Magazine of the National Capital Chapter BMW Car Club of America November/December 2016 Original BMWW PartsParts & AccessoriesAccessories bmwofsilverspring.combmwbmwofsilverspring.com TheThe UltimateUltimate 301-890-3010 Driving Machine® WE’RE ON YOURYOUROUR TEAM PROUDPROUDOUD SUPPORTERSSUPPORTERS OF THE NANATIONALATIONALTIOTIONAL CAPITALCAPITTALALAL CHAPTERCHAP OF BMW CCACCA OriginalOriginal BMW PartsParts & AccessoriesAccessories BMW off SilvSilvererr SSpring 33211211 AAutomobileutomobileomobile BlvBlvd.d. SilverSilverr Spring, MD 20904 PartsParts Direct:Direct: 301-890-3010 VisitVisit us on Facebook:Faacebook:cebook: bmwbmwofsilverspringretailpartsofsilveerspringrrspringretailparts November | December 2016 Magazine of the National Capital Chapter BMW Car Club of America Cover: Dirk de Groen’s beautifully restored 1937 BMW 328 displayed at Oktoberfest in Monterey. Read the Oktoberfest article on page 22. Photo: Anna Maripuu VOLUME 46 | NUMBER 6 6 Crabs Galore BY LORI ARDRESE 8 Dominique and the DMV 2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE BY LU GOON 6 10 Oak Tree Grand Prix at VIR BY STEVE TENNEY 3 FROM THE EDITORS 12 Anchors Away BY ANNA MARIPUU 10 18 September DIY at BMW of Annapolis BY MARC CADEN 4 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 20 Dominion Raceway BY WOODY HAIR 12 22 Oktoberfest 4 COMING EVENTS BY ANNA MARIPUU 26 Cape Town: Chapman’s Peak Drive and How I Fell in Love with a Mini 22 BY ABHEEK SEN 36 ADVERTISERS INDEX 30 2017 BMW X3 xDrive 2.8i: Just Right BY JAMES CHEW 30 National Capital Chapter President’s Message BMW Car Club of America Chapter Officers (Please call 7:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.) I can't believe the time went by so fast. This is the last dB of the year. But, now as I President Paul Seto . [email protected] 301.908.1928 think back, it was an unbelievable year! We just had our pinnacle event as we hosted Vice President the America's Cup Tour, led by fellow CCA member, Captain Troy Sears. It was an James Laws . vice-president @nccbmwcca.org 240.424.5380 incredible day as we took over the Annapolis docks with a beautiful display of rare and Treasurer Richard Kempf . [email protected] 703.455.8210 unique BMWs, followed by our picturesque sail across the Chesapeake Bay on Secretary the historic America. A special thanks to BMW of Annapolis for their generous Gina Hector . [email protected] 202.570.4462 contribution as they've been a big chapter supporter throughout the years. Membership Chair But just because the end of the year is upon us, we still have plenty of fun events James Laws . [email protected] 240.424.5380 Social Chair planned. Our famous Pie Run through the twisty Western MD mountains is always a Paul Seto . [email protected] 301.908.1928 wildly popular event. We also have a huge day planned at BMW of Sterling, as we'll Driving School Coordinator be hosting our final Cars & Coffee, DIY, and New Member Reception all under the Matt Oleksiak . [email protected] same roof! If you've recently joined BMW CCA or never been to a chapter event Concours Chair John McWilliams . concours [email protected] before, this is a great place to see what we do first hand. We have so many members DIY Chair that never come to events, but I firmly believe, if you come out and check us out, we'll Phillip Cummings . diy [email protected] get you wanting to come back for more. Webmaster Finally, I'm pleased to announce we have a date for our annual membership Steven Schlossman . [email protected] Autocross Committee meeting. We're super excited to welcome back BMW Performance Center Chief Phil Yates . [email protected] Instructor, Mike Renner, and we have a few surprises in store so stay tuned for more Baltimore Activities information. This is also where we swear in our Board of Directors. All four positions Billy Dixon . [email protected] 410.802.0188 are up for grabs every year, so if you've ever had a desire to help lead the world's PR & Community Engagement Kelsy Hill . [email protected] greatest BMW enthusiasts, this is your chance. Do you have what it takes? der Bayerische Staff Co-Editors Walter Jones . [email protected] Anna Maripuu . [email protected] Production/Layout Raine Mantysalo . [email protected] Advertising Manager Jeff Cannon . [email protected] 402.670.7439 Contributing Writers Lori Ardrese, Marc Caden, James Chew, Lu Goon, Woody Hair, Anna Maripuu, Abheek Sen, Steve Tenney Club Address NCC BMW CCA, P.O. Box 685, Arlington, VA 22216 The 2017 Annual Meeting of the National Membership Toll-Free Number 800.878.9292 National Capital Chapter of the BMW CCA der Bayerische is the official publication of the National Capital Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America, Inc., and is not in any way connected with the Bayerische Motoren Werke AG or BMW of North America, Inc. It is provided by Saturday, February 11, 2017 at the Embassy Suites, and for the Club membership only. The Club assumes no liability for any of the information, opinions or suggestions contained herein. No factory approval is 8100 Loisdale Road, Springfield, VA 22150 implied unless specifically stated. Modifications within the warranty period of a vehicle may void the warranty. All articles to be considered for publishing must be received by the 21st of odd-numbered months (January, March, …) and Cocktail hour at 6:30 pm, dinner at 7:30 pm, are subject to editing. Please send all submissions to the dB editors at [email protected]. Send all photos and all links to photos to the and the meeting starts at 8:30 pm Production Manager at [email protected]. For placement of commercial advertisements contact the Advertising Manager at [email protected]. Contents may not be reproduced without Register at Guest speaker will be permission in writing except by the BMW CCA and its Chapters. © 2016 NCC BMW CCA Mike Renner from the BMW Performance Center For room reservation options, please see the NCC website. 2 der Bayerische From The Editors I must confess, in this day and age I do not feel the One sad item is that we lost a member, Klaus Hirtes. Lap of America. I am looking for volunteers to allure of manual transmissions. The “go” guys at Gotta hope the recruiting drive is working since we drive/navigate in 2017. I have just enough trunk BMW build an automatic that is better than any need to fill these empty slots. space for a couple of changes of clothing. shifting I could do. And the “real” racers use it. I did not make it to the 100th anniversary. A new season, full of hope and fast cars. I hope some of you did. Another bucket list is One Klaus Hirtes 1940-2016 The BMW Car Club, founded in 1969, is aging and so are its members. Sadly, we have lost another club long-timer. Klaus Hirtes, CCA member # 704, died peacefully in hospice care in September. Many of us know Klaus as a bit of a character, sometimes curmudgeon, always serious about driving and deep down, a compassionate man with varied interests. Klaus arrived in the U.S. from his native Germany in 1967, and proudly, became a U.S. citizen. Here, he was active in both the Mercedes Benz club and BMW CCA. You never saw a car lean like his big Benz S Class, manhandled by Klaus in an autocross. He met his wife, Deborah, at a Mercedes Club event, where she was autocrossing her classic 230SL. His right seat instruc - tion benefitted many high-performance driving-school students over many years. On the track, his E12 528i and later E36 M3 were familiar sights. He instructed for years for CCA HPDEs, as well as for other clubs and Summit Point’s Friday-at-the-Track. One time at VIR, he instructed six days in a row! That requires stamina. Klaus had a long career with United Airlines, and had the most beat up, sticker-covered aluminum suitcase you ever saw, used for his many trips to Germany. He was serious about fitness and ran four Marine Corps marathons, faster each time. Klaus surprised a group of his BMW friends on a visit to the Montreal F1 race. Suddenly, he was pushing along a high-tech BMW bicycle. He had just plunked down a big chunk of Canadian dollars to buy it at BMW’s onsite souvenir store. Who knew Klaus also was a serious cyclist? Another time at O’fest in Watkins Glen, he bought nearly every item at the Griot’s Garage stand. He had to ship a lot of the cleaning products home because his M3 already was totally packed. Klaus surprised many of us again last summer when he appeared in his new ride, a BMW i8. He said he wanted something different. It could not have been more different from his usual BMW and Mercedes sedan or wagon. Klaus Hirtes was 76. He is survived by his wife Deborah, two daughters and two grand children. Klaus will be missed by many! By John Hartge, Woody Hair, Gordon Kimpel November I December 3 CALENDAR OF EVENTS September November 1 NoVa Social - BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Tysons, VA 3 NoVa Social - BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Tysons, VA 4 NCC Autocross Points Event #6 (Regency) 5 DIY @ BMW of Sterling 8 Columbia Social- The Second Chance Saloon, Columbia, MD 5-6 TRSS BMW-NVCC-CCA Volunteer Sign Up-April events 9-11 Summit Point, Shenandoah HPDE 5-6 Street Survival (Columbia, MD) 10 DIY @ BMW of Annapolis 5 BMWCCA Cars & Coffee @ BMW of Sterling 11 Bavarian Cars & Brunch Day Tour 9 Board Meeting/Social - Brio Tuscan Grille, Rockville, MD 14 Board Meeting/Social - Brio Tuscan Grille, Rockville, MD 10 Columbia Social- The Second Chance Saloon, Columbia, MD 15 MoCo Social- Pizza CS, Rockville, MD 17 MoCo Social- Pizza CS, Rockville, MD 17 America's Cup Tour visits NCC BMW CCA