The Bimmer
January - March 2022
BMW Club Queensland Newsletter
BMW Club Queensland
January to March 2022
THE BIMMER NEWS January to March 2022 President’s Message 2022 is here and let’s see what it has in store for us. It’s been a wild ride for the past two years so it would be fantastic if we could just settle down and drive our cars. There has been a tradition that we kick off the year with an Australia Day gathering but everyone was keen to get out for a drive so we set a run from Old Petrie Town, up through the hinterland behind the Sunshine Coast and down to Beachmere to the hotel for lunch. We had 39 cars and 60 people. Photos HERE. So then, Australia Day this year, we braved the showers and had a BBQ lunch at the Volunteer Marine Rescue Brisbane headquarters at Shorncliffe. At the end of the day we were pleased to donate $1,000 to the VMR to help with their ongoing operation. PHOTOS Motorsport kicked off with a bang with a Skid Pan at Mt Cotton, then up to Morgan Park at Warwick for a day on the track with Safe Driver Training and Round 2 of the RX Automotive Sprint Series at Lakeside on 18th February. PHOTOS
With overnight stops at Armidale and Bathurst, it was an easy 3 day trip to Canberra where we arrived on the Thursday afternoon, cleaned our cars of the million dead bugs and layers of break dust, then to the bar to relax and start the fun of the weekend. A full report will follow. There was another Skid Pan at Mt Cotton which was the final event for March, so all in all, it was a full and successful 3 months to start the year. I’d like to take a moment to welcome all the new members so far this year. It has been overwhelming to see just how many people have joined us and how enthusiastic they have been.. Keep it up and I hope to see you on the road soon. Please check out all of our event videos on YouTube HERE and our BMWCQ Meetings HERE. Gary Schweikert #1522 President BMWCQ
March was a significant month for all of the Clubs in Australia because it was time to gather in Canberra for the BMW Clubs Australia Nationals meet. Because of our friend CoVid, it was postponed from 2021 to 2022 so it’s been three years since the last event in Victoria. The event clashed with our March monthly meeting, so Denis Weisz held the fort locally whilst 12 car travelled south for a big trip and weekend. Our wonderful supportive member Brendan Cooke, Hyper BMW Powersport met us near Warwick and gave us 13 x $100 Shell fuel cards which I’m positive that everyone appreciated as premium unleaded got as high as $2.39.9/ litre.
Current Events for the April, May June 2022 CHECK OUT THE BMW CLUB WEBSITE FOR ALL THE EVENTS TO BE ARRANGED FOR 2022 AND KEEP AN EYE OUT ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS OF CURRENT EVENTS. For all Club Meeting Dates and Location -
Check out our Website - www.bmwcq.com.au
BMW Club Queensland
BMWCQ Events
January to March 2022
BMWCQ Events
Lunch run to Beachmere Hotel - Saturday 15.01.2022
Australia Day BBQ - Wednesday 26.01.2022 Volunteer Marine Rescue Base Shorncliffe.
The new year kicked off with a lunch run to the Beachmere Hotel to clean the cobwebs out our cars after the Christmas break. Cars left from Old Petrie Town travelling up some twisting roads to Mt Mee then down to Beachmere for lunch at the Beachmere Hotel. It was an excellent day out and it was good to see many new members come along for their first outing with the club.
The club celebrated Australia Day 2022 with a BBQ at the Volunteer Marine Rescue base at Shorncliffe. The weather gods however were not smiling upon us with showers present for most of the day. This however did not dampen the enthusiasm and all that attended had a great day out. It was also good to see a significant turnout of new members The club was able to donate $1000 to the VMR for the tireless work that the do providing marine search and rescue services to the public. Video of the day HERE and all the photos HERE
More photos HERE and video HERE
Volunteer Marine Rescue Brisbane
BMW Club Queensland
BMWCQ Events Skid Pan Serssions Sunday 30.01.2022 & Sunday 27.03.2022 What better way to start a year than with a Skid Pan club held skid pan sessions on Sunday 30th JanuaryWhat better way to start a year than with a Skid Pan Session at MtCotton.
January to March 2022
BMWCQ Events With a majority of new attendees, all agreed, there is no more fun way to learn and practice car control. I even managed to give my Six Series a few runs. The big shark seemed to love the wet track, until a damp starter motor slowed progress briefly.
With a good mix of first timers and seasoned participants all enjoyed the time learning how to better handle their cars. The great mix of cars including several M Cars and some classics enhanced the enjoyment of the day. If you haven’t tried one of our skid pan sessions yet, I highly recommend you do. They are an excellent way to learn and practice car control, at low speeds under the watchful eye of a qualified instructor.
Safe Driver Training - Tuesday 08.02.2022 Morgan Park Safe Drive Training, the company we use for our Skid Pan days, invited members of our Club to attend their Driver Training day at Morgan Park on Tuesday 8 Feb 2022. Some of our members attended their day in November. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the event with lots of track time and instruction in a safe environment Video of the SDT Day from Nov 2021 HERE
With our first Skid Pan Session for the year selling out in just a few hours, we decided we needed another one, this one in late March. Again this one was well attended.
BMW Club Queensland
January to March 2022
Road trip to the BMW Nationals 2022 Canberra March 8-10 On Tuesday 8th March 18 members in 11 cars met up at Aratula for a 10.30am departure. After a briefing from Greg Tymms we were on our way. Shortly after leaving we met up with Brendan Cooke from Hyper Racing. He presented each driver with a $100 Shell fuel gift card to help fund our drive and with fuel being $2.20 per litre it was greatly appreciated. Our drive took us via Stanthorpe and Tenterfield to Armidale. The next morning we headed to Bathurst. Greg Tymms and John Tait alternated as our lead drivers. Most of us had walkie talkies and with Leanne and Marian alerting us to pot holes and road surface damage we arrived at our destination safely. When we arrived at Mount Panorama we drove the track about a half dozen times before we settled into Rydges Hotel overlooking Conrod Straight and the Armorall sign. For the V8 lover male in our car it was Heaven on Earth. We all met up for drinks and dinner both evenings which gave us the opportunity to relax after the days drive and to get to know everyone a bit better. The next morning,as most of the group were visiting the Museum, we had to do a few more laps of the track to record some video and take a few happy snaps. Then it was off to the Nation's capital. Photos HERE Videos here Day 1 Aratulla to Armidale Day 2 Armidale to Mt Panaroma Day 3 Bathurst to Canberra
BMW Club Queensland
January to March 2022
BMW Nationals 2022 March 11-14 After booking into our hotel in Canberra it was time to clean the cars and get dead bugs out of grills before the cars were allowed public viewing. The Canberra Balloon spectacular commenced on the Saturday and it was spectacular. After lift off the balloons floated just above us as we stood on the bridge then skimmed just above Lake Burley Griffin before floating over the National Museum. The Concours was held on Saturday at the ANU where BMW's of all models were on display. On Sunday morning we were led on a spirited drive by the Canberra Club, stopping at the Tidbinbilla Space Tracking Station where huge satellite dishes are located. In the evening we dressed in our finest for the Gala Dinner which was held in the foyer of the National Museum where the winners from all classes from the Concours were announced. It was a great evening in great surroundings. It was also time to say goodbye to those who were heading back home. The weather during out time in Canberra was very pleasant which made it easy for us to walk around to see the sights. We were able to visit the War Memorial, Parliament House and art galleries. We took the opportunity to continue our holiday by heading towards Sydney before arriving home on the Saturday. Some highlights of that time were the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Nowra, HARS Aviation Museum at Illawarra and the Quarantine Station at Manly. We really appreciate the time and effort that went into organising the Nationals. We sincerely would like to thank Greg and John for organising our drive down and to Russell for organising the accommodation. We look forward to participating in years to come. Andrew & Lynne Moeller
More Nationals photos Skid Pan Show and Shine Gala Dinner
BMW Club Queensland
January to March 2022
BMW Nationals 2022 March 11-14
BMW Club Queensland
January to March 2022
BMW Nationals 2022 - Amphicar Experience I took a phone call on Saturday night & was told I was 1 of 2 winner’s of the Amphicar Prize. My first thoughts were, what could we experience with an Amphicar ride in Canberra? On Sunday we went to the Motorsport Complex at Madjura. This is where the Gymkhana & Skid Pan is located. I had visions of the Amphicar being thrown around the gymkhana & then drifting the skid pan. There were two Amphicar’s one white & one yellow. The yellow was for the other prize winner from the Victorian BMW Club. We introduced ourselves to the proud owner of the white Amphicar - Tony Nasser. The car is a 1964 model and Tony has been afternoon the lookout for a Amphicar for a some time. He bought the car at a US auction & it’s in pretty good nick for a 58yo car. Tony is also pretty handy at cooking & he gave us great feed while waiting for our prize afternoon to begin. Tony also owns the Concourse wining Isetta. We never got to do the gymkhana, but we did do the skid pan. It was ridiculous, we did 2 laps drifting around the pan all with the twin propellers turned on & spinning around. I not to sure why the propellers were spinning, maybe its like having twin turbo’s. Once we had a change of underwear, we were on the road to Canberra to do a bit of site seeing. Can you imagine being in the car in the slow lane & I mean slow 45mph with noise like a concrete mixer. The road trip was great we felt like rock stars, kids had never seen anything like it, mum & dad giving us the thumbs up, camera’s flashing. Our first Port O’call was for a photo stop with Tony’s pride & joy on the road in front of Parliament House. Well, that didn’t go to plan. We cruised past PH did a u-turn & stopped, we never got out of the car & the fun police turned up. YOU CAN’T STOP HERE for a photo, so we all put on a sad face & we had 2 minutes to take our photograph’s.
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Canberra Nationals Amphicar Video
BMW Club Queensland
January to March 2022
BMW Nationals 2022 - Amphicar Experience Back on the road again we did a bit more cruising & arrived at a boat ramp on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin. This look like it’s going to be a ton of fun. The skipper did a few checks on the boat, locked & water seal the doors & were on our way. It’s a bit weird not backing down a boat ramp, just engage first gear & splashdown. The two cars did a bit a cruising just off the park to entertain the increasing crowd of onlookers. The skipper then changed course to go to the other side of the Lake. It’s surprising how well these cars move through the water, there is no rudder just turn the steering wheel. We had the Lake to ourselves - no grid lock out there. We did pass a family in a EV boat & there like OMG a car just passed us. We arrived at a cove that had a board walk cafe’s, shops & apartments. I think this where all the movers & shakers meet up on a Sunday arvo for their skinny flat white’s. We did a slow cruise pass the crowds on the wharf & you could sense they all wanted a cruise in that car. We motored on for a bit more sightseeing & the skipper straighten the boat & we headed back to the boat ramp. It was in the middle of the Lake when we encountered a lone kayaker paddling towards us from the opposite direction. The paddler plowed into the car wake waves, it’s been a while since he’s yakked with a car. Unbeknown to us the kayaker has quickly turned around paddled & he is now between the two Amphicar’s. The kayaker won the race. It could only happen on Lake Burley Griffin. We’re on the road again & arrived at another boat ramp. Tony had a few tricks up his sleeve to entertain us. He backed the car up into the carpark, engaged 1st gear gunned it straight down the boat ramp for Splashdown it was like a ride at Dreamworld. The skipper showed us his skills with circle work, high speed turns reversing - he was going nuts. Unfortunately the day was coming to & end. We cruised back to the Motorsports Park & the day was over. Thank you Tony for the wonderful fun filled day. Bob & Ann Bradford
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Photo gallery HERE
BMW Club Queensland
January to March 2022
Phillip Island Classic 2022 - March 11-13 Recently I traveled to Melbourne for the Phillip Island Classic 2022 after a two year enforced break due to covid boarder restrictions. For those who are unfamiliar with the event it is the largest historic motor racing meet in the southern hemisphere with over 500 cars competing this year. The meeting covers all racing categories both sedans and open wheelers spanning almost 100 years of vehicles. BMW was well represented this year with Adrian Brady entering both his JPS group A 635 driven by Jim Richards to victory in the 1985 ATCC and his Group 5 320i driven by Ronnie Peterson in Europe. The e30 M3 was a popular choice in the ATCC and was well represented by Peter Jones (JPS), Rick Allen(B&H) and Eddy Sansil. Bill Cutler bought along his newly imported group 2 E12 M535i that up until recently he drove at many historic motorsport events throughout Europe. A quick 2002 also at the pointy end of the field in the group N category.Sadly, missing this year was long term competitor David Harris in his JPS 325i, who tragically passed away over the Christmas period Cowes, the town closest to the track had a party atmosphere all weekend with all the pubs and restaurants packed every night. The whole weekend is extremely well run and a must do if you are into historic motorsport For more photos of the weekend click HERE Darren Foster BMWCQ Magazine Editor
BMW Club Queensland
Motorsport Report
January to March 2022
Our first track day for the year was round two, of our of our 5 round, RX Automotive Sprint Series at Lakeside. Again we had a fantastic response with over 50 entries attending a perfect weather day, including 9 first time novices. As well as our usual compliment of BMW’s and several MX5's from their club we had an interesting mix of cars representing some of the following makes, Mclaren, Porsche, Mercedes, Lotus, Lancia, Renault and an original Mini Cooper, proving the broad interest our events are receiving Congratulations to Ben Malpas, returning with his with his refreshed, E36 M3 race car, for fastest lap of the day followed by Adam Krauel in his stunning Mclaren. A big thank you must go to everyone participating in our track events, it is your support that makes these days so successful and rewarding. Keep an eye out for more of our skid pans and track days. Especially our Annual Regularity Charity Day, not far away now, on Sunday 24 July. It’s a teams event, so start putting your team of 4 together, its always a great fun day, where just by attending you can help some one less fortunate than yourself. More photos of the day HERE Denis Weisz BMWCQ Motorsport Director
January to March 2022
BMW Club Queensland
Membership Report Hi Everyone, There was a large number of new members for the club in the first quarter of 2022 with 34 people joining more that usual for this time of year. There’s a high level of interest from new members in the club’s efforts to make SIVS (club rego) more practical and thus increase utilisation of our 30+ year old vehicles. The committee has been looking at ways to be more inclusive of country members and this should result in more membership outside the South East corner of Queensland. BMW Club Qld Membership for the last 3 months of 2021 was sound with 37 new members during that John Payne BMWCQ Membership Officer
CHECK OUT THE NEW AND EXCITING MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE ON THE CLUB WEBSITE LOTS OF GREAT SYTLES TO SUIT EVERYONE. Click here to go to the store
Metal Grill Badge WITH MOUNT
Metal Grill Badge NO MOUNT
Window S�cker (Inside or Outside)
Check out the new range of BMW Club badges, stickers, caps and bucket hats now available in our online store on the website. These can be ordered along with the other great range of clue merchandise that is now able to be selected. Something for everyone for sure!
BMW Club Queensland
January to March 2022
In Memoriam Vale Ken Gilberd #128 It was very sad to receive the news of the passing of long time club member, Ken Gilberd. He had been battling health problems for some time and succumbed to this at the beginning of April. Ken has been a club member of BMW Club Queensland since August 1988 and even though he did live in North Queensland, he managed to attend a number of club events over this period of time and he was well known to a number of club members. Most times were when the BMWCA Nationals was held in SE Queensland he would make the trek down south but Ken did meet up with club members on the occasions when other interests brought him to Brisbane. Ken’s love of his BMW’s had him own a variety of cars over the years and some of these were passed onto other club members to carry the torch. Ken enjoyed keeping in touch with everyone and added his comments and opinions on the Club and in particular his own Facebook page. This was entertaining sometimes as he would make a “comment”, just to see the response he would get. He did like stirring the pot sometimes. Ken funeral was attended by many people from the FNQ region and had many tributes made to his life. Our club arranged for a floral tribute to be done in the ///M colours and was displayed in front of Ken’s coffin. As from Margaret’s message below, it was nice to know that the CQ was able to acknowledge the passing of a friend and colleague. Leanne Tymms BMWCQ Vice President
“I am writing this on this email as I hope it will be able to be passed on to the QLD Club members . I want to thank the Club for the magnificent floral arrangement that they sent to Ken Gilberd’s Funeral this morning in Townsville. It truly was beautiful and since he had the coffin wrapped with the photo of his beloved yellow 850 it was only fitting that the floral arrangement was there. He always joked with us that he would be buried in his 850 and we always said “ no we are selling it” it was a compromise !!!!LOL Thankyou all again regards Marg Culpan [Spouse]”
January to March 2022
BMW Club Queensland
BMW NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance was held in early March bringing together some of the most exclusive and unique cars on the planet. BMW had an array of models on display to mark 50 years of M cars and the recently revised 8 series. Full article HERE
In 2022 BMW M celebrates their 50th anniversary check out the full article HERE and video HERE BMW has been named Best Manufactuer at the Autocar Magazine Awards 2022. “BMW may not be designing the most elegant machines in its 106-year history, but the quality and breadth of them sometimes feels untouchable.” said Autocar.. Check out the full article HERE
Support our club sponsors Please support those businesses that support our club. They are still working but like many businesses they are feeling the pinch so please don’t forget to contact them.. Give them a call and support our supporters.
BMW Club Queensland
January to March 2022
B MWCQ Show of Excellence 2022
Shine up your BMW and come and join us for the 2022 BMWCQ Show of Excellence which this year will be held as a stand alone event at the Eatons Hill Hotel. Click HERE for the details.
A Big thank you to all of the committee and the club members who get together to arrange all the great events that we, as members get to enjoy. It has been said “The Cars are what bring us all together but it is the Members who make it such a great Club!!!
As usual, we are always on the look out for any contributions, stories or suggestions from you, so if you have anything please send it through to editor@bmwcq.com.au
Daren Foster- Editor eNewsletter
Coming Soon to BMWCQ Website
www.sommercarcare.com.au
We will be launching a new section on the Club website our new Classified Pages for BMW Cars & Parts for sale. There will be three sections, members, private advertisers and sponsors, so we can provide an online marketing platform for BMW seller and buyers alike Members listings will be free and a fee will apply to private and sponsored ads.