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LIMITED EDITION Inaugural Harvey Rogers Memorial Enduro apparel now available in the GearShop! This custom logo was designed and illustrated by our very own newsletter editor Rich Loney. Don't miss out on this opportunity to place this very special piece of Chapter history on a variety of items of your choice. There’s got to be a style and color for you!
Shop now!
Don't miss the NOCBMWCCA Memorial Day Weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
- Details
- Published: 02 January 2014
North American Challenge RACE: May 23-25, 2014
The Chapter is beginning the registration process for the Memorial Day Northern Ohio 2014 Club Race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
If you are planning to attend, please register AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to reserve your space.
Click here for registration information at Motorsportsreg.com.
North American Challenge Race: $525.00
Harvey Rogers Memorial Enduro Race Sponsored by Turner Motorsports: May 23, 2014
The Chapter is beginning the registration process for the 2014 Harvey Roggers Memorial Enduro at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
If you are planning to attend, please register AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to reserve your space.
Click here for registration information at Motorsportsreg.com.
Harvey Rogers Memorial Enduro: $525
(includes a dinner for drivers and crew after the race)
High-performance Driving School (HPDE): May 24-25, 2014
There also will be a HPDE (high-performace driving event) that weekend. The goal of an HPDE driving school is to provide a safe and controlled environment where members can learn the skills it takes to become better drivers. Remember, everyone was a beginner at one time. Improve your driving skills and have some fun both on and off the track at a BMW CCA Driving School!
Minimum requirements for the HPDE are a track-worthy car and approved helmet. Cars do not have to be BMWs, as all makes and models meeting HPDE criteria are welcome.
Space is limited so register today!
Click here for registration information at Motorsportsreg.com.
HPDE School Fees: $435 BMW CCA Members; $485 Nonmembers
(includes $48 membership)
All participants must have a valid driver’s license and be at least 18 years of age. Northern Ohio accepts only Snell 2005 or newer helmets. A race car is not necessary in order to participate. Complete details and registration forms at motorsportreg.com.
Sunday/FUNDay Meet-Greet-Eat!
- Details
- Published: 01 January 2014
Sunday/FUNDay Meet-Greet-Eat!
The Taverne of Richfield
When: Sunday, March 9, 2014
Where: Taverne of Richfield, 3960 Broadview Road ( Rte. 303 at 176), Richfield, Ohio 44286
Meet/Greet/Eat: 1-3 p.m.
FUND-raising: Anytime March 9 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. with attached coupon
We're all more than tired of the snow and the cold and the winter, so let's start thinking and talking about the upcoming driving season and cars. Plan to spend a Sunday afternoon social gathering (March 9) and meet some Chapter members at the Taverne of Richfield (http://www.taverneofrichfield.com/).
Meet, Greet, and Eat – 1-3 p.m.
Several of Board members will be in attendance at a table from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, March 9, so you can meet us and share a meal. If you've joined and not met anyone yet or if you are thinking about joining the Chapter, this is perfect time to meet some officers and members, find out who we are and learn what we do. It's the perfect social to help you plan your driving activities for the year.
Just Come and Eat Fundraiser – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
In addition, this event is a fundraiser for the Chapter as well. If you come to the Taverne at anytime on Sunday, March 9, and present one of the attached coupons (PDF link below) when ordering, the Taverne will donate 15% of each attendee's identified food sales toward our treasury. This is a great way to help us cover the incidentals necessary to run the Chapter such as postage, phone, and other expenses. Yes you can order any meal on the menu. Oh, did I mention that the Main Bar hosts a Burgers special on Sunday? What better way to watch a game with old or new friends, if nothing else?
How to Attend
Call the Taverne of Richfield and make a reservation (330.659.0610), letting them know you're with Northern Ohio Chapter BMW CCA. Mark your calendar. Appear at your designated reservation time with your coupon. Join members and officers, if you arrive between 1 and 3 p.m. If you come later, just enjoy the meal and know you're contributing to your Chapter, so we can continue to plan all sorts of events for the 2014 driving season.
Questions? Contact C. L. Harrison ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 330.212.9280).
Presidents Message
- Details
- Published: 17 December 2013
Submitted by Brian Nawrocki, NOCBMWCCA president
I'm writing to you fresh off a trip to Las Vegas for the SEMA show (see my editorial on Page 11), then over to California where I added a 2002 X5 to our fleet of cars. This one is for my wife, though. The extra room should help facilitate her transition from super mom to soccer mom in a safe and roomy mode of transportation. By now you are asking why buy a car so far away? In California BMWs are as plentiful as Hondas are here; only, you can get a 12-year-old or older car whose body and chassis look like they just rolled off the assembly line. As we all know, a well-maintained BMW will run for many hundreds of thousands of miles, provided the body holds up. Excluding my 135, our last three BMWs have been driven home from NorCal. To thin the herd, we will be selling Little Neillo, Josie's 325i, in the spring.
During our November board meeting we discussed a plethora of issues including the Holiday Party, Mid-Ohio in March and May, and the continuation of our hard-copy newsletter. As I stated in our last newsletter, it's slim pickens in the treasury department. Rest assured the board is assessing each expenditure in order to keep bringing you events like our Holiday Party at Tangiers this year, as well as how we are going to pull off driving events at Mid-Ohio next season.
Look for a poll out soon about the continuation of our paper newsletter. It costs us upwards of $3 grand per quarter to print and mail news letters to our constituents. This cost is under heavy scrutiny as we try to manage a shrinking treasury. So, please respond to the poll as you should receive the opportunity to voice your opinions via an email coming shortly. Please consider rising postage costs as you vote whether to continue on with the print edition.
As for the driving events, we are working behinds the scenes to prepare for a Memorial Day HPDE and Club Race. Details and registration will follow, so check the web site and motorsport.reg for registration.
That is all I have for now. Please feel free to get involved with the club events! You are welcome to join any board meeting, providing you are a current club member, and we are always looking for dedicated volunteers to help facilitate our driving schools and social events. Remember that the Northern Ohio Chapter BMWCCA is more than just about BMWs, it's about the friendships and camaraderie we have all learned to cherish at each of our affairs.
East Coast O-Fest at the Glen
- Details
- Published: 14 November 2013
Submitted by Bob Perritt, NOBMWCCA member
Where to start? Well? Um? The Glen is a great place to be and a better place to race. BMW HPDE and Club Race events are always a good time, but being at the Glen was really special. This being my first time driving at this track, I had a different approach to prepare. We usually like to prepare for a new track by finding a club HPDE event at that track 30-60 days prior to the club race. During the HPDE event we get video and data of #57's likes and dislikes of the track, get the suspension setup to match some of the track's many changes, and feel how she handles with my driving style on a new track. But as it turned out I wasn't able to prepare that way for the Glen: We weren't able to drive at a prior HPDE event.
Pictured: Justin and Jeff at the winners podium with the beautiful Turner ladies, O-Fest 2013.
Plan B: Review the map of the track. (We carry a hard copy of most tracks and times that our class runs in our trailer.) I should be able to close my eyes and visually drive that track without being behind the wheel. Next, we download this track to our race simulator and drive. Sometimes (most of the time), I take vacation days at work so I can practice on the simulator. LOL! Once we get a feel for the track, we try to find sections of the new track that are similar to other tracks we have driven. We find U-Tube videos that really add to this training process or talk to someone who has experience there.
So, our first time on track there was the Friday before the weekend races. Practice was actually very short sessions, so we didn't learn as much as I was hoping to learn. Well, some time is better than no time on track. The data and video was good to review and to see where #57 liked and didn't like the track–or, at least, where I thought she liked it (The simulator only does so much). Well, I've got to tell you: . . Boy, this is a fun track–elevation changes, off camber and fast! When not on the track, we were able to get to all the turns and watch how those cars set up for their apexes, braking, and throttling. It's so hard to watch someone else on the track; that's the hardest thing for me–watching! But important!
This track has eleven turns, 3.4 miles of fast with virtually no run-off. We were able to keep her on the track for practices and qualifying–no spins. Front straightaway going into a right hander, Turn 1, especially at the start of a race, is a blast! Not sure how many cars can run wide at Turn 1, but you need to sort that out by the time you get to the esses–Turns 2,3 and 4. We are full throttle and in fifth gear through the esses; we almost need another gear for the straightaway that follows (or to change the rear end to fit the track). You are headed to the "Bus Stop", as they call it. The first time through I left some time there, but I did figure out that you can carry a lot of speed, if you have grip! Turn 5 is a fast right-hander and when wet not fun (See next section for more details).
In preparing for a track, we talk about sections, as you need to break down a track into sections and master each of those sections. If you goof up a turn in a section, you probably gave up a second of your lap time. I have seen drivers (rookies) try to pick that time up before they finish that
section. The outcome usually has bad results. The "Boot" can be one of those sections–Turns 6,7,8 and 9. When you do well coming through Turn 9, you end up with so much speed that you need to tap brakes to set your suspension and weight transfer to continue full throttle thru Turn 10,
a left-hander. That is one turn that has run off, if needed. Then you have Turn 11 into the front straight. When you come into the front straight, you can only wonder about all that racing history at the Glen; it is so cool! Watkins Glen, the town, is fun, too. Good food, good people, and, well, micro-breweries–they are always good.
Now for the rest of the story. My crew has nicknamed me "Crash," after that event. We needed frame work, but that wasn't going to happen at the track (Plan C), so our weekend racing was over pretty fast. I had a great start into the race; we picked up six spots in three laps. For us, that was great, as we have the least amount of HP in our class. At least this is my excuse to convince my better half I need a built 3.2 engine. (Maybe you can call her on my behalf?) Number 57 was amazing. It could have been the song. Radar Love, the crew played on my headset for a brief second, but she liked the track. I liked the track.Everything felt good.
Lap Four was looking good: Entering Turn 1, being full throttle through Turn 2, setting up for Turn 3 is just turning the wheel an inch. Then it happened: Left rear tire lost grip. We ended up head-on at 100 mph into the guardrail wall to the left. We got the car straight and limped back to the paddock somehow. I tried to find a spot to pull off but that wasn't found. This is something I will look for prior to a race event in future–pull-off areas. The Glen really only has two safe ones and I already had passed one by the crash site after Turn 4. After looking the car over, we saw tie rod failure. Reviewing the video, we think we saw a wet spot on track that we got into. We had other drivers view this with some of the same conclusions. I look to eliminate one-by-one what went wrong, and I start with the driver, thinking driver error first, because one needs to learn from every situation.
The good news is she was ready 3 weeks later for my next race at Mid Ohio. (Oh, I forgot to mention I wasn't hurt, but it's a heck of a way to test safety equipment). That Friday at Mid-Ohio was a great practice day. She felt great and drove well all weekend. It only took a few practice sessions to get confidence back, trusting my car, and the work that was done. We really have great talent in this sport–drivers to the workers and everything in between. Thanks!
See you at the track, Bob