The Bimmer
July - December September2023 2023
BMW Club Queensland Newsletter
BMW Club Queensland
BMWCQ Events Lunch Run to Ocean View Estates - July 9th July kicked off with a lunch run to the Ocean View Estates Winery at Mount Mee. We left Fernvale covering some great driving roads thru Kilcoy and then on to Mount Mee. Lunch was an amazing selection of finger food from our own private grazing table. From the pergola we were able to look out over the vineyard to our cars parked below. All those who attended had a enjoyable and relaxing day
July to December 2023
BMWCQ Events King Ludwigs - Bavarian Christmas in Winter July 29th On Saturday July 29th the club traveled up to King Ludwigs German Restaurant in Maleny for their Bavarian Christmas in Winter. The evening started with drinks out on the veranda overlooking the beautiful Glasshouse Mountains. Dinner was then served in the restaurant consisting of a 4 courses of authentic Bavarian Christmas favorites. The night was capped off by Bavarian entertainment and dancing and even a visit by Santa. A fantastic night was had by all
BMW Club Queensland
July to December 2023
2023 Show of Excellence - September 10 th The annual BMWCQ Show of excellence was held on Sunday September 10th at the newly opened Brisbane Motor Museum. Almost 50 cars attended the day, on show to other BMWCQ members and the general public attending the museum. We were able to utilise all of the museums undercover parking area making viewing and judging of the cars a pleasant experience. Once again the team of judges was led by our long term head judge Vic Crennan. The standard of cars in all classes was as usual very high with some classes being only decided by mere points. A big thank you to Vic Crennan, all the teams of judges and the committee members without whose help the day would not have been such a success. Thank you to all those members who came along and displayed their cars. More photos HERE
BMW Club Queensland
July to December 2023
2023 Show of Excellence - September 10 th
BMW Club Queensland
July to December 2023
BMWCQ Events
BMWCQ Events
Gold Coast Motor Museum Lunch Run - August 27th
RACQ Tour & Lunch Run to Harrigan’s Calypso Bay - October 21st
BMW Club Qld combined with BMW Club Gold Coast for a lunch run to the Gold Coast Motor Museum on Sunday August 27th. An enjoyable day was had by all who attended with some great cars on display both in the museum and from both clubs
On Saturday the 2st of October the club was invited to tour the RACQ headquarters at Eight Mile Plains. Club members were given a presentation on the history of the RACQ, it’s community programs and an opportunity to inspect it’s fleet of historic vehicles. After the tour there was a lunch run to Harrigans Calypso Bay overlooking the water at Jacobs Well. All those who attended had an informative and enjoyable day out.
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BMW Club Queensland
July to December 2023
Ben & Tahan Dinner - September 23rd Ben & Thanh joined the club in April 2022. They love driving their 2008 BMW 325i convertible and have attended many events over the past 18 months. Back in May, Ben & Thanh approached the club regarding having a club dinner in September at their place at Morayfield. As the date got closer, we started to discuss the event details and how it was to be run. We tried to encourage Ben & Thanh to have a small registration fee included to cover some of their costs, but they would not hear of it - Thanh insisted – “Everything is on the house”! what a generous offer by them! Thank you to everyone who attended on the night and especially Ben & Thanh for opening their house to us. Your generosity, kindness and enthusiasm is what makes you and this club so special, and we thank you for it! Thank you again for a wonderful night!
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BMW Club Queensland
July to December 2023
Knitfest - The story of the knitted E46 car cosy - by Crystal Sheumack
On the 1st and 2nd July 2023 my little E46 coupe (2003 BMW 325CI) – named Scarlett was front and centre at the Annual Knit Festival dressed in her custom made knitted E46 “Car Cosy”. I attended with my partner in (knitting) crime Joshy, armed with the best detailing products money could buy – a couple of Lint rollers and some scented fabric freshener - of course. The theme this year was “Wild Women” and there was also a knitted motorbike with a decorated/knitted female mannequin doll, coincidentally also named Scarlett featured riding the knitted motorbike. So, I hear you ask, How does a E46 end up with a custom made knitted/crocheted car cosy? For those of you not aware, a few years back Debs Swain a fellow BMW enthusiast and the Knitfest Director was looking for a volunteer to have their car become possibly the Worlds First knitted BMW. I thought how could I resist and I agreed to allow my little E46 to be part of this wonderful project. With that, Debs together with her enthusiastic group of volunteers from the Maleny Fibre Arts and Crafts group began busily planning and knitting over 600 black and red 6 inch squares to form the shape of a E46. The project initially began with many “Knitting Fittings” and it took approximately 7 months to complete. The group even created the iconic kidney grills, front and rear tail lights, together with some crafty BMW badges, personalised number plates (“Scarlett”) and even a twin exhaust! The one of a kind knitted BMW Car Cosy has featured annually at the Knitfest in Maleny and has even been displayed at the RACQ Motorfest Car Show. I’m really grateful to have been a part of this project and I think its always fun to step out of your comfort zone and do something out of the ordinary with your BMW – as its been super fun and its given so much enjoyment to others whenever they see the knitted BMW.
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BMW Club Queensland
July to September 2023
Go Kart Morning - October 29 th On the morning of Sunday 29th of October a large contingent of club members attended Kingston Park Raceway for our annual Go Kart morning and BBQ. The morning began with a BBQ breakfast supplied by the club and was followed by driver orientation setting out the rules and regulations of Kingston Park. Then it was on to the reason everyone was there RACING. Four sprint events were held on the Le Mans track over 10 laps with a changing grid order. After some hard fought racing with plenty of rubbing and bumping it was Rod Campbell once again in first place closely followed by Roman Miller in second and Rick Catania in third, congratulations. They day was enjoyed by all who attended with many racing stories swapped in the pits afterward. Once again thanks to everyone who helped out and attended to make the day a success. More photos HERE
BMW Club Queensland
July to December 2023
BMWCQ Events
BMWCQ Events
Movie Afternoon Ford vs Holden - October 5th
Border Ranges Run - November 26th
The club held a private screening of the Ford vs Holden movie on Sunday 5th of November at Event Cinemas Springfield. A large contingent of club members enjoyed the documentary which documents the battle between the red lion and the blue oval on track from the early days to the modern era.
The legendary Border Ranges run returned in 2023 after a long hiatus. November 26th saw a contingent of 30 cars and 50 plus members gather at the Park Ridge Tavern for the Border Ranges Run. The route via the Lions Road covered a range of high quality drivers roads from open valleys to tight and twisty mountain sections. A stop was organsied at the border loop to admire the spectacular railway engineering. The drive culminated at the Mt Warning Pub at Uki for Lunch. We were lucky to have perfect weather and driving conditions on the day. Thanks to Dennis Wesiz and Maddie White for organising the run as well as all those who came along.
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BMW Club Queensland
July to December 2023
BMW Club Queensland Awards Dinner - 18 th November On Saturday November 18th the club gathered at the Glen Hotel for the 2023 Gala Awards Dinner. The theme for the night was a touch of class with members turning out in their finest outfits. Members enjoyed pre dinner drinks followed by a three course meal and entertainment by Three’s Company. The most important part of the night was the presentation of the awards from the 2023 Show of Excellence and 2023 Motorsport winners. Congratulations to all the winners in best in class and categories from the SOE and motorsport winners from the ICC Regularity and RX Automotive Sprint Series. The night finished with members dancing up a storm to the music of Three’s Company. Thanks to the committee without whose great efforts an event like this would not be possible and thank you to all members who attended. More Photos HERE 2023 SOE Category Awards · Best Glazing - Vic Crennan (E61 530) · Best Engine Compartment - Paula Burgess (F20 M140i) · Best Exterior - Ian Farrell (E24 635csi) · Best Interior - Alfredo Mendez (E82 1M) · Best Wheels & Boot - Ian Farrell (E24 635csi) · Best Visiting Car Club - Roger & Sandra Way (E30 325is) · Best Ladies Car - Crystal Sheumack (E46 325ci)
2023 Motorsport Awards 2023 Hyper Racing ICC Regularity Challenge Outright Winner: Riley Head Second: Gary Neut Team: Operation Treadstone 2023 RX Automotive Sprint Series Class A/B: John Lamb Class C: Joel Smith Class F1: Chris Price Class F2 No winner Class M: Brenton Hammond Invitational: Adam Krauel T3 Track Car: Devern Hill T2 Track Car: Simon Anthonisz T1 Track Car: Roman Miller Overall Club Champion: Brenton Hammond (BMW F80 M3)
2023 SOE Best In Class · Best Restored - Darren Hayman (E30 325is) · Neue Klasse - Dean Simonsen (1975 2002) · BG 197X - Mark Cater (E28 M5) · BG 198X - Denis Weisz (E30 318is) · BG 199X - Devern Hill (E36 M3) · BG 200X - Vic Crennan (E61 530) · BG 201X - Russell Thomas (E92 M3) · BG 202X - Ken Cooper (G42 M240i) · Best M Car - Rod Campbell (E24 M6) · Mini Class - Bertha Bourke (Mini Convertible) · People’s Choice - Bob Bradford (F87 M2 Competition) · Car of Show 2023 - Darren Hayman (E30 325)
2023 Go-Karting Champion – Rod Campbell 2023 Members Awards · Most Supportive Members – Ben & Thanh van den Elst · Most Supportive Country Member – Gordon Hunt
BMW Club Queensland
July to December 2023
BMW Club Queensland Awards Dinner - 18 th November
BMW Club Queensland
July to December 2023
Motorsport Report
Over Since The Bimmer’s last edition, various Club members have enjoyed a couple of Sprints which have attracted healthy fields of BMWs, a popular Regularity and a couple of endurance events The Club’s popular RX Automotive Sprint Series continued with Round 4, on 27th May which was also part of the Porsche-BMWCQ/PCQ challenge. The 38 cars competed on two track layouts at Queensland Raceway, the usual National circuit and the new “Crossover” circuit which presents rather more of a driving challenge. Coincidentally the same number of cars turned out for the RX Round 5 at the more flowing classic Lakeside circuit on 15 September. Lakeside also hosted a healthy field of 46 cars at the Club’s Charity Regularity Day on 24 June which saw a number of new Club members try their skills. Lakeside held the second of its increasingly popular “Notta GP” Six Hour endurance meetings on 9 July. Amongst the 15 varied entrants, each of which had four drivers, there were a three BMWs, one - a 1996 318is E36 - was entered by BMW competition specialists “Race Space” and driven by Club members who achieved a creditable 2nd place on the most laps completed. Two other endurance events this year also lured some Club members into these low-cost grassroots competitions which provides a lot of track time at relatively minimal expense. Run by the Australia-wide Motor Events people and sanctioned by AASA, these long-distance events reward careful car preparation and driver consistency rather than outright speed against the clock or desperate door-to-door dicing. Team-building and co-operation are also essential to minimize time during pit stops for driver changes, refueling and the occasional mechanical maladies expected over many hours of quick motoring. The first event was a Twelve Hour on 12 May at Queensland Raceway. Eight BMWs from three States were amongst the 28 teams of 4 drivers competing for 6 hours each on the “Crossover” and the longer National circuits. BMWs demonstrated their superiority after 12 hours with three six cylinder coupes taking the top podium places. Club stalwarts Andrew Williams and Scott Kelly of “Race Space” had entered their trusty black two-litre E36 sedan piloted by four Club members who crossed the line 4th in class and 12th overall. Some say they could have been third in class except for an 11th hour unscheduled pit stop. A seized idler pulley bearing destroyed the fan belt but the car was back within 17 minutes after some creative bush engineering. The word amongst certain sporting Club members was out; these endurance events provided excellent value for the competition dollar as well as being a lot of fun.
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July to December 2023
BMW Club Queensland
Motorsport Report The efforts of “Race Space” in the Twelve Hour attracted more Club members keen to take on the next event; a Twenty Hour held over two days at Morgan Park on 23 and 24 September. The team was expanded by the addition of a two-litre E36 coupe and a total of 10 drivers enlisted to compete against 30 other entrants. Ably supported by “Race Space” mechanical, logistic and culinary expertise, both cars ran consistently through Saturday’s 12 hour segment, although the sedan lost 3 laps due to an engine misfire which was quickly sorted. Sunday’s 8 hour segment resulted in both cars having unscheduled stops. The sedan lost about 40 minutes to a disintegrating “guibo” in the driveline and the coupe needed 25 minutes to replace a left rear wheel bearing, but both finished solidly. By flag fall at 4 p.m. the coupe had covered 1,750 km, placed 7th in class and 13th overall; the sedan traveled 1,640 km, 9th in class and placed 17th. By the way, the first three cars were, you guessed it, BMW’s – albeit 3 litre coupes (again)! All just goes to show that BMW’s are the best to have at any level of motorsport.
July to December 2023
BMW Club Queensland
From the Committe The club made two major charity donations in 2023 firstly the Azarliah Jones donation - just under $4000 to pay the costs of her hearing operation which was a complete success and by all reports Azarliah is now doing well. Secondly our nominated charity is night ninjas which is 100 percent run by volunteers, doing wonderful work for the Bayside community, we donated a total of $10000.00. The club as whole is doing well both membership and financially. The club committee currently has vacant positions for Membership, Motorsport and register coordinator’s please get in contact if you feel you can offer your services to the club. The AGM is set for the 7th June where we welcome and encourage financial members that would like to be involved to consider running for any of the positions, please get in touch if you have any questions. We are currently planning and populating the calendar of events for 2024 and these will be advertised shortly. If there are any suggestions for runs or social events please let us know your thoughts.
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
Check out the 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 club merchandise that is now able for purchase. Something for everyone for sure!
BMW Club Queensland
July to September 2023
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. A Big thank you to all of the committee and the club members who come together to arrange all the great events that we, as members are able 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
Darren Foster- Editor eNewsletter