2020 March.indd - Tarheel BMW CCA

Volume XLVIII No. 3 March 2020

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TARHEEL CHAPTER BMW CCAPO BOX 30203 CHARLOTTE, NC 28230 • http://tarheelbmwcca.org

TARHEEL BMW CCA CHAPTER OFFICERS

PRESIDENT Paul Dunlevy6424 Littlewood Drive, Kernersville, NC 27284(336) 996-3149 [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT April Curtis1200 Mt Vernon Church Rd, Raleigh, NC 27614(919) 847-7542 [email protected]

SECRETARYKaren Seymour-Blood(704) [email protected]

TREASURERAndy Barbee(704) [email protected]

EDITORBob Blood(704) [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMANJonathan Strine(919) 670-1280 [email protected]

ACTIVITIES CHAIRMANBrenda Dunlevy6424 Littlewood Road, Kernersville, NC 27284(336) 996-3149 [email protected]

CUSTODIANDanny Staley596 Rest home road, Wilkesboro, NC 28697(336) 973-3404 [email protected]

HPDE CHAIRMAN Tom Tice3711 Crosstimbers Dr. Greensboro, NC 27410(336) 207-4127 [email protected]

MEMBER-AT-LARGE Bud BorenP. O. Box 39403, Greensboro, NC 27438(336) 691-1699, (336) 691-1698 Fax

BOARD EX-OFFICIO MEMBER &ADVERTISING COORDINATORPaul Hoecke, Sr.1513 Arboretum Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514(919) 967-2069 [email protected]

CHANGE OF ADDRESS?Roundel, BMW CCA, Inc. 640 South Main Street, Suite 210Greenville, SC 29601

AREA COORDINATORSASHEVILLE AREA Christopher Joyner Arden, NCC: (828) [email protected]

CAPE FEAR AREA Position Open

CHARLOTTE QUEEN CITY AREAS Chris Webber (Area I)(704) 523-9118 C: (704) [email protected] Barbee (Area II)[email protected](704) 701-2294

DOWNEAST/I-95 AREA Alex KordisGreenville, NC(757) [email protected]

HURRICANE REGIONPosition Open

NORTHERN MOUNTAIN AREA John CochranePO Box 741Valle Crucis, NC 28691(865) [email protected]

ROANOKE AREA JoElla John - (540) [email protected] DonaldsonBlacksburg, [email protected]

SANDHILLS AREA Danny MillerFayetteville, NC(301) [email protected]

TRIAD AREASWinston-Salem - Marc SchatellWinston-Salem, NC [email protected] - David HarrisonGreensboro, [email protected]

TRIANGLE AREA Robert McIsaacClayton, NC(919) [email protected]

Jeff KrukinChapel Hill, NC(919) [email protected]

FINE PRINT

WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHIC CONTRIBUTIONS to the FOOTNOTES are welcome and encouraged. Please send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you would like your discs or photographs returned. EDITORIAL DEADLINE is the 1st day of each month prior to the publication month, i.e. February 1 for the March issue. The Editor reserves the right to edit for length and appropri-ateness. Articles and classifi ed advertisements may be mailed,

or emailed to the Editor’s attention.

The FOOTNOTES currently reaches over 2,900+ people throughout North Carolina, the USA and Europe.Advertising Rates:

Display Ads: Full page $90, one-half page $55, and one-quarter page $28. All rates quoted are per issue. Discounts for contracts paid in advance: 15% off – 12-month contract, 10% off – 6-month contract, and 5% off – 3-month contract. All adver-tising must be coordinated/approved by Paul Hoecke 919/967-2069. Rates are for ads run consecutively and all ads must be paid in advance. Ad copy must be submitted camera ready. All copy which must be altered or prepared for publication will result in the advertiser paying standard commercial rates for any work deemed necessary by the Editor. Such A Deal advertising is free to all Tarheel Chapter members. Ads submitted must not be longer than 40 words, not including name and telephone number. Ads submitted which are longer will be edited to suit our space limitations. Ads will run for three months only. Commercial advertising is not accepted in the such a deal section. Non-Members can advertise in this section for a fl at fee of $5 per issue (checks sent to Club P.O. Box). The same 40-word limitation plus name and telephone number applies. We appreciate the support of our advertisers, and while their ads’ presence in the FOOTNOTES does not necessarily imply endorsement or approval by the TARHEEL CHAPTER, we do encourage our members to consider our advertisers for the products and services they offer. The Tarheel BMW List provides a casual, online forum for chapter members to discuss BMWs and BMW CCA events and related topics of interest to local members. To begin getting the Tarheel BMW List, send an e-mail to [email protected] (make sure you send the email from the email address that you want to receive the list mes-sages), or contact list administrator Frank Massaro at [email protected] for assistance. The TARHEEL CHAPTER, BMW CCA, INC. (hereinafter referred to as the “Club”) is a non-profi t North Carolina corpora-tion. The Club is in no way or manner connected with Bayerische Motoren Werke A. G. or BMW of North America, Inc. The Club’s mailing address is PO Box 30203 Charlotte, NC 28230. The TARHEEL FOOTNOTES is published by the Club on the fi rst of each month or on the fi rst postal business day thereafter. This publication and all its contents shall remain the property of the Club, and all information provided therein is provided by and for the members of the Club. Offi cially recognized chapters of BMW CCA and BMW ACA are granted permission to reprint or excerpt any material in the TARHEEL FOOTNOTES. The Club assumes no liability for any of the information contained herein. Unless otherwise noted, none of this information bears the status © factory approvedTM. The ideas, opinions, and suggestions expressed in regards to technical matters are those of the authors, and no authentication is implied. MODIFICATIONS UNDER-

TAKEN WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD MIGHT VOID THE

WARRANTY.

ON THE COVER:

This month, we’d like to give a warm Tarheel wel-come to 146 new and returning members and associate members. This brings our total chapter membership to 3139! Our membership is the life-blood of the Club. Without your participation, there would be no Club. We offer a wide variety of activi-Brian ALesMichael AnthonyRuby AshmanRandolph AshurstJes AverhartStephen BaileyLauren BakerAlaina BarnettWeb BassDaniel BellGrace BennettJosh BensonCarole BreakeyGrace BretziusClarence BrewerGriffi n BrownWilliam ByrdShannon CallowayNicholas CarboneJoseph CarraraReginald CarterAlex CatalanoDavis ChastainPete ChilbergCarson ClarkeBobbie CookSpencer CrossMeredith CrosslinRobbie DanforthHarley DavidsonLarry DunganIan ElkinsLydia ElliasonMacey EllisEmercyn EllisKyle EvansAnna Fisher

Ethan FlackDaniel FloweJoseph FogliaGrace FolandBrycen FordSusan ForteAndrew FrickmannThomas FronkJohn FronkLuis GeyneEmily GoodpastureWhitney GoodwinMarissa GrahamManoj Sharan GunasegaranLuka HankewyczTyler HannahCourtney HarlessKatelin HarmonCandace HarpoleRose HarveyAndrew HeffringPeter HeffringDaniel HinchliffeJan HoaglandMaddox HoffmanHenry HolbrookJohn HoltScott HoneycuttHannah HoskinsAlan HuffJenna HuxAlyssa IngersonJessica JespersenStephen JespersenCarlyle KennedyKamryn KilinskiCameron Killinger

Christian KlenderSnigdha KottaEugene KozlowSteven LawhornBattey LeeBetty LeeSophia LeGaultCole LivermanPeter LockhartTeresa LougheryDanielle LugoScott MacCabeJohn MaxwellMike McChargueRoger McDanielsMark McFaddenWilma McFaddenSara McilwainReese McmasterGS McNeilMorgan McPhatterBrennen MichealCharlotte MillerZachary MooreJohn NardielloKaren OrlemanskiRick OrlemanskiLucas OuanoEmma PainterJohn PattersonCharles PketzkeChris PluckerTom PrallElla PrinceBrett RandolphAlex RankinCreighton Recavarren

Maxwell ReynoldsJuliet RichElizabeth RidlerStewart RoesslerJohn SalisburyCarter SchaefferChris SchimmelNicole SchmidtColin SchoolerAlida SchreudersErin SecoskyChristopher SmithG. SmythAva SorgmanJohn SpringmanSamuel StephensCarolyn StokesJack TarverToby TateEmré TekmenMatthew TrottMichael TuttRob VanDewoestineLucas VassarAndy VaughanEmilee VolpeMary WalkerGregory WashingtonAli WaymouthOlivia WeaverNate WhitneyKyleigh WhittemoreSusan WilsonAdeline WitherspoonHollington Yan

ties, and welcome the opportunity to get to know you better at some of these events. We encourage you to contact your Area Coordinator to fi nd out about local dinner meetings and other ways to get involved in YOUR club. Come join us, you’ll have a great time!

Bimmers, Bulls and Burgers in Durham: For our Feb-ruary driving and dining adventure, we had a welcomed and seldom seen ingredient added to the mix: sunshine! It started as a beautifully warm morning, which provided a sharp contrast to recent adventures that involved splash-ing around in NC winter rain showers. This came as a welcomed change of pace, which helped to account for the eleven Bimmers, and twenty-two Bavarian faithful, that graced the Leith BMW parking lot in time for a delightful breakfast. Once again, thanks to Sean Beach and the Leith team for being such gracious hosts to our merry band of

revelers. The coffee, breakfast sandwiches and assorted other delights made for a great pre-driver’s meeting focal point.

MEMBERSHIP CORNER(continued on page 6)

PAUL HOECKE Notes from the roadRelativity

What’s the worst car you’ve ever owned? Yeah, I know; the question may seem moot when it comes to current or late-model BMWs (or other makes for that matter). As members of the BMW CCA, we may fi nd it irrelevant. Maybe even a tad insulting, because we consider ourselves to be cognoscenti. Experts on the species Automobilia, if you will. We know how to sift the wheat from the chaff, pick out the Great Car – maybe even the BMW Of Our Dreams – from the smorgasbord of vehicles in showrooms today, and thereby ensure that it won’t turn out to be the Headache of the Decade.

In other words, having done due diligence, we fully expect to live happily ever after with our ride. That is, until the next Great Car comes along, of course.

True, our keen sense of automotive quality may fail us here and there. I say this because, judging by the complaints I come across in let-ters to the ROUNDEL editor or questions fi elded by Tech Talk’s Mike Miller, it’s not uncommon for fans of a marque such as BMW to voice decidedly unkind opinions about certain features that drive them up the wall. But by and large, hardly any of these beefs rise, or rather fall to the depths of dysfunction implied by the above question.

However, it’s quite different when we hark back to cars that we’ve owned some years in the past, perhaps even decades ago. Were we to search our memories, we could probably come up with at least one example of a vehicle that quali-fi es for the title Car From Hell. We may shudder at our recollections of its poor performance, or how primitive its equipment was, or how troublesome it was to keep it running. Perhaps all the above. We may, in retrospect, even feel a tad embar-rassed about having been suckered into buying it in the fi rst place. But, to paraphrase the Bard,

there’s a rub to all these woeful reminiscences.You can sum it up in two words: It Depends.For one thing, we’ve grown accustomed to

judging cars by modern standards of perfor-mance, comfort, reliability and so forth. So, let’s be honest. Isn’t it likely that we may, semi- or unconsciously, use some of the same criteria in judging cars we’ve owned in the dim past? True, some deserved to be deemed total Carzillas, even by standards back then. But many, perhaps most, were merely products of the time. They were what they were. And they were what was available, warts and all (by current standards). Yet, hind-sight being 20-20, it’s no wonder they’ll come up woefully short compared to what we drive today.

What’s more, we probably weren’t all that car-smart when we were just rookies in this game. Unless of course we had a car guy (or gal) for a parent, which incidentally I didn’t. (See below.) But we knew what we wanted, perhaps needed (or thought we did) to maintain our lifestyle, such as it was at the time. And so, lacking a vision of what could or might be better, we were content to live with our cars’ primitive (by today’s standards) natures. Barring the occasional Car from Hell of course. (Also see below.)

To illustrate what I’m talking about, let me relate a few of my early car experiences. The fi rst cars I drove, back in the 1960s, were a Ford Fal-con and then a Rambler. (Note, in my defense, that even back then, I chose smaller cars over the behemoths that dominated the market in those days. It may have been a harbinger of things to come.) And while they served their purpose, both cars were compromises.

I drove the Ford only briefl y. A two-door hard-top, it was slow; it only had a two-speed auto tranny (as I recall); and braking was an adventure. But it had air conditioning, which was a boon

2 TARHEEL CHAPTER FOOTNOTES http://www.tarheelbmwcca.org

when visiting girlfriends at far off college cam-puses. As for the Rambler, its drum brakes would become inoperative any time I drove through a rain puddle; its vacuum-operated windshield wip-ers would slow to a crawl at highway speeds; and it didn’t have A/C. But it was a ‘63 American 440 ragtop (manually operated), which was way cool, hence quite supportive of my social life. Besides, it had power steering, which combined with its short wheelbase enabled me to beat VW Beetles in the battle for the Big Apple’s tight parking spots.

My Point: Sure, both cars were utterly pathet-ic – but only so in light of what came later. Given the circumstances at the time, they were not the worst I’ve ever owned. Of course, what came later, in the early ‘70s, upped the bar big time. It was my fi rst Bimmer, a ’72 Bavaria, and it was a rev-elation! Especially so compared to another AMC (a ’66 Rogue) which I traded for what was then advertised as Munich’s ‘Wundercar’. (That was despite this Rambler’s somewhat better qualities, such as its low-profi le tires and the 232 CID ‘over-square’ six which made it quick off the line and a decent highway runner to boot.)

Though lacking many modern-day amenities, the Bav’s characteristics – its performance, brak-ing, maneuverability, reliability, not to mention size suited for a growing family – were amazing. Small wonder it fi rmly landed me in the BMW camp. And despite occasional conniptions, nei-ther it nor any of the other fi ve BMWs I’ve owned since then has come anywhere within light years of deserving the Worst Car label.

However, two other cars I owned concurrently with the Bavaria did earn this questionable dis-tinction. One, a rather bedraggled ’75 Volvo 142S I bought as a second car, should’ve been nice. It was roomy; it had that Nordic sturdiness; and it had the same hot setup under the hood as the 1800 sportster. But it required constant fi ddling to keep it running because its twin Stromberg side-draft carburetors were about the worst I’d ever encountered. Which is why it gets dishonor-able mention in this context. (It stuck around and survived the crusher only because it eventually

became the parts car for son Paul’s SCCA ITB racecar.)

And then there was the twelve-year-old Ram-bler wagon I bought for a pittance, out of des-peration because I needed a lumber hauler. (That was before I graduated to pickups.) Well, it did its job, sort of, for a while. But its many defects – terrible brakes; wipers like those of the ragtop; understeer that made every turn a hair-raising ex-perience; a prodigious thirst for oil, to name but a few – puts it at the very top of my list of Worst Cars Ever Owned. (Needless to say, I didn’t save any of its parts when it went away.)

The moral of this story: When it comes to judging cars which we’ve owned in the past, give them some slack. They may have been grossly defi cient by present standards; they may not have lasted like cars do today; but barring the occa-sional misbegotten monstrosity, they were okay. Hey, were it not for its sterling driving qualities – and its iconic status of course – even the hal-lowed BMW 2002 would in many ways fall short of what we’re now used to.

Which is one reason why you’ll see those ‘Respect Your Elders’ decals on many of the beau-ties we admire nowadays at shows such as the Vintage.

Letter to the Editor...Editor,Really enjoyed Alan Greene’s “Car Song”

quiz… that was a lot of fun… those songs (and the So Cal car culture) really infl uenced what we wanted to own and drive in those days.

#5. Jan & Dean’s line in “Surf City” was “I bought a ‘30 Ford wagon and we call it a woodie”. Some recorded single versions have it as “thirty-four wagon” to ensure airplay (some radio sta-tions might object to giving Ford free publicity). But the lyric is “ ‘30 Ford wagon” and that’s how its sung in their live shows.

Then again, many people think Wilson Pick-ett’s “Mustang Sally” is a song about a car!

Thanks,Mike Joy

Hello, fellow club racing fans!With winter winding down, we’re happy to

report that the 2020 BMW CCA Club Racing (CR) season is fi nally getting underway in our neck of the woods. In fact, as you read this, the fi rst event on our homegrown racing crowd’s schedule – a race at Road Atlanta which ran the weekend of Feb. 28 - March 1 – has just concluded. Of course, our fi ling deadline for this issue came weeks be-fore that, meaning you won’t see race results on these pages until next month. (That is, unless you know what went down because you were there.) Consequently, at this point, we can only tell you that the local contingent at this Peachtree-hosted event was smaller than expected but included some of last season’s winningest Tarheel racers.

Which conveniently lets us segue to our next item: the 2019 National Class Championships.

This may be old hat for those of you who fol-low the BimmerLife posts, which published the news in January. But for those of you who missed it, here’s the long and the short of it. Namely, three local track warriors won national champion-ships in their respective classes! They are Charles Harding in CM, his second trophy in as many sea-sons; Sri Haputantri in D-Mod, also a repeat; and Jack Wilkins in Spec E36. Naturally, our caps are off to these three drivers. But frankly, we’re not all that surprised by their success. Here’s why.

We may be somewhat biased, but we’ve al-ways felt that South Atlantic Region racers, espe-cially those from our chapter, seem to have a bit of an edge, in terms of participation and success, over their competitors from other club regions. It’s been suggested this is a NASCAR legacy, or (Heh!) maybe something in the water. But what-ever the reason, the 2019 season results tend to bear us out.

Namely, of the twelve National class trophies awarded, six (that’s fully half) went to drivers from our region; fi ve of the other six titles were won by North Atlantic drivers and one was awarded to a Pacifi c Region racer. And, most important, our three local champions made up half of the South Atlantic total! (‘Nuff said.)

Note also that no titles were awarded in eleven other classes, either because no participat-ing racer ran the minimum of four races required for a national title, or because they were NASA or SCCA classes which participate in CR events but are not awarded national titles.

As far as regional titles go, we kinda fi gure (based on 2019 results) that several more local racers will join our three national awardees on the South Atlantic list. We’ll let you know about that as soon as the results become offi cial. Mean-while, the Road Atlanta race shows that our guys aren’t about to rest on their laurels.

BY PAUL HOECKECLUB RACING REPORT


Three Tarheels Win 2019 National Titles;BWR Posts ‘Okay’ Debut at Daytona

TARHEEL CHAPTER 2020

* Not a Tarheel BMW CCA sponsored event

Mar 7 Drive to 82nd Airborne Museum Fayetteville, NC Robert McIsaac 919-880-8021 [email protected] 18-21 *12 Hours of Sebring-Sebring, Fla sebringraceway.comMar 21 Annual Meeting & Banquet Charlotte, NC Brenda Dunlevy 336-996-3149 [email protected] 28 Sylvan Heights Bird Park Scotland Neck, NC Alex Kordis 757-818-0888 [email protected] 2-3 BimmerWorld Club Race School VIR, Alton, Va Mike Hinkley [email protected] 3-5 BMW CCA Club Race VIR, Alton, Va Mike Hinkley [email protected] 4 BMW CCA Club Race Outing VIR, Alton, Va Jon Strine [email protected] 4-5 Corral at Charlotte Spring Autofair CMS, NC Chris Webber 704-906-8876 [email protected] 18 Hillsborough Calling-Hillsbrough, NC Robert McIsaac 919-880-8021 [email protected] 23-26 Spring HPDS-VIR Full Course Phil Antoine Details and Registration on MotorsportReg May 1-2 Easels in the Gardens-Edenton, NC Robert McIsaac 919-880-8021 [email protected] 2-3 ///M Day at Performance Center Greer, SC Details and Registration on MotorsportReg May 14-17 The Vintage Asheville, NC Scott Sturdy http://www.atthevintage.com/event-schedule/ May 25 Spring VIR Charity Laps-VIR Robert McIsaac 919-880-8021 [email protected] 6 Bimmers Tossing Clay-Seagrove, NC Robert McIsaac 919-880-8021 [email protected] ///M Day at Performance Center Jun 26-28 Summer HPDS-VIR North Course Phil Antoine Details and Registration on MotorsportReg Jul 9-12 Trip to Amazing Asheville-Asheville, NC Robert McIsaac 919-880-8021 [email protected] 15 Hundred Dollar BBQ Run-Carthage, NC Robert McIsaac 919-880-8021 [email protected] 21-23 Corral at IMSA Race VIR Brenda Dunlevy 336-996-3149 [email protected]


ON THE COVER:The objective for the day’s fi rst leg was the

Nasher Art Museum on the Duke University cam-pus in Durham. He campus is, itself, a beautiful refl ection of something known as the Collegiate Gothic architectural style, has included the Nasher as part of it’s portfolio of sights to see since the 1960’s. Some discussion of the ties between Duke and Princ-eton Universities ensued … with the Duke fam-ily having ties to both Durham (NC) and Hillsborough (NJ). While one school is not a copy of the other, they do share some signifi cant commonality in styles and some fascinating mythology which were explored by a Duke archivist way back in 1990! Both are fantas-

tic places to wander about.The drive to Durham from Raleigh can be

accomplished in 32 minutes as the crow fl ies. That is decidedly bor-ing, however, so as the BMW’s blasted across the countryside, the trip took just about 90. The recent rains had swelled the water levels in Falls Lake and the im-mediate surroundings, making the mid-winter blast across Wake and Durham Counties even

more interesting that they otherwise would have been. Fortunately traffi c was light and the roads wide open, giving us the opportunity to stretch the legs on the “aluminum ponies” a bit; dancing around on three pedals (if you have ‘em) is a great

Finally, here’s a reminder: With no eastern events on this month’s CR schedule, the next big test for local track hounds will be the race at VIR, the weekend of April 3 through 5. Most likely, it will also feature the traditional Club Race Outing on Saturday. So, mark your calendars – and be there!

Turning to the local pro scene, BimmerWorld Racing (BWR) made their debut in Round One of this year’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series at Daytona in late January. With two BMW GT4s, they were loaded for bear like many other teams with two or more entries in the 51-car (33 Grand Sport, 18 Touring) fi eld. But the 4-hour endurance con-test turned out to be a bit of a challenge for BWR.

Team owner James Clay qualifi ed 16th in the No.82 car but managed to move up during his stint, allowing co-driver Devin Jones to further improve the duo’s position. Jones ran as high as fi fth and even briefl y led the fi eld late in the race. But ten minutes before the checker, a big wreck caused a full course yellow which ate up what time remained. The race ended under caution –

the proverbial whimper instead of a bang – which kept Jones from pulling off a miracle. He fi nished sixth overall.

Nick Galante, driving BWR’s second entry, the No.80 GT4, started 14th (ahead of Clay), but nei-ther he nor co-driver Dillon Machavern were able to capitalize on that and move up out of mid-pack throughout the race. They fi nished 19th, two laps down, though well ahead of the three other BMW GS entries in the race. (Remarkably, never-say-die Machavern was back on the track the following day as one of the four drivers of the No.96 Turner Motorsports GTD-class BMW M6 GT3 in the 24-hour Rolex race!)

Clay and Jones’ fi nish earned them 25 points, or ten points behind the winning AMG team. As you read this, Clay and his troops are about ready to try and close this gap in Round Two at Sebring a couple of weeks from now. It’s only a two-hour race this time around, but at 3.74 miles it’s the longest circuit in the series. We wish them the best of racer’s luck.

BMW Club Meets “Triangle Restaurant Week” In Style

Tuesday, January 21, proved to be a delightful day in The Triangle. Bright sun and high spotty clouds were almost enough to take one’s mind off the brisk temperatures in the area, which never broke the 40-degree mark. Still, it was bone dry, which was the ideal prelude to a BMW Club month dinner. Right up until 1pm the day was perfect; that’s when the manager of our normal

local haunt, Farina, called with the bad news. Apparently, most of their front offi ce staff had somehow contracted strep throat (or maybe it was the fl u), and were down for the count. On the fi rst night of Triangle Restaurant Week they were struggling to keep the restaurant open at all and they wondered if we could switch to another night for our dinner. Unfortunately, at that late hour,

way to spend on Saturday morning! In our forma-tion of cars today, we had a great mix across the ages … including a 1995 540 (E34), an M4 (all the way from Greensboro!), an M2, an E46 and an F30 435 drop top. So many Germans for so many dif-ferent stylistic tastes.

Which then led us into the Nasher’s parking lot. The museum includes a wide array of worldly pieces in its permanent collection, including some spectacular pieces from Dutch Masters and from contemporary artists from German, Flanders and Italy. There’s also a great collection of Greek architectural pieces that complemented some terrifi c sculptures from 19th century France. The special exhibit this time was “Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations” which presented a range of different art forms including video, sculpture and painting. The pyramid of cymbals was great!

Then, given that we appear to be a dining club with a driving problem, it was time to bolt back to the Bimmers for a drive across town to explore the Bull City Burger and Brewery in down-town Durham. A leisurely parade lap around the downtown area led us into the historic part of The Bull City, which is clearly a fun place for a walk-about. We’d called ahead to the micro-brewery and asked for seating for 22, which the staff eas-ily accommodated, providing us with “Reserved Seating” for the BMW crowd. Sometimes this kind of group can overwhelm the support staff at local places; we need not have worried. The “BCB” team was clearly on it, serving up some terrifi c eats in a really big hurry. They also have a

great collection of beers, which led us into some interesting discussions about different styles from around the world. We worked the Google search engine hard but managed to resolve the age-old question of “what is the difference between a por-ter and a stout”. If you were thinking “there is no difference”, you’d be right, of course. We also ex-plore some deep historical questions: for example the architect for the Duke campus was an African American of amazing talent named Julian Abele who passed away 11 years before he, himself, would have been allowed to enroll at the school. We’ve come a long way.

After lunch, the driving and the dining op-portunities continued. While some headed for “the barn” others headed over to circumnavigate the Agriculture School at NC State, with a specifi c goal of hitting the “Howling Cow”, a brand new emporium dedicated to serving up some delec-table ice cream treats from the school’s dairy. Everything was better than everything else, of course, with the Chocolate Chip Mint and Sweet Potato Pie fl avors garnering particularly high complements from the assembled masses.

Finally, with the sun beginning to fade be-hind high clouds, and the temperatures heading south, it was time to slip into gear one last time for the day and make a fi nal hop toward home. Breakfast at the Bimmer Dealer, an Art Museum, a Microbrewery in Durham and Ice Cream with the Wolfpack faithful defi ned a truly great day in The Triangle region.! -Robert McIsaac


Discover YourPersonal Mechanic

Steve Wood30+ Years of Experience

CERTIFICATION/TRAINING: Degree in Auto Repair from Forsyth Technical Com-munity College, factory trained in Porsche and Audi

SPECIALTY: BMW, Porsche, Audi, VW, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz

PERSONAL: Married, 3 Children, Grand-father of 4

Greensboro, NC [email protected] - (336) 852-6795

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•••

switching the date was simply not an option.After due consideration, Farina’s manager

called back wondering if we could switch our reservation to the Driftwood Southern Kitchen, a competitor culinary experience directly across the breezeway. Seemed like a perfect solution! We headed out early to check on the logistics and see how big a surprise it was for the Driftwood staff. It turned out we need not have worried. The staff was simply fantastic, setting up a private room for us complete with AV support which allowed us to run a slide show of pictures from recent driving and dining events. The kitchen and the bar were in perfect working order and the surprise entou-rage of Bavarian faithful were treated to an unex-pectedly delightful time. The manager even asked if any of us had an “02” … clearly a good sign right from the start.

Good thing we had a backup plan! By the time we were all assembled, we had 15 cars in the garage and 28 hungry folks ready for action.

Once the orders were taken, we got down to the serious business of kicking virtual tires in the relative warmth of the aforementioned private room. We have a full set of driving events gracing the calendar for 2020. Rodney Wright also shared a robust event schedule from the Tarheel Sports Car Club, which includes an array of track and autocross events throughout the year. The au-tocross events are great fun and terrifi c learning experiences. Also, they are hosting a TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) road-rally on April 19th in Wil-son, NC, which sounds intriguing.

Dwayne Mosley shared some additional in-formation from the BMWCCA National, including planned changes to the Roundel magazine for the future; it will soon switch to a 10-month per year run, with two months then dedicated to regional “Bimmer Life” publications that will focus on local club activities.

Dinner was remarkably good, which was a great prelude to our celebration of two birthdays in the assembled group. Pete Osta and Nancy Dworaczyk were the lucky recipients of the Drift-wood’s special donut sipping dish as they were

serenaded by a rousing, if slightly off-key, rendi-tion of “Happy Birthday”. We make up with en-thusiasm anything that may be lacking in terms of musical talent!

Back in the garage, we had an array of great cars, including a Z3M coupe (aka, Clown Shoe), an E46 M3 ragtop, a collecting of X-cars of every size (X1, X3, X5) except the Grande (i.e., X7) and an F30 M4. Fun to kick more tires in the chill of the night, even as Glenda and Kenneth from Cary Pottery, who brought along a sampler of their 2019 special edition, limited batch, micro-brewery beer happily shared go-bottles with club mem-bers. A special moment for all when the new edi-tion is ready to be uncorked!

All too soon it was time to light the wicks on Bimmers to go charging out into the star-studded evening. Made for a perfect blitz toward home. We’re now one day closer to our next big adven-ture! -Robert McIsaac

Hundred Dollar BBQ Run? Chasing The (Alleged) Best BBQ in NC!

• What: A cruise to Carthage, NC, to the Pik ‘n Pig … a great opportunity for “Dinner and an Air Show”. This is the place folks fly into with their planes for the aforementioned $100 sandwich. It will be considerably less costly in a Bimmer … but no less fun!

• When: Depart on Saturday, August 15th at 10:00am. Come early for breakfast and/or coffee at 9:00am!

• Where: Departure from the Starbucks at 180 Cabela Drive, Garner, NC 27529 • Objective: A great day, an awesome meal, a terrific show and some fascinating photo

ops. Pik ‘n Pig is located at 194 Gilliam McConnell Road, Carthage, NC 28327 • Duration: Figure 6+ hours including driving. • Contact Information: For details, connect with Rob McIsaac at

[email protected] or 919-880-8012.

Victory Junction Charity Laps 2020!Turning $ Into Noise … With a Purpose• What: Several times a year, VIR opens the gates to raise money for a great cause. Pay

just $25 for the opportunity to drive your own car on the historic 3.27-mile full course for 15 minutes. In addition, all facilities at VIR will be open for your enjoyment..

• When: Monday, May 25th at 8:30am. Coffee at 8:30 … depart before 9. • Where: Bimmer Performance Center … 3200 Spottswood St #102, Raleigh, NC 27615 • Who: Rob McIsaac is organizing the event.• Objective: A great drive to see one of America’s historic race tracks … drive the track …

enjoy the facilities … and kick tires with friends. Dan Connor has offered coffee before we depart from BPC. Great way to support some great causes.

• Duration: Figure 2 hours of driving each way. • Contact Information: For details, connect with Rob McIsaac at


Sylvan Heights Bird Park and Picnic Lunch • What: A day enjoying a picnic lunch in the park while viewing waterfowl from around the world plus

other birds of the feather. This is a family friendly event all of us can enjoy!! • Admission; Senior-$11, Adult-$12, and Child (3-12)-$9, plus NC tax.

• When: Saturday, March 28th • Where: Departure Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot at 1725 W. Arlington Blvd, Greenville at 10:00am. Come

earlier for tire kickin’ and coffee.

• Objective: Don your bird watching gear, pack a picnic basket full of delectables, and lets have a great time socializing and sharing a meal. Afterwards lets stroll along leisurely through the park.

• Duration: Figure 1-2 hours of driving each way. Plan on arriving at the park at 11:00am. Anticipate to be home between 4 and 5 pm.

• Contact Information: For details, connect with Alex Kordis at [email protected] or 757-818-0888.

• https://shwpark.com

82nd Airborne Museum Bimmers Jumpin’ to Fort Bragg!

• What: Third drive of the year! A cruise to the Fayetteville to see a special site to dedicated to the contributions of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

• When: Depart on Saturday, March 7th at 10am. Come early for coffee at 9am! • Where: Departure from the Starbucks parking lot at the White Oak Shopping Center in

Garner. Feel free to come any time after 9 for tire kickin', story tellin' and coffee. Address for Starbucks is 180 Cabela Drive Garner, NC 27529

• Should arrive at the museum around 11:30 (C-6841, 5108 Ardennes St, Fort Bragg, NC).• Objective: Visiting a very special museum by BMW … including a stop for lunch at the

Mash House Brewing Company, 4150 Sycamore Dairy Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28303• Duration: Figure 5-7 hours including driving. • Contact Information: For details, connect with Rob McIsaac at


Spring 2020 M Club Day Big Fun @ BMW Performance Center!What and Where:• Each year, the Tarheel and National Capital BMWCCA Chapters sponsor major events at the BMW Performance

Center in Greer, South Carolina. These events give us access to the facilities and the instructors at a remarkable location … at a deeply discounted price. This school is a special program designed by the Performance Center staff specifically for our chapter members.

• The price covers the training sessions … and the use of current model ///M Cars for the event. M2’s, M3’s, M4’s and M5’s were the highlight of the adventure in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. We expect more of the same for the coming year. Best of all perhaps, is the opportunity to have a great learning and driving experience while using someone else’s Gas, Tires and Oil!

• Remember the old adage that “no car is faster than a rental!”.When:• The spring event(s) are on May 2nd and May 3rd, 2020 (two separate events)Next Steps• Registration now open: msreg.com/Spring2020MClubDay

Contact Information: For details, connect with Rob McIsaac at [email protected]

Amazing Asheville! Blue Ridge Parkway Means Weekend Adventure!!!

• What: A weekend venture to the mountain wilds of Western North Carolina! Highlights include spectacular scenery, beautiful mountain roads, the vibe of Downtown Asheville and the chance to visit Mount Mitchell. Great food and amazing adventures are just around the next bend! On a clear day you can see The Smokey's!

• When: Depart on Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 10:00am. Come early for coffee at 9:00am! • Where: Departure from Leith BMW, 5603 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27616• Objective: A fun and enjoyable weekend away that offers great driving, terrific food and some

fantastically interesting adventures.• Where to Stay: Goal is to be downtown. Best options are Kimpton Hotel Arras, Asheville, 7 Patton

Avenue, Asheville, NC, 866-539-9234 or he Aloft Hotel, 51 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC, 540-839-5351. Make your own reservations for Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights.

• Duration: Depart on Thursday (7/9) morning … home on Sunday afternoon (7/12). • Contact Information: For details, connect with Rob McIsaac at


Brilliant Blowing Rock! NC Balloonfest, Boone and The Highlands All Await …

• What: A weekend adventure to Western NC to explore the fall beauty in the area. This is also a chance to take in the NC Balloonfest, the Linville Gorge, Grandfather Mountain, Little Switzerland and a bevy of brilliant sightseeing adventures that are waiting to be “unpacked”. Downtown Blowing Rock has a great set of culinary and microbrewery adventures to also be explored! Dining and Driving away across the Old North State heads west.

• When: Depart on Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 10:00am. Come early for coffee at 9:00am! • Where: Departure from Leith BMW, 5603 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27616• Objective: A fun and enjoyable weekend away that offers great driving, terrific food and some

fantastically interesting adventures … and fall foliage!• Where to Stay: Hemlock Inn, 134 Morris St Box 422, PO Box 422, Blowing Rock, NC (828-295-7987).

The Inn at Ragged Gardens, 203 Sunset Dr, Blowing Rock, NC (828-295-9703). Green Park Inn, 9239 Valley Blvd, Blowing Rock, NC (828-414-9230). Many other options but don’t wait too long! Make your own reservations for Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights.

• Duration: Depart on Thursday (10/15) morning … home on Sunday afternoon (10/18). • Contact Information: For details, connect with Rob McIsaac at


ASHEVILLE AREA DINNERDate: Last Tuesday each monthTime: 6:30 pm

Where: Different Location Each Month

All BMW marques are welcome (cars, motorcycles, Mini, Rolls, etc.).

Contact Chris Joyner at [email protected] for more information.

CAPE FEAR AREADate: 4th Thursday each monthTime: 6:30 pm

Where: The Forest restaurant at Cape Fear National Golf Club 1281 Cape Fear National Drive Leland, NC 28451

Email Matt Sarkela for information at [email protected].

CHARLOTTE AREA I DINNERDate: 3rd Thursday each monthTime: 7 p.m.Where: WaldhornRestaurant 12101Lancaster Hwy (Old Hwy 521) Pineville,NC (Locatednear Carolina Place Mall) (704) 540-7047

We’re still hanging out at the Waldhorn Restau-rant on the third Thursday of each month. Contact Chris Webber at H:(704) 523-9118 C: 704-906-8876 or e-mail at [email protected] to RSVP. Please join us (great German food and beer). See you there!

CHARLOTTE AREA IIDate: 1st Thursday each monthTime: 6:30 p.m.Where: The Speedway Club at Charlotte Motor Speedway 5555 Parkway S., 6th Fl, Concord NCPlease email Andy Barbee for more information at [email protected] or (704) 701-2294

DOWNEAST AREA BREAKFAST (Greenville, Wilson Rocky Mt) Date: 1st Saturday each monthTime: 8:30 a.m.Where: Scullery Coffee House and Creamery 431 Evans St Greenville, NC 27858

Email Alex Kordis for information at [email protected]

HURRICANE REGION AREA (New Bern, Jackson-ville, Morehead City)

Contact Alex Kordis Area Cordinator for Down East at [email protected] if you are interested in joining them for meetings.

NORTHERN MOUNTAIN AREA DINNERDate: 2nd Wednesday each monthTime: 6:30 p.m.Where: Booneshine Brewery 465 Industrial Park Drive Boone, NC 28607 828-278-8006

Cost: Only what you eat and drink.Contacts: John Cochrane ([email protected]) or Mike Langley ([email protected])

A fun gathering of BMW friends for a discussion of all things car related.

ROANOKE AREA Date: 2nd Tuesday each monthTime: 7:00 p.m.Where: Pizza Pasta Pit 1713 Riverview Dr. Salem, VA 24153

Near corner of Electric Road and Apperson Drive.

Contact JoElla John [email protected] or Scott Donaldson [email protected] for mor information.

SANDHILLS AREADate: 4th Wednesday each monthTime: 7:p.m.Where: ScrubOaks

LOCAL SCENE


5780 Ramsey St #108 Fayetteville, NC 28311

ScrubOaks is a contemporary american restaurant that also offers a great sports bar setting. Many reg-ulars frequent the Kings Grant golf club and stop by afterward for a meal. Wednesdays offer half off wine (bottle and glass)

Contact Danny Miller for more information [email protected]

TRIAD AREA WEST DINNER (Winston-Salem)Date: 2nd Tuesday each monthTime: 6:00 p.m. Drinks, 7:00 p.m. DinnerWhere: Sixty Six Grill and Taphouse 3440 Frontis Street Winston-Salem 27103

Please contact Marc Schatell for more information at [email protected]

TRIAD AREA EAST DINNER (Greensboro)Date: 1st Tuesday each monthTime: 5:30 p.m.Where: Mac’s Speed Shop 1218 Battleground Ave Greensboro, NC 27408

Please contact David Harrison for more information [email protected]

TRIANGLE AREA DINNER (RALEIGH)Date: 3rd Tuesday each monthTime: 6:00 p.m. Tire Kickin’, 7:00 p.m. DinnerWhere: Farina Neighborhood Italian Lafayette Village 8450 Honeycutt Rd #100 Raleigh

Please contact Robert McIsaac for more information at [email protected]

TRIANGLE AREA DINNER (CHAPEL HILL) - NO JULY DINNER SCHEDULEDDate: 1st Wednesday each monthTime: 6:00-6:45pm People arrive on the top fl oor of the parking garage for car viewing and stories 6:45pm Walk to the restaurant for dinnerWhere: Hickory Tavern (next to the Hampton Inn www.thehickorytavern.com 300 East Main Street, Carrboro 27510

Please contact Jeff Krukin for more information at [email protected]

The Triangle’s Choice For Auto Body

Locally Owned

Family Operated

Community Focused

Serving The Triangle For 30 Years

Kenny Hawkins Automotive605 Germantown Road

Raleigh, NC 27607(919) 851-0242

* Early and late model BMW’s

(Call for motorcycle maintenance)

* Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or

BMW Original parts

* Many years of experience exclusively with

BMW repairs, maintenance, and modifi -

cations and race prep (Club events)

* Latest Diagnostic Equipment

Chris Joyner, Owner/Technician

76 South Market Street

Asheville, NC 28801

(828) 398-0325 [email protected]

Hours: 9:00 – 6:00 Monday through Friday

Joyner’s EST. 1993

An Independent BMW Specialist

Footnotes classifi ed ads are free to members in good standing of the BMW CCA. Nonmembers can also place advertisements here for $5.00 per month (see inside front cover). Please enclose all necessary information with your advertisement. Unless you tell us otherwise, your ad will appear here for three (3) consecutive issues. Classifi ed advertisements can be emailed to the Editor’s attention at [email protected].

BMW CARS FOR SALE:

1987 E30 Convertible Six Cylin-der, Five Speed Manual 1987 Del-phin Grey BMW 325i convertible; new tan top. Leather seats newly reupholstered. 2.5-liter inline-six, 5-speed manual transmission; odometer reading 79,000. Re-placed drive shaft, new battery, ex-haust system, and more. $6,350; [email protected] or text “BMW” to 919-219-9642; serious inquiries only

2003 M3 Carbon Black/Cinna-mon, 75K miles, SMG, Subframe re-enforced, valve adjustment, Powerfl ex subframe and trailing arm bushings, rear axle shaft and wheel bearings replaced, new CV joint, clutch replaced, Eibach springs, Koni shocks, Eurobahn ECU, Borla exhaust. Excellent condition. $20,000 Chris 336-403-8215 (NC)

2013 BMW 335i The Ultimate Spring, Summer & Fall Driving ma-chine for sale -- pristine convert-

ible, like brand new with 53,010 miles, Alpine White exterior, Red leather interior and M Sports pack-age. Fun to drive and ready for the top down season! If interested, please email: [email protected] or call: 980.613.9018

BMW PARTS FOR SALE:

Items for N54 Engine New unless otherwise stated. Price includes shipping unless otherwise noted. Also I can deliver along the Ra-leigh/Durham/Greensboro corridor. Accept paypal, checks or cash. Call Mike at 910-650-2513

2 Mann oil fi lters, $20 for both1 fl ex coupling between the trans-mission (auto) and the drive shaft, includes new bolts $302 after CAT O2 sensors, aftermar-ket brand,, both banks $401 center screen, for the E92 coupe, goes under front bumper in front of the intercooler $301 set BMW cross bars for a roof rack. Fitted the E92, not sure what else. $60 Local pickup only1 used car cover. BavAuto brand. Was originally used on an E46 sedan, but then used on the E92 coupe. Just have to fold in the mir-rors fi rst. $55Stock air cleaner box for the N54 engine. Will sell it for $30 plus $20 for shipping, $50 total.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Tarheel Chapter BMW CCA Email List Join us online: The “list” provides a casual, online forum for chapter members to discuss BMW’s and BMW CCA events and related topics of inter-

est to local members. Basically it’s a sort of electronic discussion board, almost anything is free game, as long as it has some con-nection to BMW’s (no matter how remote the connection might be).To join the list surf on out to: http://www.topica.com/lists/tarheelbmw/ Info on how to subscribe or un-subscribe can be found on this page. If you want a shortcut to subscribe- simply send an email to [email protected]. (make sure you send the email from the email address that you want to receive the list mes-sages!!)

THE 02 GROUP A special interest group for 2002 owners in NC. For more information about the group and how to join, check out our website: www.the02group.org

The Z-Series Car Club of Amer-ica (ZSCCA) is a national special interest group of BMWCCA dedi-cated to the enjoyment of all Z-Se-ries BMW’s. Several local groups are active in VA and NC. Find us on Facebook, or at zscca.org

SUCH A DEAL


Easels in the Gardens Edenton’s Biennial Arts Festival Comes Again in 2020

• What: A weekend adventure to Edenton for food, fun and the chance to tour the private gardens in this historic city on the Albemarle Sound. Full details for the 2-day event can be found here: http://cupolahouse.org/easels-in-the-gardens.php

• When: Depart on Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 at 8:30am. Come early for coffee at 8:00am. Please note the “extra early” departure time!

• Where: Departure from Farmhouse Café, 320 Vintage Point Ln, Wendell, NC 27591. This is just off US-264 / I-87 (Exit 427).

• Objective: A fantastic tour of the arts “Down East”. Some plan to stay in town on Saturday night for the “after party”. B&B option is the Captain’s Quarters (www.captainsquartersinn.com). Hotels and Airbnb options also available in Edenton. Best hotel bet is the local Hampton Inn (252-482-3500). Rooms are going quickly so best to get on this soon if interested.

• Lunch on Saturday: The 309 Bistro at 309 South Broad St., Edenton.• Duration: Two days if you stay until Sunday! Or 10+ hours including driving if you make it a one-day adventure. • Contact Information: For details, connect with Rob McIsaac at 919-880-8012 or

[email protected]. Some plan to head over on Friday to get the “Full Experience” for this very special event. If you’re interested in coordinating an early departure, let Rob know.

Hillsborough Calling! Ayr Mount / Occoneechee Speedway Trail

• What: A trip back in time to the 18th Century Hillsborough Plantation known as AyrMount. An amazing historic site that happens to sit adjacent to a NASCAR track that was used from 1949-68 … and which is now a nature trail. How cool is that?

• When: Depart on Saturday, April 18th, 2020 at 10:00am. Come early for coffee at 9:00am, courtesy of Leith BMW!

• Where: Departure from Leith BMW, 5603 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27616.• Objective: A wandering tour of beautiful countryside as Spring returns to The Old North

State. Lunch at the Saratoga Grill, a locally known culinary experience that specializes in home-made scones, clam chowder and honey almond salmon. The Grill is at 108 South Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC.

• Duration: Figure 6-8 hours including driving. • Contact Information: For details, connect with Rob McIsaac at


END GAME

Durham fun!


Footnotes classifi eds...

Ads are free to members in good standing of the BMW CCA. Non-members can also place advertisements here for $5.00 per month. Please enclose all necessary information with your advertisement.

Unless you tell us otherwise, your ad will appear here for three (3) consecutive issues.

Classifi ed advertisements can be emailed to the Editor’s attention at:

[email protected]

WANTED: Your photos and sto-ries.

Got a tale to tell about your Bimmer, photos you want to share with your fellow Footnotes readers, or just a suggestion?Email your submissions to [email protected] on, you can do it... We would love to hear from you!

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Bimmers Tossing Clay!!! Country Roads, Take Me Home to Seagrove

• What: A delightful cruise to The Pottery Capital of Central NC, Seagrove. This will be a chance to visit the artisans, shop for amazing art, have a great lunch … and explore more of NC’s byways. And yes, there could be fruitcake at Southern Supreme in Bear Creek.

• When: Depart on Saturday, June 6th at 10:00am. Come early for coffee at 9:00am! • Where: Departure from Leith BMW, 5603 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27616• Objective: A fun and enjoyable family outing the promises terrific roads and food

… and a starting tour at the NC Pottery Center, 233 East Avenue, Seagrove, NC. Lunch at the Seagrove Family Restaurant, 8702 Old US Hwy 220, Seagrove, NC.

• Duration: Figure 5-6 hours including driving. • Contact Information: For details, connect with Rob McIsaac at


OOne Stop Collision Repair Center Over 50 Years Combined Experience

All Makes & Models Welcome All Insurance Companies Accepted

Frame Work & PDR Available

Owner Scott McDuffie – Member Since 1989 3510 E. Wendover Ave, Greensboro, NC 27405

(336) 375-4516

TARHEEL CHAPTERBMW CCA, Inc.www.tarheelbmwcca.org

PO Box 30203Charlotte, NC 28230

BMW CCA Club Race Outing - VIRApril 4, 2020

2020 March.indd - Tarheel BMW CCA

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