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Inside:Techfest 20078-Fest Wine TastingMeasuring Camber
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2 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 3May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
Chapter Email List Disclosure:The Golden Gate Chapter has created an email
list from the National BMW CCA database to send out event announcements that don’t make it into print. We promise to respect your time and limit the frequency of these messages to one or two a month.
This email list is sent to all Golden Gate chapter members who chose to provide an email address to the BMW CCA when they joined or renewed their membership. You have the option to add or remove your address from this list at any time. To add your email address visit http://lists.ggcbmwcca.org/mail-man/listinfo/announce and follow the directions. To remove your address go to http://lists.ggcbmwcca.org/mailman/options/announce, enter your email address and click on the unsubscribe button. There is no password. Newsmagazine of the
Golden Gate Chapter, BMW CCA
Die Flüsternde Bombe
On the cover
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Your input is encouraged! Submissions deadline is the 1st of each month prior to publication.
Volume 36, No. 3May, 2007
Chapter Website:www.ggcBMWcca.org
~1971~Golden Gate Chapter
Celebrating 36 years of BMW enthusiasm in the
Golden Gate region.
~2007~Yes, the Portola Valley Garage is now a Dinan Authorized
BMW-Mini Performance Center—but knowledgeable clients are probably more impressed with our history of diagnostics expertise. After all, every BMW driver shares a passion for perfection, but whether it’s a supercharged Dinan M5 or the family sedan, you can't properly tune today's cars without the right equipment... like our BMW GT1 and Progman SSS diagnostic machines, or our alphabet soup of test equipment for other marques: Porsche Systems II... Volvo Diagnostic Platform... Saab/General Motors Tech II... Mercedes-Benz DAS (STAR) and WIS... well, you get the idea.
Tom Ramies and his staff of ASE-certified master techs can diagnose, analyze, service, and tune your car, foreign or domestic—and do it right.
Now, about that Dinan supercharger....
Commit to: 1 issue 2-3 issues 4-7 issues 8-10 issues
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Across The Board ......................................5Calendar Of Events ...................................6Announcements ........................................7Minutes .......................................................8Bimmerphile ............................................10New Members .........................................20Meanwhile, Back At The Wrench... .......23CCA Discounts ........................................25Factory Authorized BMW Dealers ......25Chapter Contacts .....................................26
Measuring Your Camber At Home By Kris Linquist .......................12
8-Fest: Rally ’Round The Barrel By Steve Cohen ........................14
BMW Techfest 2007 By Ben Sherwood .....................16
News From National..................19
The 8 Series group makes its eigth annual pilgramage to the wine country for an indulgence of “eight-ness” and wine tasting.
Photo: Steve Cohen
Classified Advertising Submissions:Our online Classified Ads are free to all cur-
rent BMW CCA members. To submit an ad, please visit Golden Gate chapter’s website: www.ggcbmwcca.org. This magazine no longer accepts classified ads for print.
PublishingDie Flüsternde Bombe is produced monthly
(except for combined issues Nov/Dec and Jan/Feb). Article/photo submission deadline is the first day of each month prior to publication.
C o m m e r c i a l A d v e r t i s i n g : This publication is read monthly by over
4,900 BMW enthusiasts in Northern California. Deadline for new ad artwork is the fifth day of each month prior to publication. Please submit artwork to the Advertising Manager.
Commercial advertisers are responsible for supplying their own ad copy. All commercial advertising must be paid in advance. Contact the Advertising Manager for further details: [email protected]. Please note, this publication is sent Bulk Rate USPS.
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4 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 5May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
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By Tamara Hull, Treasurer
As I write this, it’s the last few weeks of tax season, which means I’m up to my eyeballs in alligators. I’ve known I was slated to write this column for a week
or so, but due to the pile of clients’ taxes on my desk, I keep forgetting to do it… and I’m still a little in shock about the Pacific Regional Vice-President election snafu. It turned out that our esteemed prez, Mike Mills, did not win after all.
But, as you read this, it’s May. And the two big events I’m participating in during May are Bimmerfest, down in Santa Barbara, and our chapter’s Street Sur-vival school on May 12 at Monster Park (Candlestick). (The school quickly sold out by April 12.)
For Bimmerfest, I’m just a spectator trying to un-derstand the phenomenon and maybe learn why they have so many Club members who attend this rather than TechFest or Oktoberfest.
However, the BMW CCA Foundation Street Sur-vival school is the one event we do that I just will not miss. It’s just too great for words to see the progress in the teen drivers’ driving skills at the end of the day!
A lot has happened at the national level since we did our last Street Survival school in May 2006. The Tire Rack has become a title sponsor. As treasurer of the BMW CCA Foundation, I must say that I’m de-lighted to have The Tire Rack backing this more-than-worthwhile program!
More importantly, the Tire Rack staff joined us because of their own passion for saving teen lives. Matt Edmonds, president of the Tire Rack, has been a tire-less (Pun intended?! kk) advocate for Street Survival. His efforts have brought opportunities for expansion of the program that we thought could only be achieved years down the road.
The Foundation is working with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) to host Street Survival schools in their numerous regions. We’re also talking
to many other car clubs that are interested in hosting these vitally important schools. Car-club enthusiasts just get it. They understand that the driving skills we in the club take for granted—due to our training in autocrosses, car-control clinics, and driving schools—are simply not prevalent among most drivers who share the roads with us.
I’m proud to tell you that our event organizers, Bob Goebel, Grant Low, and their crew of volunteer staff and instructors, put on one of the best Street Survival schools and car-control clinics in the country. Thank you, Bob, Grant, and everyone!
So, if you want to help make a difference in sav-ing teen lives and improving road safety, get in-volved as a volunteer in Street Survival. I’ll be glad you did, and so will you! As Donna Seeley so wisely puts it when asked why she volunteers to instruct at these types of driving clinics, “Because I have to share the road with you people!”
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Cal
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To add an event to the calendar, email your information to: [email protected]
Ann
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Dates Event/Organization Location/ContactMay
May 5 Board Meeting GG Chpt BMW of Mountain View, Mountain View, CA Kelly Collins www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 5 Bimmerfest Bimmerfest Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, CA Jon Shafer www.bimmerfest.com May 5 Tech Session: Service & Parts BavPro Berkeley, CA Eduardo Belaguer www.bavpros.com/events [email protected] 5-6 Club Race - Willow Springs GG Chpt Willow Springs Int’l Raceway, Rosamond, CA Steve Walsh www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 12 Street Survival School GG Chpt Monster Park, San Francisco, CA Bob Goebel www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 12-13 Buttonwillow Driving School SD Chpt Buttonwillow Raceway, Buttonwillow, CA Andre Pantic www.sdbmwcca.com [email protected] 18-20 4th Annual Sharkfest West Sharkfest West Las Vegas Alan Rosenbaum www.sharkfestwest.com [email protected] 19 Autocross School GG Chpt Marina Municipal Airport, Marina, CA Kris Linquist & Matt Visser www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 19 Bay Area Swap & Show 7 Bay Area 02 El Camino Park, Palo Alto, CA JP Collins www.bayarea02.com [email protected] 20 Autocross GG Chpt Marina Municipal Airport, Marina, CA Kris Linquist & Matt Visser www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 26 Sonoma Tour GG Chpt Sonoma, CA David Crum www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected]
JuneJun 2-3 Willow Springs Driving School LA Chpt Willow Springs Int’l Raceway, Rosamond, CA Delight Lucas www.bmwclubla.org [email protected] 9 Board Meeting GG Chpt Stevens Creek BMW, Santa Clara, CA Kelly Collins www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 9-10 Club Race - Buttonwillow GG Chpt Buttonwillow Raceway, Buttonwillow, CA Steve Walsh www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 16 Autocross GG Chpt Marina Municipal Airport, Marina, CA Kris Linquist & Matt Visser www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 23 Santa Cruz Mountain Tour & Wine Tasting GG Chpt Santa Cruz, CA David Crum www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 23-24 Spokane Raceway Driving School Inland Empire Spokane Raceway Park, Spokane, WA Scott Adare www.iebmw.org [email protected] 30 GGC Summer Drive & Picnic GG Chpt Los Altos Hills, CA Edgar Chen www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected]
JulyJul 7-8 Club Race - Willow Springs GG Chpt Willow Springs Int’l Raceway, Rosamond, CA Steve Walsh www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 13 Pacific Raceways Driving School Puget Sound Pacific Raceways, Kent, WA Eric Bitte www.bmwpugetsound.com [email protected] 14 Sierra Tour & Wine Tasting GG Chpt Calaveras County Jeff Cowan www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 21 Board Meeting GG Chpt TBD Kelly Collins www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected]
AugustAug 4 Car Control Clinic GG Chpt Marina Municipal Airport, Marina, CA Bob Goebel & Grant Low www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 5 Autocross GG Chpt Marina Municipal Airport, Marina, CA Kris Linquist & Matt Visser www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 11 Board Meeting GG Chpt East Bay BMW, Pleasanton, CA Kelly Collins www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 11 Bay Area 02 9th Anniversary Bay Area 02 San Francisco, CA JP Collins www.bayarea02.com [email protected]
Aug 11-12 Club Racing School BMW CCA Club Racing Willow Springs Int’l Raceway, Rosamond, CA Scott Hughes www.bmwccaclubracing.com Aug 17 Ultimate Clean Car Contest CC Chpt Black Horse Golf Course, Monterey, CA Wayne Wundram www.cccbmwcca.org [email protected] 17-19 BMW Festorics 2007 GG Chpt Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas, CA Team Festorics www.festorics.org [email protected] 17 Backroads to Big Sur GG Chpt Big Sur, CA David Crum www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 25-26 Thunderhill Driving School GG Chpt Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows, CA Bruce Nesbit & Billy Maher www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected]
SeptemberSep 7 Buttonwillow Driving School Central CA Buttonwillow Raceway, Buttonwillow, CA Peter Kwan www.cccbmwcca.org [email protected] 8 Board Meeting GG Chpt BMW of Mountain View, Mountain View, CA Kelly Collins www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 8 Pacific Raceways Driving School Puget Sound Pacific Raceways, Kent, WA Eric Bitte www.bmwpugetsound.com [email protected] 15 Autocross GG Chpt Marina Municipal Airport, Marina, CA Kris Linquist & Matt Visser www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 22 Fall Tour GG Chpt Mt. Hamilton - Mt. Diablo David Crum www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 30-Oct 5 Oktoberfest BMW CCA Fort Worth, TX Brenda Sarvis 864 250-0022 www.bmwcca.org [email protected]
OctoberOct 6-7 California Speedway Driving School LA Chpt California Speedway, Fontana, CA Delight Lucas www.bmwclubla.org [email protected] 6-7 Spokane Raceway Driving School Inland Empire Spokane Raceway Park…, Spokane, WA Scott Adare www.iebmw.org [email protected] 13 Board Meeting GG Chpt BMW of San Francisco Kelly Collins www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 13-14 Club Racing School BMW CCA Club Racing Buttonwillow Raceway, Buttonwillow, CA Scott Hughes www.bmwccaclubracing.com Oct 20 Car-Control Clinic GG Chpt Marina Municipal Airport, Marina, CA Bob Goebel & Grant Low www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 21 Autocross GG Chpt Marina Municipal Airport, Marina, CA Kris Linquist & Matt Visser www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 27 Pumpkin Tour GG Chpt Half Moon Bay, CA David Crum www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 27-28 Club Race - Thunderhill GG Chpt Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows, CA Steve Walsh www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected]
NovemberNov 3-4 Infineon Driving School GG Chpt Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA Bruce Nesbit & Billy Maher www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 10 Board Meeting GG Chpt TBD Kelly Collins www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 10-11 Club Race - Buttonwillow GG Chpt Buttonwillow Raceway, Buttonwillow, CA Steve Walsh www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] 11 Top Driver Shootout GG Chpt Marina Municipal Airport, Marina, CA Kris Linquist & Matt Visser www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected]
DecemberDec 8 Not the 49 Mile Scenic Drive Bay Area 02 Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA JP Collins www.bayarea02.com [email protected] 15 Board Meeting GG Chpt Stevens Creek BMW, Santa Clara, CA Kelly Collins www.ggcbmwcca.org [email protected] Bolded events are Regional or National CCA events
Dates Event/Organization Location/ContactWe Need More Car-Control Clinicians!
Golden Gate’s car-control clinics have become so popu-lar—they sell out far in advance, with waiting lists and disap-pointed members missing out—that we’re trying to expand the program. We want to be able to schedule more than three or four of these fun and educational schools a year—but we are dedicated to maintaining our high standard for instruc-tion and overall effectiveness. So if we increase the number of clinics, we must add more high-quality enthusiasts to our organizing team. We want you!
Remember, the BMW CCA car-control clinic is probably the most important, useful contribution we make to the community around us. We want to put on more of these clinics in order to reach as many people as possible, teaching them greater aware-ness of driving physics and honing their car-handling skills.
If you have good communication skills and a flair for or-ganization, and you’d like to be a part of this highly reward-ing program as a clinic co-coordinator, please contact Bob Goebel at [email protected].
Santa Cruz Mountains Tour & Wine TastingSet your sights for June 23 when our driving tour features
a spirited drive through the Santa Cruz mountains and Big Basin. We’ll have a mid-day stop at Burrell School Vineyards & Winery—situated in an old school house in the Los Gatos mountains that dates back to 1854—where we’ll sit down for a catered Italian lunch buffet and wine tasting as we overlook the estate vines and spectacular views of the canyons and ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
We’ll taste a selection of Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, and Zinfandel, chosen to pair specifically with our lunch menu. The Italian buffet will include: vegetarian antipasto, crostini tray, classic Caesar salad, chicken entrée, Mediterranean lasa-gna, vegetable medley, garlic bread, and tiramisu. Soda and bottled water will also be provided.
As part of this event, Burrell School Vineyards & Winery is offering a 10% discount to GGC members on any wine purchases now through September 30, simply show your BMW CCA card. Burrell School estate vines yield Chardon-nay, Pinot Noir, and Merlot—distinctive, concentrated wines reflective of their mountain home.
This event will be limited to a maximum of twenty cars (40 attendees). Price is $42 per person. Watch the web site for registration details.
When: June 23Where: Santa CruzEvent Contact: David Crum, [email protected]
More GGC Summer Fun!Join us for a driving tour of coastal hills, lush redwood
forests, golden brown hills, and Pacific ocean views. After a spirited drive through the hills, a BBQ lunch around a refreshing pool and hot tub await you!
Starting in the town of Woodside, we’ll meander over the twisty roads to the coast and then finish in Los Altos for our BBQ at the private residence of Dave and Bonnie Bell. Park your Bimmer and stuff your face with some great grub: ribs, grilled chicken, potato salad, mixed green salad, and—a Bell-family tradition—ice cream sundaes with all of the toppings! After feasting, you can cool off in their pool or relax in the hot tub.
This event is open to all members and is a great introduc-
tory event for first-time Club participants. All you need is your car (and it doesn’t even need to be a BMW), a full tank of gas, and a swimsuit. The driving tour will take place on public roads and will be driven at a “spirited” pace—please leave your race-car ambitions on the track.
To register, send an email or phone Edgar Chen. The driving tour is free. However, if you plan to attend the BBQ, the cost is $15 per person. You may participate in one, the other, or both!
If you plan to attend the BBQ, please send cash payment via PayPal to [email protected] or mail a check to:
Edgar Chen307 Cutty CourtPacifica, CA 94044When: June 30, 10:00 a.m. to ??Where: Tour starts at Woodside elementary school,
3195 Woodside Rd., Woodside.BBQ is in Los Altos, details will be sent upon registration.Contact/Register: Edgar Chen, [email protected],
650 400-1671
Sierra Foothills Wine Tasting & TourJoin us on Saturday, July 14 in Sonora for some high-alti-
tude fun! Grape growing in Calaveras County is as old as the Gold Rush itself. By the 1880’s, the area was noted as one of the top grape-growing regions in California. Today, dozens of wineries carry on that tradition producing outstanding Zin-fandels, classic red and white wines in the French tradition, and a growing number of varietals in the Spanish, Portu-guese, and Italian traditions.
Our tour will start in the town of Sonora and twist its way around Murphys and Angels Camp. If you care to drive up on Friday, we have reserved a block of rooms at the INNS of California-Sonora for the evening of July 13. Mention BMW CCA and get a 10% discount on the room rate if reserved by June 13. Call the hotel directly to reserve your spot today:
INNS of California-Sonora350 South Washington StreetSonora, CA 95370800 251-1538 or 209 532-3633
Hotel Pricing:Single King or two doubles: $76.50 + taxTwo queens: $86.50 + taxDon’t miss the spectacular mountain roads and private
tastings at some of the region’s most notable wineries. A casu-al Mexican dinner will follow near the hotel in Sonora. More details will be posted soon to our web site.
When: July 14, start time is 10:00 a.m. at the hotelWhere: Sonora, CAContact: Jeff Cowan, [email protected]
You, Too, Can Cause Angst For Your FamilyFox casting director Brian McArdle contacted the national
BMW CCA office asking them to pass on this press release, saying, “I’m sure you have a lot of great families involved in your organization that would love to be on the show. It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and something you can’t put a price tag on.”
Ah, yes, here’s your “once-in-a-lifetime chance” to have the world of TV viewers watch in disbelief that someone
Continued on page 9
8 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 9May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
Min
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Golden Gate Chapter - BMW CCA Board Meeting MinutesBy Chris WebberSecretary, GGC BMW CCA
Our thanks toFremont BMW
for hosting this board meeting!
March 10, 2007Fremont BMW
The meeting was called to order at 1:32 p.m.
Board in Attendance: Jonathan Bensen, Vice President; Tamara Hull, Trea-surer; Chris Webber, Secretary; Jeff Cowan, Membership Chair; Kelly Collins, Member-at-Large/Communications Manager; Mark Dadgar, Member-at-Large/Driving Events Coordinator
Board Not in Attendance: Mike Mills, President
Guests in Attendance: Mary Sandkohl, Nina Torres, Steve Walsh, Ken Young, Gerri Young, Jay Hayes, Bob Goebel, Kyle Breton, Christina Breton, Percy Chow, Eddy Pintacsi, Grant Low Membership Report:8 February member totals, including associate members, are at 4,960. Where’d those ten folks go? Cowan blames the rains for their loss.
Charities:8 No update—continue working with Joe Fant.8 ZF Award: Joe Fant submitted the ZF award application.
Area Rep Report:8 Peninsula rep, Kyle Breton 5 Held a go kart event. 5 Many people registered, but only six folks showed up for pizza and karting. 5 Changing venue in the middle was a bad idea; Breton lost a couple people in the transition. 5 Breton is talking to Tesla about an event with them.8 San Luis Obispo rep, Rob Torres 5 Might be stepping down as San Luis Obispo rep. 5 We really like him and will be sad if he goes.
8 North Bay rep, Donna Seeley 5 Hull talked Seeley into staying on as rep. Seeley is trying to organize something in August/September at a miniature golf/driving range. [How about a mini car concours?! – kk] 5 Collins would prefer July. Hull will see what she can do.
8 East Bay rep, Percy Chow 5 Has stuff planned for right around the corner. We are on the edge of our seats!
Meet & Greet Reports:8 Tours/drives 5 David Crum is planning some drives. 5 Cowan and Collins planning a winery driving tour in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Dealer Presentation Schedule:8 The presentation is done; Dadgar needs to follow up with Stevens Creek.8 Dadgar leaned in to make a note of this, and then his pen broke.8 Hull immediately handed him a new pen, preventing the “My pen broke” excuse from being valid.
Driving Events Report:Autocross team has been busy:8 New classification system has been published and “web-ified.”People generally like it.8 They ran TDS and one old event from last year through it as a test, and the results were as expected.8 autox.ggcbmwcca.org will be officially linked to the site soon.8 First event is April 21.8 Response that the autocross school seems as though it will sell out in roughly 24 seconds. 5 We may need to do more of these—however, we need to have a
venue. 5 Infineon paddock parking is prohibitively expensive.
Car Control:8 The first clinic was a BIG hit! 5 51 students were accepted, another 45 were on the waiting list.8 The clinic on March 31 sold out in five days! 5 Collin’s eblast was well coordinated to get people to sign up as it came out the same day as registration opened.8 Street Survival School is coming up, and Bob Goebel is flooded with requests to open registration. 5 There is too much going on to manage both the CCC registration and the Street Survival registration at once. So Street Survival registration will open April 14. Collins to please include in the eblast.8 Dadgar signed up to be the water truck driver at Street Survival. He actu-ally likes it, he’s quite excited… uncomfortably so, in fact.
8 The Monster Park (Candlestick) facility is disintegrating and isn’t working well for what we are trying to teach. 5 Goebel wandered around Candlestick with a template to see where to relocate the various maneuvers. 5 Dadgar’s pen broke again, this time Cowan comes to the rescue with a new one.8 We need more coordinators! Anyone interested in being a Car-Control Clinic coordinator PLEASE con-tact Bob Goebel! 8 Golden Gate fields wanted $3,500; Goebel talked them down to $2,000. They also want a $2,000 deposit up front. 5 They require a temporary business license, a fire marshal inspection, approved food vendors, and have generally more hoops than a circus act. 5 However, it is financially viable to hold an event there as long as we get our deposit back.8 Bob is interested in getting a named Chapter position to JUST find event locations. 5 “Parking Lot Locator” and “Pavement Pimp” were two of many sug-gested titles—the only two titles printable here. Cowan made us wash our collective mouth out with soap. Webber ponders aloud the implication of a collective mouth. Digression occurs. 5 Proposed locations include: Bay Meadows, San Jose Fairgrounds, Altamont, Pleasanton(We haven’t used Pleasanton since Cowan had long hair. Well, some long hair—it was a mullet, let’s be honest here.), Moffet Field, and Great America. 6 Goebel noted that Great America is a great venue, except they will boot you if Menudo comes in to town and wants to have a concert. That’s real humor!
High Performance Driving Events Report8 The Infineon event rocked as far as weather and driving. 5 Sunny skies didn’t prevent us from losing roughly $3,000—too few students at 81.8 We are looking at one-off event specific insurance policies. 4 Dadgar forwarded to Ghidinell. 4 Currently too expensive. 4 National is discussing this as well, but we may need something sooner than they provide it.8 Club Racing 5 April 21-22 is the first race with SCCA vintage, should be a lot of fun, they are a great group. 5 We are reviewing the expense policy. 5 The rest of the calendar is up on the Club website. 4 Dadgar says we have seven races in the region. 5 Sponsor Report: Dadgar has an update! Mills is as giddy as a schoolgirl, even though he is absent. 4 Dadgar went to Rennwerks, and described the benefits, and cost, which is $5,000 per year. 4 They want to spend $1,000 per year. We cannot undercut the Bombe advertising—we have to make sure it works. 4 Dadgar to call Griffin Motorworks.
Treasurer Report:8 2006 financial wrap-up was handed out, and will be posted to the web
page. 5 Everyone is impressed with all the numbers and math and complexity and smarts. Bensen folds an impressive paper airplane, Webber starts chew-ing on his copy.8 Tax filing is due May 15.8 Postage and printing reimbursements8 We need to start depreciating the trailer. 5 We would have to charge that to the driving events and they don’t like that. Since no one from autocross is here, and they make the most money, it’s hitting their budget.
Secretary Report:8 Webber to provide Grant Low’s contact information to Igor Koruga.8 Webber to send waivers to Wynne at national.8 Webber to go online and fill out relevant chapter forms.8 We need to add Nate Walton as a driver to the insurance. 5 Webber or Hull to get his driver’s license number. 5 Policy renews April. 5 We need to take the old truck off the policy as well. 5 Webber to work with Hull to get this done. 5 We should also review to see if there is anyone else we can take off.
Communication Report:8 Bombe: We are up to 25-26 ads! 5 New advertisers are paying in advance. 5 People want to do free press releases in the Bombe. 4 We don’t do press releases, they can buy an ad. 5 Managing editor 4 Barbara Luna volunteered, but Collins hasn’t heard from her in two weeks. 4 Bimmerphile editor Bob Vitkus has resigned effective July 2007. We are looking for a new person to take over.8 Collins to update the comp list.8 Web update from Percy Chow 5 New beta website looks great, everyone agrees. 4 The CMS was not what we wanted to work with. 4 We got a PHP expert to redesign the back end, so it is easier to update and re-layout. 4 Advertising is on the new website too! 4 If people have comments, email Collins and Dadgar.
Vice President’s Report:8 Truck report 5 We need to re-instruct all drivers on acceptable use. 5 Trailer storage rates may be going up, as the storage facility is under new ownership. 4 May be time to move the trailer. 5 Financing status 4 After tax season, Hull and Bensen to make an appointment to change the financing information.8 Old truck 5 We have not gotten all the payments. 5 We don’t need to keep the thing on our insurance anymore.8 Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) implementation 5 Jonathan is going to track VIP “credits” manually via spreadsheet for now. 5 Mills suggested giving people a check/reimbursement for their services. 4 Bensen will send all event masters the forms. 4 Person who wants points will fill the paper out, and submit. 4 Bensen will receive, and check with the event master to see if indeed they worked. 4 If all checks out, the volunteer gets a check. 4 Dadgar wants to see what this would actually cost. 6 Hull and Dadgar to find out the number of volunteers we had over the last year. 4 Effective Date is January 1, per motion from Hull and second from Cowan. 4 Nina Torres and Mary Sandkohl, invaluable volunteers from the Holiday party, are thrilled. 4 New language for the VIP plan: “People will not be compensated for volunteer activities at events where working is part of the activity.” 4 Bensen to write an announcement for May Bombe. President’s Report:8 Mills not present8 Dadgar called Mills on cell. Mills answered despite his having just entered
a men’s room. Stunned by his dedication to the Club, Dadgar couldn’t think of anything to ask Mills, and hung up.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:19 p.m.
Thanks to Fremont BMW for the meeting room with the surprisingly enter-taining rolling chairs.
would actually choose to put themselves in that posi-tion. Here you go:
“LOS ANGELES, CA – A nationwide search is un-derway for families to participate in the next season of “Trading Spouses.” Thanks to the success of the show, new participants will get to experience the lifestyles of dramati-cally different families they would otherwise never have the opportunity to see. Of course, there will also be a finan-cial incentive of up to $50,000 for participating families.
The announcement was made by Tyler Ramsey, Super-vising Casting Producer at Rocket Science Laboratories, the producers of “Joe Millionaire,” “Temptation Island,” “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé,” and “Renovate My Fam-ily,” all on the Fox Broadcasting Company Network.
‘The program provides the opportunity for families to share and enjoy radically different lifestyles to which they may never otherwise be exposed,” said Tyler Ramsey. “Families spend an enormous amount of money every year traveling to experience new cultures and ways of life; yet, America is such a tremendous melting pot with many fascinating groups who remain unaware of one another’s differences. This will be an experience every bit as rich and rewarding as that experienced by the hoards [sic] of tour-ists that travel to Venice, Italy [not Illinois? - prd] or Paris, France [not Texas? - prd].’
This season, we are looking for families that have seen and done everything but something like a foreign exchange program for families; our show! We give families a great perspective on life in America and how people live their lives that they would otherwise never encounter. Yes, $50,000 is great, but we want people who want their fami-lies to strengthen and grow from unique experiences like Trading Spouses. In other words, we want YOU!
“We are looking for fun and unique families with eccentric lifestyles, eclectic backgrounds, and an interest-ing family dynamic,” said Tyler Ramsey. Families who wish to be considered for the program can contact Brian McArdle at [email protected] or 323 802-0607. Families are encouraged to contact Brian immedi-ately for consideration!”
Consider yourself warned… er, I mean informed.
Announcements continued from page 7
10 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 11May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
In all, therefore, Dynamic Performance Control enhances not only active safety, agility, and motoring comfort, but also the joy of motoring through an even higher standard of steering preci-sion, tracking stability, and traction. Precisely, this is why this innovative technology offers the customer genuine benefits in cars with all engines, Dynamic Performance Control giving even the “average” driver tangible benefits in everyday motoring at all speeds and helping him control his car in superior and safe style. Hence, sheer driving pleasure becomes an even more significant issue even in models with a “basic” engine. worldcarfans.com
Millions Of Minis… Six years after the start of series pro-duction, the one millionth Mini has rolled off the production line at Plant Oxford. Like all Minis, the one-millionth car was
produced to cus-tomer order. In this case, the “customer” is BMW Group’s heritage division, Mobile Tradition. The color of the landmark Mini Cooper S is Pepper White with a specially-developed paint for the roof, Al-mond Green, accen-tuated by a “million” graphic extending onto the bonnet. The interior matches the roof with leather seats, steering wheel, and gearknob all in Almond Green leather. BMW Press
Spartanburg To Build Upcoming (E71) X6…BMW has confirmed that its new mid-sized crossover will be called the X6 and that it will be produced at its Spartanburg, South Carolina, factory in 2008.
The X6 would be the third model for the Spartanburg plant, which also produces the X5 crossover and Z4 roadster. The X6 has been described as having characteristics of both an SUV and a coupe. “It will have the body shape and roof like a coupe,” says the spokesman, “and not necessarily be a two-door.” automotivenews.com
BMW On Competitors…Here’s an excerpt from an inter-view at last fall’s Paris auto show with the then freshly-ap-pointed Chairman of the Board of Management:
Automotive News: “Are you reconsidering what kind of crossover you will build in the United States in 2008
because of the poor market reaction to the Mercedes-Benz R class?”
Norbert Reithofer: “…We did not look at the Mercedes R class. We said it is wrong to follow others. There is one car company in Germany that we know what they will do because they do exactly what we are doing. I will not mention the name.” automotivenews.com (Our vote for the best quote of 2006! ~bv)
BMW Prevails In Canadian Court Over The Use of “M”…Today’s tale of litigation between automakers is brought to you by the letter M, which both BMW and Infiniti are claim-ing rights to use in a Canadian court. BMW has been using the letter M to designate its many performance variants since 1978 in Germany and 1987 in Canada. Infiniti, however, only registered the names M45 in 2004 and M35 in 2005. As such, Infiniti has lost the battle over M, at least in Canada.
The silly thing is that Infiniti could have avoided being sued by BMW if it had steered clear of using the letter M alone in advertisements. It also produced a model of the G35 coupe it called the M6, which obviously steps on the toes of BMW’s own high-end M6 coupe. Had Infiniti gone on just using the M45 and M35 monikers alone, it would likely not be liable for damages in a Canadian court right now. The amount of dam-ages that Infiniti must pay BMW has yet to be determined, but in the meantime, it has to “deliver to the plaintiffs (BMW) or to destroy under oath, all literature, invoices, packaging, signs, advertisements, promotional, or marketing material, printed or otherwise recorded, in the possession, custody, or control of the defendant.” cbc.ca via autoblog.com
BMW’s High Revenues Continue… The BMW Group plans to continue its successful business course in 2007, follow-ing the new high revenues and earnings figures posted in 2006. “The current year should be the best year in the company’s history in operating terms. Excluding the one-off gain on the Rolls-Royce exchangeable bond, we plan to beat the record pre-tax profit achieved in 2006,” stated Norbert Reithofer, the Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG at the BMW Group Annual Accounts press conference.
The BMW Group is also aiming to achieve a new sales-volume record for each of its brands—BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce. “Overall for 2007, we expect a sales-volume growth in the higher single-digit percentage range,” contin-ued Reithofer. Unfavorable currency effects and high raw material prices will, however, continue to have an impact on business performance for the current year, albeit to a lesser degree than in the previous year. The BMW Group will offset this by continuous productivity and efficiency enhancement measures and by the sales volume growth targeted for 2007. BMW Press (For more information, visit: bmwgroup.com/ir. ~bv)
Dynamic Performance Control… BMW has created a drivetrain and chassis control system offering the driver an even more intense and safer experience of sheer driving plea-sure. In particular, the car’s dynamic performance and lateral acceleration become a genuine, tangible experience thanks to enhanced steering precision and tracking stability at all speeds.
The term “Dynamic Performance Control” defines a me-chatronic system serving to distribute drive forces infinitely to the rear wheels regardless of engine output. To provide this effect, the final drive is combined with two superimposed gearsets and two electronically controlled multiple-plate brakes serving to infinitely vary the otherwise symmetrical distribution of drive forces when driving in a straight line.
The difference in forces potentially generated in this way of up to 1,800 Nm (1,325 foot-pounds) provides a significant improvement of steering behavior, steering precision, tracking stability, and traction in general. At the same time, the steering responds even more directly and the driver is required far less often to intervene in the steering, just as the electronic control systems are required far less frequently to stabilize the car. The special highlight of this unique development by BMW is that, for the first time, this system is able to actively distribute drive forces not only in the overrun mode, but with the clutch disengaged. As a result, Dynamic Performance Control is suited for both standard and all-wheel drive.
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Bimmerphile Editor: Bob Vitkus
Kick A$$! Details Of M3’s (S60) V8 engine… BMW has (finally) confirmed that the new M3 will be powered by a 4.0-liter V8. This 32-valver is derived from Formula 1 technology, so it shares the same basic design and components of the Formula 1 race car’s engine as well as the M5/M6’s V10, but minus two cylinders. It’s rich with new technology, and includes features such as double VANOS variable valve control, individual throttle butterflies, an upgraded MSS60 ECU, and a high compression ratio of 12.0:1. It also has two oil pumps plus a wet-sump system to ensure efficient oil supply at 1.4g of lateral and longitudinal acceleration. Thanks to the lightweight aluminum block, heads, and crankcase, the new V8 is 44 pounds lighter than the previ-ous model’s inline six.
The new powerplant redlines at a relatively high 8,400 rpm, with peak output of 420 bhp realized at 8,300. Torque is rated at 295 foot pounds at 3,900 rpm. This gives the engine 105 bhp per liter, making it one of the most potent for its size in the market-place. The V8’s power has been designed to get stronger as engine speed climbs. The torque band is broad with the sweet spot be-tween 3,500 and 7,000 rpm. The new M3 is expected to run to 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds and reach a top speed of about 175 mph (155 mph if electronically limited). The engine will come mated to a six-speed manual transmission. A seven-speed SMG or dual-clutch system will most likely be added as an option later. Road & Track (Search YouTube.com for the M3 videos with the glorious sounds of this engine. - kk)
BMW M GmbH’s New Engine Testing Facility… BMW has opened a new cutting-edge M-Division engine test facil-ity, where the engines of many future Motorsport BMWs will be developed.
The company says that the new facility will enable it to dramatically reduce development costs and the time it takes to bring an engine to market. This should allow the company to expand the number of M-Division models it offers, and to bring them to market more quickly and more cheaply.
Aside from three engine test beds, the facility hand-builds pilot-production engines and is also involved in writing the immensely complex engine management programs that run the engines.
BMW’s brand new engine test beds can handle up to 738 bhp, 516 foot pounds of torque, and 12,000 rpm. Being able to use the engine’s full production exhaust system on them is also a big step forward, the company says.
One of the test rigs is configured to take drive from the prototype engine—via a rear differential—and use it to power a pair of electrical generators. This allows power created when test-running an engine to be fed back into the power supply for the building.
The facility can be run 24 hours a day (or up to 5,000 hours per year), and BMW engineers say that while a conventional on-road engine test program might take six to eight weeks, the same cycle can be completed in just nine days on the test bed.
BMW claims cost savings of 75 per cent over the testing phase of a three-year engine development project because the need for expensive prototype vehicles is much reduced. Autocar.co.uk
BMW Assists People With Disabilities… BMW is mak-ing its products more accessible to people with disabilities
by lifting the reimburse-ment ceiling for buyers who wish to make one-time vehicle modifications to aid in their use of the vehicle. BMW Group will reimburse buyers of new and certified pre-owned BMW and Mini vehicles for one-time driver modifications, provided certain requirements are met. For more information, contact BMW at 800 831-1117 or Mini at 866 275-6464. Autoweek
Google My iDrive… Navigation systems have revolutionized the way we get from A to B. It’s going to get even better now that Google Maps and BMW have joined forces to stream-line the data-entry process. Instead of printing out or writing down an address to re-enter in the car, the information is sent directly from your computer to your navigation system. German
drivers with Drive Assist-equipped BMWs can send any Google Maps Deutschland business listing straight to their cars, either to contact the business once inside, or to set it as a destination. Honestly, it’s about friggin’ time online maps and automakers made this connection, and we’re glad that Google appears ready and eager to expand this service. navigadget.com (Look for this to be available in the U.S. cars around 2008. - kk)
U.S.-Bound 1 Series Coupe?… So, is this the much dis-cussed 2009 BMW 1 Series coupe that could be headed for the U.S.? Well, it sure looks ready for production, and the fact that it’s getting what looks like a full-on brochure-quality photo shoot in the American southwest would seem to point in that direction, as well. For awhile there, we weren’t sure if the 1 Se-ries was ever going to make it stateside, but recent rumors sug-gest we’ll be getting this coupe sometime next year. Although there are four-cylinder 1 Series models in Europe, our versions will be six-cylinder models only. With that in mind, expect this coupe to show up badged as either the BMW 130i or BMW 135i. Our money is on 130i, as BMW will want to get the price down below $30,000. Even still, were talking 230 horsepower and 200 foot pounds of torque in a relatively small, rear-wheel-drive package. Then again, with the Volkswagen GTI offering 200 hp and 207 foot-pounds of torque for just over $22,000, the 130i isn’t necessarily a slam dunk. Edmunds.com
Shanghai Surprise?... BMW [was expected to] unveil a concept for a range-topping sports car at the Shanghai auto show April 22. If it goes into production, the car will be called the Z9 and will compete with the Mercedes-Benz SL and Audi R8 sports cars.
A BMW source said the company would like to sell 15,000 Z9s a year. BMW sold only 5,703 units of the limited-edition Z8 from 2000 to 2003, the last time the automaker offered a high-priced exotic sports car.
A company insider said the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car will be a two-seat convertible with an optional folding hardtop. It also may be offered as a coupe. Automotivenews.com (Ten years ago, the Z07 concept car— which previewed the produc-tion Z8 – was unveiled at a Far East venue, Tokyo 1997. ~bv)
12 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 13May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
Camber is one of the three alignment settings:
1. Camber is the angle of the wheel relative to vertical, as viewed from the front or the rear of the car. If the top of the wheel leans in towards the chassis, it has negative camber; if it leans away from the car, it has positive camber.
2. Caster: Caster is the angle to which the steering pivot axis is tilted forward or rearward from vertical, as viewed from the side. If the pivot axis is tilted backward (that is, the top pivot is posi-tioned farther rearward than the bottom pivot), then the caster is positive; if it’s tilted forward, then the caster is negative.
3. Toe: The toe measurement is the difference in the distance between the front of the tires and the back of the tires. When a pair of wheels is set so that their leading edges are pointed slightly towards each other, the wheel pair is said to have toe-in. If the leading edges point away from each other, the pair is said to have toe-out.
Having negative camber allows you to maintain a larger con-tact patch on your outside wheels when going around a corner. If our cars never had to turn a corner, then zero camber would be fine. Since we do need to turn, camber allows the tread portion of the tire to remain largely in contact with the road. Without camber the body roll would tend to pull some of the tread off the road surface. Suspension design has a lot to do with how much camber is enough.
Too much nega-tive camber can cause “twitchiness” while driving straight, as well as signifi-cantly increased wear on the inside of your tires. Ideal “street” camber set-tings are highly debated, but most performance-car manufacturers’ spec is be-tween -0.5 and -1.5 degrees. The E46 3 Series spec is -0.6, while the E46 330 with performance package spec is -1.1. Understand that factory settings are always
going to err on the conservative side. Most E46 cars have a “free” adjustment that gives you an additional -.5 degrees of camber. You can read how to do it online at: http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_camber.shtml
Camber is the easiest alignment setting to measure without a fourteen-gazillion-dollar machine. Here’s how:
Tools required:• Carpenter’s square ($6)• Caliper-type micrometer ($30+) OR any other accurate
measuring device
is to make sure you are parked on an EVEN and LEVEL sur-face. The stiffness of the suspension will determine how minor the variation from level the work surface can be. A stiffer suspension (higher spring rate) will move a shorter distance for each angle from a level surface. The usual quasi-level garage surface may not
significantly affect a car sprung with aftermarket sport springs.BMW’s alignment practices specify that a weight equal to that
of the driver should be placed in the driver’s seat, since weight distribution can affect all alignment specifications. This at-home measuring procedure probably isn’t accurate enough for the weight of the driver to make a difference in your results.
If the corner of the square is not touching the ground (using a nicely-sized square against your wheel instead of your tire), subtract the distance of the corner to the ground from the distance measured at the 10-inch mark.
Here’s where we get to use trigonometry! Time for another beer.
Remember the mnemonic device “Soh-Cah-Toa” from tenth grade?SOH = Sine equals Opposite over HypotenuseCAH = Cosine equals Adjacent over HypotenuseTOA = Tangent equals Opposite over Adjacent
In the triangle above, “c” is the hypotenuse, “a” is the opposite, and “b” is the adjacent side.
Our goal is to find angle “A” which will equal our negative camber!We know the length of the op-
posite and the adjacent, so we must use “TOA”. Follow along as I work through the problem, simplifying it:
Tangent(A) = opposite / adjacentTangent(A) = 9 mm / 10 inches
(as measured on my car)Tangent(A) = 9 mm / 254 mm
(10 inches is 254 mm. To convert, use the internet: type “10 inches in mm” into Google!)
Now, on your calculator, 9 divided by 254 equals: .0354. Now press the TAN-1 (inverse tangent) button. Bingo, 2.03—I have just over two degrees of negative camber.
Now you can brag to your Significant Other that you have just measured your camber without paying an alignment shop! As they won’t care, you can now finish the six pack you started earlier.
Want more accurate results? Longacre (www.longacreracing.com) sells a camber/caster gauge with magnetic adapter for $129.95.
Measuring Your Camber At HomeBy Kris Linquist
First of all, what is wheel camber?
The first step
The second step is to clean your garage and find your carpenter’s square and
caliper-type micrometer. Have a beer; your garage is awfully dirty and this is a good time to clean it.
The third step is to place the carpenter’s level against your wheel. I’ve got a 24” x 16” square, which is not ideal—I have to place it against the lip on the tire. This may make my results less accurate because the weight of the car on the tire, as well as my specific tire pressure, deforms the tire.
(Ignore the piece of card-board I used to prop the square against the tire while taking the picture.) This works best if
you have a helper. If you can find a square that is sized such that you can place it firmly against the edge of the rim without touch-ing the tire, your results will be more accurate. As you can see, the leg of the square is off the ground—this is how you know that you’ve got negative camber.
Below you’ll see the photo of the horizontal leg of the square.I’ve greatly exaggerated the triangle in this picture to
clearly show the sides and angles. At the 10-inch mark on the square, you want to measure side “a”: the distance between the ground and the square.
If you don’t have your college TI-85 graph-ing calculator handy, here’s a quick table:Opposite/ Adjacent = Camber
0.004 = -0.250.009 = -0.500.013 = -0.750.017 = -1.000.022 = -1.250.026 = -1.500.030 = -1.750.035 = -2.000.039 = -2.250.044 = -2.500.048 = -2.750.052 = -3.000.057 = -3.250.061 = -3.50
The third step
14 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 15May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
The 8-Fest groups gathers for the eighth anniversary of the 8-Fest Annual Russian River Wine Barrel Tasting Tour.
Rally ’Round The Barrel
By Steve Cohen
What do you get when you put together 52 8 Series cars—including one twin turbo and one 860i—99 attendees from seven states and two Canadian provinces, two BMW magazine journalists, and two-and-
a-half days of fun in the wine country? I’ll tell you, it ain’t boring!For our eighth ARRWBTT for BMW 8 Series owners, we
decided that it was appropriate to make it a three-day event instead of the usual one-day event. It’s an event that isn’t about racing, but more about people who are brought together by their love of a very distinctive automobile.
March 2, 2007:Jack Ramsey and Pete Lee arrive at my home to put to-
gether the goody bags. The bags consisted of sample products, the event program, and a special bottle of Blue Oak Vineyards Syrah which was grown, bottled, and labeled especially for the Eighth ARRWBTT. Once the bags were packed, Jack and Pete brought the raffle items to go to the Flamingo Resort and Spa where they helped Art and Judy Cortez set-up the registration procedure.
Cars began arriving about 1:00 p.m. and soon attendees were busy registering, receiving their goody bags, wine, and event T-shirts. A large percentage of them were wearing (read: flaunting) their 2003 Left Coast 8-Fest shirts.
The next hour was busy with libations and renewing friendships. Then it was time to sit down for the Welcome Din-ner, where our program commenced with introductions of the
event facilitators, Bill Howard (Roundel), and Will Edgar (Bimmer).
Ed Raether then presented the three most recent inductees to the 8-Fest Hall of Fame. A rather ironic note, Ed is the only person in the Eight community who does not, and never has, owned an 8 Series BMW (yet)! However, due to his incredible contribution to all things Eight related, especially mechanical, he was one of the three first inductees into the 8-Fest Hall of Fame. So it seemed fitting for Ed to announce the following new inductees:
Mark Fling, for his endless contributions and help to owners with the electronic maze of the 8 Series.
Paul Michael Brown, for forming the first collaborative exchange of ideas and help amongst Eight owners (long before bulletin boards were popular).
Tom Carter, for his never-ending help to others with 8 Series vehicles.
Following the tradition started by the 2003 Left Coast 8-Fest—giving to the community in which our event is held—we raised $1,918 in a raffle and silent auction to benefit the Valley of the Moon Children’s Foundation. Valley of the Moon Children’s Home is Sonoma County’s only shelter for abused, abandoned, and ne-glected children.
March 3, 2007:The alarm blasts us awake at 5:00 a.m.
Groggily Jon and Laurel Nelson and Karen and I awake and make some coffee… five gallons for our group’s pot-luck breakfast.
The Eights start arriving at 5:30 a.m., which means that our parking impresarios, Jon Nelson and John Orozco, have to figure out how we are going to fit 52 8 Series on my Front 40. In the meantime, Jane Raether is cooking green-onion pancakes—a tradi-tion of the ARRWBTT.
We’re starting early as we have four wineries on our itinerary today, as well as a very special locale for lunch. As we descend the mountain from my home, we stop for a photo-op and fill both lanes of the road with 8 Series.
The day goes quickly and, as noon approaches, we wave goodbye to our friend Bruce Cousins at Armida Winery and commence driving to a very special location for lunch: the Healdsburg Refuse Transfer Station, fondly known as the Healdsburg dump! Flying in formation like the Luftwaffe, we maneuver around the trucks and people en-gaged in dumping their garbage. Suddenly, we emerge at the flying field for the Wine County Flyers—a radio controlled, model aircraft club.
The club members began their special show for us, quickly enthralling everyone with a magnificent air show of aerobatics while we ate lunch. Several Eight owners even got to try their hand at the remotes. The Eights group’s next pending appointment
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R
BMW CCA takes its technical symposium to Tacoma Washington.
BMWTechfest2007
BMWTechfest2007
By Ben SherwoodPuget Sound BMW CCA and Portland BMW ACA member.
Roundel columnist Jenny Morgan’s past accounts of BMW CCA’s annual Gateway Tech (now called Techfest) have whet my appetite for this event I’d never had the chance to attend. The promise of nitty gritty BMW technical savvy presentations during a multi-day event encouraged my interest every year. Unfortu-nately, in the past, the distance from Oregon to St. Louis was too great for a quick jet-set weekend.
So imagine my delight when I learned that the 2007 Techfest was scheduled for the Left Coast… and in my own figurative back yard! As Tacoma, Washington is just a three -hour squirt north of my home in Portland, my attendance was a no-brainer.
Three years ago marked my first, and only, foray to date into the adventure known as BMW CCA Oktoberfest. A week in Pasa-dena experiencing all things BMW, resulted in many new friends from across the country and faces to names on both Roundel and BMW CCA National Board. The 2007 Techfest weekend in Tacoma proved to be no different.
Arriving Thursday evening for the opening recep-tion, many of those familiar friendly faces were in attendance. Sadly, Jenny Morgan was not one of them.
The most difficult part of this whole event turned out to be deciding which seminars to attend. As I gazed at the schedule, my excitement mounted as my eyes lit upon keywords: Steve Dinan, Mike Miller Tech Talk, synthetic fluids, wheel and tire technologies and per-formance, telematics, BMW diesel technology, OBDII diagnostics, tips on collision and repairs, TSA discus-sions by Terry Sayther and Carl Nelson, and an on-site visit to Griot’s Garage! And that’s only a small taste of the tantalizing list of seminars.
Out of the twenty-plus seminars, eighteen held my captive interest, so I had to whittle them down even more. At just under an hour for each seminar, eleven was all I could fit in over a two-day period. Too much good stuff, really, which isn’t a bad prob-lem to have. I was extremely thankful I had made the full multi-day commitment.
Friday morning marked the first full day of events. Of course, the Puget Sound, notorious for rain and drea-ry weather, was true to its nature—it poured both days. Fortunately, Starbucks proliferates on every other street corner just like bittercress weed in my garden, giving me a chance to perk up with some morning jitters.
Consulting the minuscule type on the handy sched-ule, conveniently tucked into the plastic lanyard round my neck, I chose to catch the group bus to the off-site technical session at Griot’s Garage showcasing their cleaning products. The group bus? More like a stretched American-made SUV limo—no X5 here! There I am, riding in style chatting with the in-formative Mike Self of BMW 2002 fame (did you know he’s got an E30 3 Series now?). We arrived at Griot’s, where they thankfully provided delicious donuts. Sinking my teeth
into a large apple fritter, I milled around the multi-bay facility where not-quite-clean-enough vehicles sat waiting for their turn in the spotlight to prove Griots products. With deft precision, swirls disappeared, leather was rejuvenated, and paint gleamed.
Catching a quick ride back to the hotel, I arrived just in time to start my first seminar: Telematics, Driver Assistance Systems, And In-Vehicle Technology. It was like watching an episode of the Jetsons! The insights of the seminar showed a world where stop signs broadcast their longitude, latitude, and direction to forewarn approaching cars via their head-up display. Stop lights which broadcast when they will turn red so your vehicle can alert you to slow down if you won’t make the light at your given speed. (Ahhh, that takes all the challenge out of it! -kk) A wireless network could someday exist between vehicles, and thereby attempt to avoid accidents when cars are “smart” enough to realize they are on a collision course. These things are all near-future. Take, for instance, that today, the technology exists for highly tuned GPS navigation-enabled cars to drive themselves around a track, teaching a racer the best racing line, and then us-ing a force-feedback steering wheel to provide corrections when the driver attempts to find the line themselves. It’s intriguing stuff for all cars, not just BMWs.
Steve Dinan’s presentation provided insight into the V10 M5 engine and how it uses the spark plug to detect pre-ignition using ionization detection. I believe BMW is the first car manufacturer to utilize this age-old idea in a mass produced vehicle. Aren’t BMW engineers remarkable? Dinan also expounded upon their own research into testing and making Dinan products as innovative and dependable as possible. The quality of Dinan products speaks for itself. (Later that day Steve learned that his engine had won the Grand Am DP race. Congratulations!)
If I didn’t also mention Jeff Buttler’s (of Haury’s Lake City Collision) seminar on BMW-approved collision repair and tips on insurance, I would be amiss. His all-encompassing and quite engrossing presentation stuffed so much useful information into his time slot that I wanted to attend a second time to make sure I got it all. Thankfully, a multi-page handout was provided at the end. Kudos to Jeff for the work he put into this.
Many of the seminars had excellent technical information where I learned quite a bit. Others, well, not so much. Three seminars unfortunately discussed their products as if this was a trade show. At one point, a seminar focused on the types of truck and bus tires they made—where was the information on tire test-ing? Or tread compounds in summer versus all season tires? Or advances in snow-tire technology? Another seminar boiled down
to the fact that their company was the OEM supplier of BMW’s power steering fluid, hoses, and belts. Hmmm.
As for suggestions for future technical topics, I would like to see what BMW is doing on the environmental side of things. A session on the Hydrogen 7 technology would have been outstand-ing. How is BMW tackling the problem of CO2 and global warm-ing? They have a responsibility, like any other car manufacturer, and I’d like to see how they are being pro-active in this arena.
Not only were there tons of seminars to attend, Csaba Csere, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver, was keynote speaker for the din-ner. There were also some very interesting vendors, some great race cars from Puget Sound members on display, and door prizes.
Independent BMW shop owners and long-time Technical Service Advisors Carl Nelson and Terry Sather provide a forum for questions and answers about various fixes.
Steve Dinan’s presentation provided insight into the V10 M5 engine. Dinan Engineering also displayed their latest wares, including the raucous M5.
Griot’s Garage was a very gracious host to the Tech Fest attend-ees, providing tours and detailing seminars... complete with apple fritters.
Jeff Butler had an all-encompassing presentation on tips for collision repair.
Keynote speaker Csaba Csere told tales of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill and BMW 335d race cars.
18 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 19May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
New
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nalFor the last day’s cocktails and dinner, Csaba Csere threaded
an interesting story of his most recent 25 Hours of Thunderhill race with one of the two BMW diesel sedans that ran in the event. Larry Koch, of BMW NA, then showed an entertaining video of the diesels’ experience during the race. The raffle had many interesting prizes, one of which was a Lincoln 14.4 volt cordless grease gun… which I won. Sweet! (Even though my E46 M3 has no grease fittings.) Saint Patrick’s Day was the week before, but I
must have had the Luck o’ the Irish that night, as my raffle ticket was also picked for the two-day performance driving school pass from BMW’s Performance Driving School in Spartanburg, South Carolina! Doubly sweet!
I had a smashing time at the event and thought that it was a success. Besides the copious information garnered from the seminars, taking the time to network and get to know my fellow BMW enthusiasts from around the country was an opportunity not to miss. There are so many interesting people to know and we all have this one thing in common: Bimmers.
South Carolina, here I come!
FROM: Wynne Smith, Executive Director DATE: March 21, 2007
MEMBERSHIP STATS As Of 03/21/2007 Full Associate TotalCurrent Membership 66,160 9,934 76,094Last Month’s Membership 66,068 9,850 75,918Monthly Net Gain (Loss) 92 84 176Monthly % Change 0.14% 0.13% .27%
Last Year’s Membership 66,053 9,416 75,469Annual Net Gain (Loss) 107 518 625Annual % Change 0.16% 0.78% 0.95%
2005’s Membership 66,399 8,965 75,364Net Gain (Loss) for 2 years ( 239) 969 730% Change for 2 years (0.36%) 1.47% 1.10%
New Members, 03/07 1,103 Renewals, 03/07 54.1%Roundels Mailed 67,200
BMW CCA Membership Drive: 443 members have referred 629 new members to the club since the Membership Drive began. Good news – our numbers are going in the right direction! Need apps? Send an email to [email protected]. Have ques-tions? Want an electronic version of the rules? Email me at [email protected]. We had a really good rise in renewal rates this month – and our ongoing Member Satisfaction Survey can be viewed by visiting: http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=257778731205
From January 2007 - NFN Sprint Announces New Discounts And Free
BMW CCA Membership Opportunity: Thanks to everyone who participated in the Sprint Survey in December. BMW CCA and Sprint/Nextel are working together to bring huge savings to BMW CCA mem-bers. Sprint has increased the monthly service dis-count to 15% and has added several new promotions to provide members with additional benefits.
• A free accessory pack, including leather case or holster, vehicle adapter and ear-bud for each new phone activation
• Sprint will sponsor a one-year BMW CCA membership (new membership or renewal) for any new order placed via the web site or toll-free number: www.sprint.bz/bmwcca or toll free: 866 385-8891
Club Website: By now all of you know that Bill Howard has accepted the position of editor-in-chief of the Club’s website (www.bmwcca.org). One of his goals is to make it the pre-eminent “Go to” site for all things BMW—especially things having to do with the Club.
Have a chapter story you want highlighted? Please send it with photos or even video to [email protected] and it’s very likely you’ll see your story posted the same day. Chapter event you’d like announced? Be sure to get into the online event calendar as early as possible (it will be for-warded to Roundel from there for inclusion in the next available issue.)
There are forums available at the site for you to post questions, chat with like-minded enthusiasts and obtain technical assistance. In the next few weeks, Bill will be launching an online Technical Service where the help of savvy technical people is going to be a big factor. We have several really qualified people lined up—and what we’re look-ing for is a couple more volunteers with technical expertise who can browse the site a couple times a week on behalf of the Club and post replies to questions, or inject a note of logic into a tech discus-sion that has drifted. The time commitment could be anywhere from a half-hour up through as many hours as you’ve got free.
We continue to look for photos of you and your cars for the photo gallery—please send them to [email protected].
Ben Sherwood (far right) listens to BMW NA Mobile Tradition’s caretaker of historic racecars, Dennis Swan (far left) describe the engine features on the 335d.
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20 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 21May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
New
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e!Last First City Model Year Refered By
Andiazabal Christine Redwood City Appleton Rob Larkspur 330i 2004 Block Kevin Napa 750li 2007 Boensel Matthew Salinas 335i 2007 Brekka Tom Santa Cruz 540i 1998 Brooke Ian Sebastopol 330xi 2003 Brooks Jeremy Richmond Cooper S 2006 Brooks Melissa Richmond Cooper S 2006 Brown Brad San Mateo M3 2003 Calija Austin Redwood City 328ci 2000 Cates Bryan Occidental 740i 2001 Chanu Carlos Martinez 330i 2001 Clark Keith Foster City 335 2007 Cocanour Jason Benicia Coladonato Greg Palo Alto 540i 1998 Conway James San Rafael 330i 2006 Craig Katherine San Jose 335i 2007 Cumbo Andrew McKinleyville 325i 2001 Gerald CumboDella-Santina Lisa San Francisco M coupe 2007 Dobee Sheila Fremont M3 conv 2004 Donovan Michael Spreckels M5 2002 Evans David San Francisco M3 1998 Everitt Paula Cayucos Gavin Colm Mountain View
Gorelnik Marc El Cerrito 540i 2000 Grantz Julie Alameda 318ti 1996 Jeff CowanGuadron Guillermo Hayward 325ci 2001 Healy Andrew Cupertino 545i 2005 Hedde Delf San Jose 325i 2006 Heintz Jack San Jose 2002 1973 Hermann Klaus Salinas 528i 1997 Hogan Erik San Francisco 325is 1987 Holden Roberta San Francisco 530i 2007 Hughes Ken Salinas M3 1999 Husing Peter San Francisco
Hybarger James Antioch Z4 2003 Laroux Ryan Dublin M3 1999 Le David Fremont 325i 2006 Kenny HwaLehman Paul Burlingame 328xi 2007 Lombardo Antonio San Rafael 530i 2007 Loo Stephen Danville 530xit 2006 Lopez Gene Redwood City M3 1998 Mari Robert Pebble Beach M3 2006 Maruyama Erika Mountain View
Massoni Louise Danville 530i 2007 Miller Robert Santa Maria 328i 2007 Monge Robert San Francisco M3 1995 Moore Ognyan Palo Alto M3 2002 Moseley Terry Oakland Myers Steve Palo Alto M Rdstr 1999 Newton Peter Alameda 330ci 2003 Nordstrom Mark Scotts Valley 328xi 2007 Plumley Curtis Petaluma 325i 1989 Prakash M San Carlos Quach Cang Milpitas Rubin Michael San Francisco 335i 2007 Sanford Scott San Rafael X3 2006 Shah Samir San Jose 530i 2007 Sikon Beatrice San Francisco Simon Tyrone Suisun City 740il 1997 David CecilStankus Dave San Jose 735i 1988 Stucker Daniel Los Altos 323ic 1999 Tam George San Francisco 528i 1997 Tierney Michael Tiburon 335i 2007 Tongol Cris Suisun City 325i 2006 Tucker Dana Concord Vu Alain Daly City 335i 2007 Ward Ben Berkeley Waters Katie Mill Valley 330xi 2005 Mark WatersWeinstat Marvin Corte Madera Jay Kehoe
Last First City Model Year Refered By
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silver on black, have the optional four-seat interior, and wear throwing-star wheels. Of course, the ulti-mate E34 M5 is a European-market 1995 with the later 3.8-liter engine. Since better color choices were available across the pond, I’d look for something unusual like dark gray on black or Day-tona Violet on Magma.
Which brings me to another point: I want my next car to be a weird color. Most of anything I look at is painted in a period US-market color. All early-’90s BMWs seem to be some variation of green. Later cars all seem to be silver. Black and white are constants. I am not morally opposed to any of those colors, but if more interesting options exist, I’m there.
Accordingly, a European-market E28 M5 in any color other than black makes my list. One of the prettiest examples I’ve seen was Delphin gray and had chrome bumpers and polished trim in lieu of Shadowline.
I would like a stock, or tastefully modified, 1998-99 E36 M3 without the luxury package and, again, in an unusual col-or like Estoril Blue or Byzanz Orange. At the other end of the E36 scale, I would consider a similar 1995 M3. If the 1995 had to be a luxury package, make it Avus Blue on two-tone crème and black with polished dark wood trim. I’ve only seen one in the wild; the other was in the 1995 dealer brochure.
I still have a jones for a late 2.5-liter or 3.0-liter Z3. Oddly enough, I’m not a fan of the M roadster. The M look doesn’t work for me on the little drop-top. Mandatory options (not actually a contradiction) include a manual top, manual transmission and, of course, the Sport package. Add to the E36-based argument any M coupe. Dork? Count me in!
For a large sedan, you could universally do worse than a 2001 740i Sport. Mine would wear Imola Red paint on black leather. As often said, these were the last great 7 Series, the last genetic link back to the E3 3.0 Bavaria sedans. I drove a 2001 740i Sport during the Susan B. Komen Drive For The Cure on some twisty back roads in the California wine coun-try. With the traction control switched off you could throw it around like a car half its size. What would have made it better? A six-speed manual, which mine would get after the automatic failed (which it would).
The list rounds out with cars I am casually interested in—cars on which my interest fluctuates. One that is on the list more than off is the 2003 530i Sport, the 740’s little brother. I also keep thinking I want an 8 Series, though I fear them. The only one I’ve driven was a 1997 840Ci at a BMW dealership. It drove like my in-laws’ mid-nineties Ford Thunderbird… and I told the dealer as much. A couple others that are tantalizing are the European-market M635CSi/M6 and the Z3’s younger cousin, the Z4. The list changes, limited more by funding and space than lack of interesting candidates.
So, anyone out there who needs to clean a BMW or two out of their garage?
Mea
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Email your questions to: [email protected]
By Jonathan Bush
The Next Stupid Old Car
In my last column, I commented that the E32 7 Series is a car I always thought about owning. I said I ad-mire their style, the way they go down the road, and the overall BMW-ness of their Chi. I would look for
a low-mileage example, preferably either a 1988-90 735i with a five-speed or a 1994 740i with a replacement engine and every receipt. Oh, it should look nice, too, and not be painted white or green.
Pondering the E32 eventually led me to think about other BMWs I have not yet owned, but might like to. That train (wreck) of thought led to BMWs I have owned and might like to own again. You know, those models I thoroughly enjoyed, racked up lots and lots of miles on, while blithely ignoring all the nitpick personality disorders they would occasionally exhibit. Rose tint my twenty-twenty hindsight, keep me safe from my trouble and pain. (Or, as Art Car artist Jenny Holzer might write, “Protect me from what I want.” – kk)
For the record, Stupid Old Car doesn’t necessarily mean Old. Here, it merely means Not New, Not Current, or Some-one Else Ate The Depreciation.
Herewith are the contenders for the next Stupid Old Car, in no particular order.
Among several E30 3 Series I’ve owned, a couple have really stood out: Hugo, a 325is with bad paint and a decent interior, but mechanically excellent; and a 325ic—a heap when purchased (mediocre dirty paint, a terrifyingly organic interior, and a broken cylinder head), but turned into a decent car after a large infusion of used parts. Neither wound up where I wanted them.
My next 325is will have nice paint, little chrome bumpers, and an S50/S52 conversion. It would serve as track car as well as commuter, just like my last one. In fact, Hugo was very close to becoming a really nice car, but was sadly sold before that could happen. There is currently a stunning, tastefully modified black-on-gray 325is for sale in northern California… I am achingly tempted.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m an open-air geek, so one of my next E30s will have some sort of folding top. I always admire a really clean E30 convertible, whether early or late, 325 or 318. Mine was not clean, nor to be admired, but since the top was rarely up, what do I care?
What I think I really want is a Baur version. Baur cars have a removable rigid center roof section like a targa, and a folding rear section like a traditional convertible. The roof aesthetic resembles an early Porsche 911/912 Targa. Finding a non-ghetto Baur in this country is hard, though not impos-sible. Indeed, it seems harder to find a well-optioned car, with power windows, air conditioning, and an onboard computer.
The OBC is perhaps the most difficult and time-consum-ing thing to retrofit into an E30. Having done it once, I will never do it again. People have offered me money and sex for this job and I have resolutely refused. But I digress.
I’ve only driven one Baur, and it rattled fiercely. However, I know the potential one holds. It would be modified in a similar fashion to the aforementioned 325is, but of course could see no track duty.
An E34 M5, the last of the hand-built M cars, might be fun for a while. I’ve only driven a couple examples that felt as though they were living up to their potential, and I’m pretty sure those had Dinan tricks up their sleeves. Mine would be
24 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 25May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
Fact
ory
Aut
hori
zed
BMW
Dea
lers
CC
A D
isco
unts One of the many member benefits of BMW CCA is a
members-only discount at various participating services and dealers. Below you can find the businesses in our area who offer our members a discount. Please note that businesses often require you to show your current CCA membership card in order to receive the discount.
Please contact us with any deletions to the list due to a company being out of business. We ask that additions, chang-es, or deletions (no longer participating in discount program) are requested by the business owner directly. Updates should be directed to: [email protected].
BMW Concord 1945 Market Street Concord, CA 94520 925 682-3577BMW of Humboldt Bay 1795 Central Ave. McKinleyville, CA 95519 707 839-4BMW (4269)BMW of Monterey One Geary Plaza Seaside, CA 93955 831 899-5555BMW of Mountain View 150 E. EI Camino Real Mountain View, CA 94040 650 943-1000BMW of San Francisco 1675 Howard St San Francisco, CA 94103 415 863-9000 BMW of Santa Maria 2150 South College Drive Santa Maria, CA 93455 805 614-0306Claridge’s BMW 4421 5 Auto Mall Circle Fremont, CA 94538 510 360-5900Coast BMW 1484 Auto Park Way San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 805 543-4423East Bay BMW 4355 Rosewood Drive Pleasanton, CA 94566 925 463-2555Peter Pan BMW 2695 S. El Camino Real San Mateo, CA 94403 650 349-9077Prestige BMW 2800 Corby Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95407 707 545-6602Sonnen BMW 1599 E. Francisco Blvd San Rafael, CA 94901 415 482-2000Stevens Creek BMW 4343 Stevens Creek Santa Clara, CA 95051 800 297-4804Weatherford Motors 735 Ashby Avenue Berkeley, CA 94710 510 654-8280
Independent Service & Supply Discounts
2002 Haus San Luis Obispo 805 541-2002 5% Parts
Bavarian Enterprises Sunnyvale 408 737-6100 Various Parts
Bavarian Motorsport Milpitas 408 956-1662 10% Parts
Bavarian Professionals Berkeley 510 524-6000 10% Labor
Berkeley Motor Works El Cerrito 510 528-1214 5% Parts/Svc
Bimmers BMW Service San Carlos 650 591-2474 Various
Burrell School Winery Los Gatos www.burrellschool com 10% on Wine (thru 9/30/07)
Catalpa Street Garage Santa Cruz 831 464-2269 10% Parts
Classic Euro-Asian Oroville 530 534-6887 10% Parts
Conversion Techniques Oakland 510 639-0911 Various
Dinan Engineering Mountain View 650 962-9401 10% Labor
Dinan Engineering Morgan Hill 408 779-8584 10% Labor
Double 02 Salvage Hayward 510 782-2002 10% Used Parts
Edge Motorworks Dublin 925 479-0797 10% off Labor
evosport www.evosport.com 888 520-9971 10% Parts, $1000svc=free dyno
Extreme Performance San Jose 408 923-6404 10% Parts/Labor
German Auto Santa Maria 805 922-1262 10% Parts
GS Tuning Santa Rosa 707 284-2680 10% Sales/Service
Heynneman European San Rafael 415 499-1234 $50 off Service
Jam Engineering Monterey 831 372-1787 Various Parts
John Gardiner Automotive San Francisco 415 777-2697 10% Labor
Nate Smith’s Optimal Auto Santa Cruz 831 476-1332 10% Parts
Patelco Credit Union www.patelco.org 415 442-6200 Special Offer
Phaedrus San Francisco 415 567-8000 10% Parts
Portola Valley Garage Portola Valley 650 851-7442 10% Labor
RennWerks Campbell 408 370-7480 20% Labor
Rossi’s Tire & Auto Service Salinas 831 424-0011 Various
SAS German Auto Pleasanton 925 846-4886 10% Parts
Schulba BMW Service Belmont 650 592-7352 10% parts orders
Sound Innovations Hayward 510 471-9062 10% Parts
Valley Motorwerks Rancho Cordova 916 636-9526 10% Parts/Labor
West Bay Bavarian San Rafael 415 457-0820 10% Parts/Labor/Dinan work
Dealership Discounts
BMW of Fremont Fremont 510 360-5900 10% Parts & Labor
BMW of Mountain View Mountain View 650 943-1000 10% Parts
BMW of San Francisco San Francisco 415 863-9000 10% Parts
BMW of Seaside Seaside 831 899-5555 10% Parts
East Bay BMW Pleasanton 925 463-2555 10% Parts
Peter Pan BMW San Mateo 650 349-9077 10% Parts
Roseville BMW Roseville 916 782-9434 10% Parts
Sonnen BMW San Rafael 415 482-2000 10% Parts
Stevens Creek BMW Santa Clara 408 249-9070 Various/20% Parts/Labor
Weatherford BMW Berkeley 510 654-8280 Various
26 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007 27May 2007 ombeBdie flüsternde
Chapter Magazine TeamEDItor-In-ChIEf Kelly Kirkland 650 400-9300 [email protected]
MAnAgIng EDItor Open [email protected]
AssIstAnt EDItor/Copy EDItor Patrick R. Demorais [email protected]
BIMMErphILE EDItor Bob Vitkus [email protected]
ADvErtIsIng MAnAgEr Percy Chow 925 323-4844 Cell 925 215-3547 Office [email protected]
AD BILLIng MAnAgEr Tamara Hull [email protected]
rEguLAr ContrIButors Jonathan Bush, Jeff Cowan, Mark Dadgar, Kris Linquist, and Donovan R. Unks
prIntIng Commerce Printing (Please don’t call with membership questions.)
Requests for replacement or extra copies of the GGC newsletter should be directed to the Membership Chair.
Communications TeamCoMMunICAtIons MAnAgEr Kelly Collins [email protected]
WEBMAstEr Brian Ghidinelli [email protected]
grAphIC DEsIgn Percy Chow www.percydesign.com
Area Representativesnorth BAy Donna Seeley [email protected] 707 938-3525
sAn frAnCIsCo Ken Glidewell [email protected] 415 345-3128
EAst BAy Percy Chow [email protected] 925 323-4844
pEnInsuLA Kyle Breton [email protected] 650 380-7116
south BAy Kris Linquist [email protected] 408 392-0890
MontErEy BAy ArEA Ken Whitson [email protected] 831 625-5133
sAn LuIs oBIspo ArEA Rob Torres Jr. [email protected] 805 541-2002
BMW CCA Pacific Region V.P.stEvE Johnson 858 451-8906 [email protected]
Board MembersggC BoArD [email protected]
prEsIDEnt Mike Mills 510 537-8960 [email protected]
vICE prEsIDEnt Jonathan Bensen [email protected]
sECrEtAry Chris Webber [email protected]
trEAsurEr Tamara Hull [email protected]
MEMBErshIp ChAIr Jeff Cowan 650 322-4938 x2 [email protected]
MEMBErs-At-LArgE Mark Dadgar [email protected]
Kelly Collins [email protected]
Event StaffChIEf DrIvIng InstruCtors Billy Maher 707 546-5572
Bruce Nesbit 415 461-1811 TrackSchools@gg–cbmwcca.org
ChIEf stEWArD Peter Guagenti [email protected]
trACk sChooL proJECt MAnAgEr Bruce Nesbit 415 461-1811 (9am-8pm) [email protected]
DrIvIng EvEnts CoorDInAtor Mark Dadgar [email protected]
ChIEf sCrutInEEr Ramon Le Francois 408 956-1662
CAr ControL CLInIC CoorDInAtor Bob Goebel / Grant Low [email protected]
AutoCross CoorDInAtor Kris Linquist/Matt Visser [email protected]
AutoCross CAr CLAssIfICAtIons Rodger Ball [email protected] 415 566-1239
tEChnICAL sEssIon CoorDInAtor Grant Low [email protected]
CLuB rACIng Steve Walsh [email protected] www.bmwccaclubracing.com
BMW fEstorICs CoorDInAtors David Crum / Percy Chow [email protected]
soCIAL EvEnts DIrECtor Open Position [email protected]
ChArIty EvEnts CoorDInAtor Joe Fant [email protected]
Golden Gate Chapter, BMW CCA, Inc. is a non-profit California corporation, it is a chapter of the BMW Car Club of America, and is not connected with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG or BMW of North America. Die Flüsternde Bombe is a publica-tion of the Golden Gate Chapter, all ideas, opinions, and suggestions expressed in regard to technical or other matters are solely those of the authors, and no authentication, endorsement, or guarantee is expressed or implied. Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA, Inc. assumes no liability for any of the information contained herein. No factory approval is implied unless so indicated. Modification of your BMW within the warranty period may void the war-ranty, and some modifications may violate federal or state laws or regulations. All contents remain the property of the chapter, but BMW CCA and BMW ACA chapters may quote or copy from the publica-tion, provided full credit is given to the author and the Golden Gate Chapter, unless otherwise noted or specifically prohibited.
Chapter Mailing Address: Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA909 Marina Village Parkway, PMB #189Alameda, CA 94501
The BMW Car Club of America, lnc. is a not-for-profit national association of over 70,000 members, dedicated to the enjoyment of driving BMWs. Membership is not limited to BMW owners and aimes to provide access to driving and social events, maintenance and technical information, parts discounts, and more. Dues are $40 per year, with an associate member added for $5 more. Members receive the monthly Roundel magazine and a newsletter from their local chap-ter, or from a chapter of their choice. The Golden Gate Chapter is one of the largest chapters in the BMW CCA with over 4,500 members.
For a new membership or to renew an existing one, please call toll free 1800 878-9292 or visit www.bmwcca.org. Visa and Mastercard accepted.
BMW CCA mailing address:640 South Main St., Suite 201Greenville, SC 29601 Phone: 864 250-0022Fax: 864 250-0038www.bmwcca.org
BMW CCA
GGC, BMW CCA Chapter Contacts
Membership address corrections are only accepted at the BMW CCA national office. Changes must be made at www.bmwcca.org or in writing via email, fax, or USPS.
Member Updates
By joining the BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA), you provided personal information that allows us to contact you. BMW CCA provides this information to the Golden Gate Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America (GGC BMW CCA) for the following purposes:
To send the GGC magazine (• Die Flüsternde Bombe) by U.S. Mail.To help us create content and events most •
relevant to you. To alert you to updated information and •
other new services from ggcbmwcca.org using an email announcement list.
GGC BMW CCA does not distribute personal information to any third parties. The information you provide to BMW CCA to be used by the GGC will not be used for any other purpose—we promise.
Privacy Statement
at a winery was coming up soon, so after presenting the flying club with a $500 check as a “thank you” donation, we were off to the last two wineries of the day.
The evening’s dinner was a simple occasion back at my place: a pot-luck BBQ and wine tasting. The last straggling celebrants slipped out the door to head back to the Flamingo about 11:30 p.m.
March 4, 2007:The day dawns brightly… way too soon. The group gathers at
a Chevron station in Santa Rosa and we distribute box lunches to them. Soon, we’re on our way out along the Russian River to the town of Jenner, before turning north up the coast to Fort Ross.
We head into the Fort to have our lunch and to explore the various buildings of the Fort. As we’re parking the cars, off in the distance we see the spouts of gray whales heading north to the Bering Sea on their migration up from Scammons Lagoon in Baja.
After lunch, Robin Joy explained to us why and how the Russians built the fort in this locale. Robin then asked volun-teers to fire the cannon. Kevin McQuire was appointed gun captain and, in a stentorian voice, issued the commands for the gun crew. I was asked if I would like to fire the cannon—how could I resist?! I put on the ear protectors and stepped up to the cannon. Upon the gun captain’s third shout of “Fire in the hole,” I touched the long slow match to the fuse and—BANG!—the cannon instantly.
After our play with forts and cannons, it was time to move along again. Before leaving, we presented a bottle of our spe-cial-event wine to each of the rangers.
The road northward took us to Stewart’s Point, where we turned left onto a very lonely, twisty one-and-a-half lane road. The quiet byway allowed us to wring out the Eights for over 50 miles. Eventually we pulled into an overlook that laid out below us an expansive view of Lake Sonoma, across Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley, to Geyser Peak Mountain. The Alexander Valley was formed by seismic uplifting as well as volcanic activity. The nearby geysers are one of the largest geothermal sites in the world.
Returning to Santa Rosa, we adjourned to a steak house for a final dinner together before going on our individual ways. Promising each other we would be here for the ninth ARRWBTT.
8-Fest: Rally Around The Barrel - continued from page 15
28 ombeBdie flüsterndeMay 2007
How would YOU like to be in the glamorous, exciting world of automotive journalism?!
... or at least the glamorous, exciting world of chapter newslet-
Kris Linquist - www.
Golden Gate ChapterBMW Car Club of America909 Marina Village Parkway, #189Alameda, CA 94501www.ggcbmwcca.org
Presort Standard US Postage
PAID Sacramento, CA
Permit 185
HAVE YOU MOVED? Please send address changes directly to the BMW CCA National Office at:BMW CCA, Inc., 640 South Main St. , Ste. 201, Greenville, SC 29601, or to: [email protected],
or go to: www.bmwcca.org to sign in to your account and update your membership record.
Want to join the club? Call 800 878-9292 or go to www.bmwcca.org and sign up for only $40.
POSTMASTER PLEASE NOTE: MATERIAL IS DATED, Thanks.
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