Club News

    BMW enthusiasts and club members come in all… M-stripes. Some of us are members because of the values and rebates. Some are here because of the activities and events (track time!). Others joinbecause of our fantastic Roundel magazine. And others are here because—because why wouldn’t we be, with our BMW enthusiasm?!

    Over the weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, we saw more than 5,000 BMWs—and more than 10,000 BMW enthusiasts (and a handful of family members and friends humoring the enthusiasts in the family) descend on another impressive Bimmerfest West. Clearly, not all attendees were BMW CCA members, but many members—and non-members—made a point of stopping by the BMW CCA booth.

    Highlights included the cars we displayed each day in front of our booth. Saturday, we had last year’s Bimmerfest Clean Car first-place winner, Mishel Keshisian’s amazing Alpine White 1989 E30 M3, and another local and social-media favorite, Chris Palaganas’ Sterling Silver 1990 E30 manual 325i sedan will full M-Technic 2 kit, replete with beautiful full M-Tech cloth interior and M-Tech door sills at all four doors. Sunday, we bumped it up a few years and displayed one of the only 200 2013 E92 M3 Lime Rock Park Editions, owned by local BMW specialist  Kenneth Sutton of Funfzehn Auto, and one of the few Z8s at Bimmerfest, driven by Roundel editor Satch Carlson and San Diego Chapter member Alex Tock. (Read more about Bimmerfest's cars and their owners in the August issue of Roundel.)

    The BMW CCA creates value in many ways. We were joined by Griot’s Garage at the booth on both days. Griot’s gave away eight-ounce samples of their Best Of Show Detailer, and drying and buffing clothes as well. As the event wrapped up, Los Angeles Chapter member Roger Scilley had his name drawn to win the $360-value Griot’s mechanical detailing kit they provided, too. We’re looking forward to seeing the Griot’s partnership grow at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Legends Of The Autobahn, and Oktoberfest, too!

    Energy abounded in the display lots, at our Los Angeles Chapter-hosted autocross, doing hot laps with BMW Performance Center instructors Adam Seaman, Connor Bloum, and Rob Stout, or enjoying food trucks and Vendor Alley. But we heard repeatedly from members about how much they enjoyed supporting the booth.

    Perhaps the best summary came from San Diego Chapter member Greg Uhler, who said:

    "This year’s Bimmerfest celebration was as huge as ever. Thousands of BMW owners and enthusiasts flocked to Fontana Speedway where there was something for everyone. People came to catch up with friends, attend an autocross or high-performance driving school, shop at the numerous vendor and dealer booths, watch the club race, and walk the immense parking lots to check out some unique rides. But there was one special place to be to escape the 93-degree heat of the California sunshine…."

    "For part of the day, several club members and my twelve-year old daughter joined me to volunteer at the BMW CCA booth, spelling the hard-working folks from the CCA National Office. I wasn’t sure what to expect or what was going to be needed, but I quickly felt at home. What better place to meet like-minded enthusiasts than our club’s booth? Numerous T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, grille badges, and more were available for purchase. People loved finding a shirt with their model BMW on it, from an E24 to the latest M6, with my daughter helping to find the size they needed."

    "More important than selling the merchandise, though, was the opportunity to talk to enthusiasts about the benefits of club membership. For some, the idea of saving up to $1,500 off their next BMW purchase or lease was a very compelling reason to join. For others with older BMWs, saving on parts or repairs piqued their interest. And everyone loved leaving the booth with a copy of the latest Roundel magazine, whose quality, as you know, rivals that of general car periodicals. Even our editor, Satch Carlson, was there, presumably to sign autographs—although I never saw anyone ask for one!"

    "Another perk for those who volunteer at the BMW CCA booth is the opportunity to meet or catch up with club board members and National Office staff. The enthusiasm and dedication of board members Steve Johnson, Eddy Funahashi, Darlene Doran, and Brian Thomason, and National Office staff Frank Patek, Lindsey Branston, and Steven Schlossman (along with many others) was clearly evident. Taking the prize for Most Enthusiastic was our new director of marketing, Kyle van Hoften, who braved the heat and sunshine outside the booth, meeting everyone in the vicinity to extoll the virtues of our club."

    "If you go to Bimmerfest next year, spend some time volunteering at the BMW CCA booth. The experience is very rewarding, and the national staff and board members will be very grateful to see chapter members pitching in to help!"

    Thanks, Greg—I'm blushing!—and thanks to Chris, Kenneth, Mishel, and Satch for displaying your cars, and to all the other volunteers who supported the event!—Kyle van Hoften