Just wanted to drop in and say hello. I am a new BMW owner and BMW CCA member. I just recently purchased a 2007 BMW ALPINA B7 and could not be happier with the decision. This site is a very good source for information for someone like me that is new to BMW.
Welcome to the club and what a great way to introduce yourself to BMW!!!!!! Awsome car you have there!
Thanks Thanks for the warm welcome. I am looking forward to getting involved with my local chapter here in SC and maybe even getting into some of the driving/racing events. I used to enjoy the 1/8 mile an 1/4 mile dragstip when I was younger and I think I would enjoy some of the road tracks for a change. Have any of you participated in any of these events?
If I had to guess, I'd guess that about half the regular posters here have. I am an instructor with my chapter. What you'll need to do is some research into exactly what it is you want to do. We have three basic types of track/driving events: Driver schools (aka HPDE or DE) are educational in nature. Because of our exceptional safety record and our insurance arrangements, we absolutely prohibit any kind of timing at these events. They are not, in any sense, racing. They are held on race tracks, but we use our own cars and we like them to be driveable when it's time to go home. NO COMPETITION! Autocross events are sometimes held at dedicated tracks; more often as constructed tracks in big parking lots. Like drag racing, these are competitons against a clock; fastest time wins. It is very rare to see car-to-car competitions in autocross. Almost all are one car at a time on course (or up to three cars, separated by a safe margin). Club racing is always held at a race track and it is truly door-to-door racing - with strict prohibitions against body contact. Nonetheless, cars get damaged in racing. This definitely IS pure competition. I suspect you won't be running your new car in Club Racing (You'd have to install a roll cage and remove the airbag among other things ...) but you very well might participate in the other two. We don't expect either of those things to damage your car and, as I mentioned, we have an enviable safety record over all the years we've been doing this stuff. Once you settle on what it is you want to do, you can easily find the right people to talk to here. There are subforums for each.
CRKrieger, Thanks for the info. The first two were what I was looking for. I wouldn't be interested in banging up my shiny new ride in anything with a good chance of contact. I will look around some of the sub-forums on these events and check them out.
