for a cruise. Read more about our day here.
We then had our August members meeting at Antique Motorcycles cafe with over 35 members attending and joining us for brunch. Read more about our morning here.
On 26 August we attended German Auto Day with many other clubs in support of Deaf Children Australia. This was a fantastic event organised by the VW Club of Victoria. We calculate over $3,000 was raised for Deaf Children Australia, which is just fantastic. Read more about it here.
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE: 197 MEMBERS
We are thrilled to welcome so many members to the club, we look forward to seeing you all at an event soon!
For more about our month, catch up with our August update from Graeme Bell here.
THE MONTH AHEAD
EVENTS NOT TO MISS!
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.
The sun was starting to rise, birds chirping and engines rumbling as we entered the prestigious Sandown Raceway on Saturday, 1 September. My dad and I had been getting the Jess Bell's green BMW 325i race car ready the night before, so for race day preparation was near to none. With the dark clouds starting to cast a shadow upon Sandown, most of the drivers knew that the track will not stay dry for the entirety of the day.
The first session was me getting used to a car with no power-steering and a welded diff, which was a big difference at first. The steering was much more direct and the car had more drive on the exit of sharp turns than my BMW 323i road car, which has neither of the above. Throughout my first session I was mostly just getting a feel for the car, making sure I bring it back in one piece, and I was successful with that. Time past and session two was underway, as now I have more control over the car I felt like I could go a little faster and that I did, improving my first sessions best time by about 8 seconds!
When the next session came along, the clouds grew closer and closer, and the sun was starting to fade, some knew that this would be the last dry run for the day. During that session, I gained even more time pushing my best time further but, I was still driving precautionary and knew there was much more time to be gained. Whilst in the garage after the third session, the heavens opened this caused some people to not go out again.
I thought of this time as a very steep learning experience as I have only driven in the rain once before on track, that being Phillip Island earlier in the year. As I was circulation on track for the next few sessions, I was just trying to bring the car back in one piece whilst having some fun out on track. Throughout the latter stages of the day, the track did begin to dry, but some damp patches remained and therefore I was unable to lower my best lap-time. During my final session, I was placed with some of the Alfa’s which were really fun to battle with since we were similar pace, and I ended that session fastest!
Overall, the day was organised very well and the track was presented exquisitely, it’s just a shame Melbourne weather decided to give us the usual four seasons in one day. The car prepared by the Bell’s was trouble free! Ultimately, I had a great day learning a new car with MORE power and I recommend this event to anyone who is interested in letting your car loose on track!
Blake Kolar | Member #34 BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
Dear Members,
My report this month will be short and sweet, with everything going along perfectly.
We had some fantastic events this month, the Sunday members meet at Antique Motorcycles, the Jindivic drive and the most recent being German Auto Show, where we featured over 40 BMWs from BMWDCM members, our display looked amazing! With all our cars displaying BMWDCM windscreen banners, and of course our new marquees with banners and flags, made it easy for any new prospective members to find us. I calculate this event raised over $3,000 for the Deaf Children’s association on entries alone, which is an amazing effort and something we should all be proud of being part of.
We have some great new merchandise lines coming out, some was on display at the German Auto Show and it was great seeing members wearing theirs on the day too.
I am very proud and happy with the progress of the new club, about to reach another milestone, 200 members! What an amazing achievement for only 4 months!
Looking forward to the next few months leading up to Christmas, with some exciting events coming and thank you all for your support of BMWDCM and our hard-working committee.
I would like to also let all members know that Hawthorn BMW have come on board and are happy to support all BMWDCM members. If you are looking for anything in particular or wanting to upgrade, please give the team a call there, mention you are a member and I am sure they will give you impeccable service.
Finally, I have been invited to display my BMW E30 Racecar at the VACC Centennial Display at the Bendigo Town Hall Precinct (Lyttleton Terrace, Bendigo VIC) on Saturday the 22nd of September. For any members not going on the Healesville Sanctuary cruise on the same day (and you fancy a drive up to Bendigo), you are welcome to come up and say hello, as we will be there all day showing off our car and talking to people about the Club and the VACC. It is a pity it’s on the same day as our cruise to Healesville, but we can multi-task. If you would like to come, let me know to look out for you.
Take care out there and enjoy your Ultimate Drive.
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
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).
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.
MOTORSPORT
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.
© 2025 BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc. All Rights Reserved.
