Dasbimmerrundschreiben

Das Bimmer Rundschreiben April 2011 Lone Star BMW CCA Chapter Volunteers Page 3 President Mark Williams 972-315-3302 das Bimmer Vice Pres. Joe Sullivan [email protected] Rundschreiben Secretary Brian Hanchey [email protected] April 2011 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Treasurer BJ Meyer President‘s Page 4 MINI Chair Drew Burroughs [email protected] Moto GP Pace News 9 Autocross Ken Orgeron [email protected] FTW LSC MTG 11 Driver Education Steve Hodges [email protected] BMW Design Awards 12 Club Racing Bruce Heersink April DE! 14 Editor Will Atkinson [email protected] Fueling Around 16 Associate Editor Jason Vail 214-682-9185 [email protected] Survey! 17 Membership Howard Sutton [email protected] DIY? 18 Neuews 20 Social Karen O‘Brien [email protected] Howard Sutton Club Calendar 22 Technical Trent Cole (817) 732-4888 Advisors Fort Worth [email protected] Nerces Mavelian (972) 867-7467 MEMBERSHIP Dallas [email protected] National : 76,450 Tourmeister Marc Leediker [email protected] Lone Star Chapter: 1,369 WEBSITE Vendor Relations Mike Langford The Lone Star BMW CCA chapter website is www.lscbmwcca.org. Web Maintenance Richie Yosten [email protected] ADDRESS CHANGES Advertising Will Atkinson [email protected] Send your change of address to ROUNDEL, BMW CCA, 640 South Main Street — Suite 201, Greenville, SC 29601. This takes care of both the Roundel and das Bimmer Rundschreiben. das Bimmer Rundschreiben is published by the Lone Star Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America. All of the informa- NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTIONS: tion furnished herein is provided by the membership of the We welcome articles and photos from members for club for the members only. The Club membership assumes no publishing in the das Bimmer Rundschreiben. To be liability for any of the information contained herein. The ideas included in any issue, materials must be received by opinions and suggestions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and no authentication is implied unless BMW CCA otherwise noted. South Central Region VICE PRESIDENT: Mark Doran [email protected] Cover: The cover art was taken from the BMW Press Club. TIPS REP. Terry Sayther Austin (512) 442-5648 Page 4 The First Word By: Mark Williams I replied, "I've no idea!" and set off arrive the 17th, the event would be to Google Helmut's name. the 18th, and that we would return (Since Mark had a big adventure home the 19th! Yikes! I asked if I recently, his story is going here — I did find a hit, an article mentioning could extend my stay and Helmut Ed.) his name in BMW magazine. Mi- replied that certainly is possible just let him know the date! chael at the same time had logged Have you ever signed up for a con- back into the closed room at m- test, and then later wondered, were power.com, where a note indicated On Veterans Day, I received a call there really any winners? that "contest winners have been se- that my passport was in (hooray!) Was anyone notified or was it just a lected and notified by email". Wow. WOW. and at this point I began to feel com- hoax for publicity? Well, the fortable telling friends and respond- Still in disbelief I sent back a reply, thought has occurred to me, and I ing to questions I was receiving. I knowing it was some odd hour in can report that I now will not have logged onto 1addicts.com, a site I Germany, and received a reply back that feeling again! You see, I was visit infrequently, and found that immediately asking what airport notified that I won the BMW 1 series another participant "JasonCSU" had would I leave from? I told him I‘d M coupe drive event via a very sim- posted, and that he is from Colorado fly from DFW and Helmut replied ple email. It stated, and has a 135i coupe. Two others that an itinerary would be sent in the ―Nearly 4000 people registered, and added their names later, one fellow next few days! Oh my! you are one of the twelve winners, if from Barcelona who owns an e46 you will give your consent to allow M3, and another from Hong Kong The next few days were tense, as I yourself to be recorded, then we will who owns Z4 2.5! It was clear that realized I had replied with an af- make arrangements for you to fly to not only would the participants be an firmative, that I would attend, with- Leipzig, Germany.‖ international group but so far we all out disclosing that I have never been own different BMWs, as I own an out of the United States, and that I At first I was in disbelief! An email? E30 M3! don't even have a passport!! I began No phone call, no telegram, just an We all exchanged private messages to search and located a local com- email? What if it had gone to a and Jason indicated he decided to pany that indicated that passports spam folder? Wait? Maybe it's a visit BMW Welt the Friday after the could be obtained in as little as spoof? It was sent to me on a Satur- event. I asked if I could tag along 24hrs. I immediately took Monday day afternoon, not a weekday, and at and he replied that would be a great off, found a copy of my birth certifi- 5pm? And who is Helmut Breundl, idea. The next few days went by cate and went to their office and the person that the email comes quickly as I picked up my passport plunked down the additional cash to from? I immediately sent a text to and shopped for a few new pairs of make it a 3 business day rush. It was my friend Michael, as we had actu- pants and packed. I received a con- Monday, November 7th and I ally registered online at the same firmed itinerary and Helmut indi- needed to be I Germany the 17th! time after discussing the event. cated a car would pick me up at the "Did you get an email from BMW? ― airport, the driver would be holding I asked. I notified my family and my boss, an "M" badge! and they congratulated me. I re- He replied, ―No, what email did you ceived an itinerary on Tuesday, indi- I then boarded the plane Tuesday get?‖ I sent him the email, and his cating I would leave from DFW on afternoon for a long, grueling 10 response was, the 16th, that all attendees would "Is this really true?‖ (Continued on page 6) Page 6 hour flight in economy that arrived coupe drive printed on the back, and six would head out to a factory tour in Frankfurt Tuesday around 9am, in my name on the front! and the other would drive the cars, time for a three hour layover, and and that we would invert and do the then a 1hr commuter flight to Leip- Wow! The four of us went out and opposite activity after lunch. zig. Jason and I met in Frankfurt and visited the city for a beer and ex- we got acquainted as we still had no plored the beautiful shopping area in My group was picked to see the fac- idea what we would be doing other the city center. Rich with history, tory first. We went on a full three than being filmed! The Nurbugring we visited monuments to composers hour guided tour of the factory. Our was closed for the winter, and fore- Johann Sebastian Bach, Mendels- guide, Fritz, was very informative casts showed rain all week and sohn, and sampled Gose, a local and answered any and all questions temps in the low 40s (5-6 degrees beer, and a local drink, mitallasch, a during the tour. We were able to Celsius). Would we get a chance to schnapps type liqueur. We returned see every aspect of the manufactur- drive the cars on the autobahn? On a to the hotel for dinner, where we met ing of vehicles at Leipzig, from the track? We could only wonder. When the rest of the participants, two 1 automated, pressing and welding of we arrived at the airport, we spotted series owners from Britain, one from underbody panels, the four stage another American (Nick from North Italy, another from France, and a paint process, the fitting of interior Carolina, who had owned an e36m3 man and woman from Germany. items, the "marriage‖ of the entire sedan until recently). completed drive train to the chassis, The three of us approached the exit We met several M employees; Brian installation of glass, and final trim and were met by the driver, and a and Phillip representing sales, Juer- out. We were able to fully see the fourth participant, Adam, from Swit- gen from design, a BMWTV camera "on demand‖ process that is em- zerland, also a 135 owner, joined us man and of course Helmut the mar- ployed by BMW, where parts for and we were driven in matching dark keting partner that had emailed us. each vehicle arrive at the same time blue BMW 520d sedans to the Leip- We were then advised that we would zig Westin hotel. We were greeted at the chassis arrives. The Leipzig plant meet in the morning at 7:30am how- the hotel and received papers to sign produces 1 series coupes, 3 and 5 ever we all continued to mingle into our consent to agree to be filmed and door hatches (sold in Europe and the wee hours.

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