BMW CAR CLUB (GB)
SOUTH EAST REGION
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BMW CAR CLUB
CENTREPOINT 31
BMW CAR CLUB - CENTREPOINT
A REPORT FROM NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEETING
No 153 - 19th March 2006 - Issue 31
Silverstone Track Day 25/9/06
Things are moving along smoothly with the track day at Silverstone – Sabine will be back in the M5 ‘taxi’, along with many famous BMW racing cars, many offering taxi rides. More details will be forthcoming club publications.
National Driving Skills Test
The decision to go ahead with the National Driving Skills event hasn’t been taken yet as we are still awaiting confirmation from Silverstone regarding the cost of hiring a suitable piece of land to hold the event.
Internet/Forum Protocol
We have been asked by a club official to provide a set of guidelines for forum/website moderators to follow – this has arisen due to the appearance of 3 unofficial model registers on the forum as the moderators have no guidelines to follow/quote to the people who have set these registers up. The guidelines are now virtually completed and will include references to consult the club rules as there is a section on the formation of regions/registers within the rules. Once the guidelines have been agreed by the board, they will be sent out, along with a copy of the club rules to all forum/website moderators.
National Festival 20/8/06
We had a meeting with Gaydon officials on the Tuesday following the board meeting where we put forward a small list of proposals to them – as this newsletter was sent out to you all we still hadn’t had a reply from them. One issue we did reach agreement on the day was to agree 100% with the Gaydon officials taking over the running of the gate at the top of the site – we will be only responsible for marshalling the arena at the bottom of the spine road.
Register/Regional Marshals – The board has been disappointed by the lack of volunteer marshals from some of our regions/registers at past festivals. Therefore, we will only provide display space to a region or register if they nominate a marshal who will be responsible on the day for parking cars up in their nominated parking area. They will also have to nominate a deputy to the marshal in case of a no-show by the marshal on the day. All marshals will be required to attend a brief meeting on the day prior to the show opening and be in position for when the gates open.
We understand the above may sound a bit dictatorial but the show has grown to such a size that we need to get the members/visitors off the spine road and parked up in the correct places as smoothly and swiftly as possible. Set up will again be on the Saturday.
October Donington Show
We are still reading through the contracts as this is being written, but it looks as though the BMW Car Club will control the event for the very first time in 2006. Mark Sunday 22nd October in your diaries now! (Set up will be on Saturday 21st – more details will be forwarded on as we get them)
There will be space for register and regional displays, traders and autojumble, plus lots more – please help us to make the show into what it was under the Drivers Club.
Club Equipment
The national committee were asked to clarify a point raised by the club’s secretary, the question being “When a region/register ‘borrows’ any equipment/regalia from the club office, when must it be returned? The answer given was ASAP so that other regions/registers could have access to the equipment if needed, and that ALL equipment must be returned so that Andrew Dale can keep an accurate check on what is held at the club office.
Press releases for Regions and Registers
If any region/register would like an event publishing in the national press, please forward (brief) details to either the club office or Jeff Heywood (both via e-mail) and we will endeavour to get your event some publicity in the national press. Please be sparing with your releases because it would be impossible to get EVERY region/register event publicised, so please choose wisely the events you would like the public to turn up at/big event of the season etc.
BCE – latest news
The BMW Car Club (GB) Ltd has now formally agreed to leave the BMW Clubs Europa (BCE) organisation. We have agreed with the International Council of BMW Clubs to remain as non-voting members of BCE for a transitional period of two years after which we will form our own umbrella organisation of official BMW clubs that will incorporate the BMW Club GB (club for BMW Motorcycles) and most of the Scandinavian BMW clubs. Once the two-year ‘transitional’ period is up, official BMW clubs from other countries would be free to apply for membership of the new umbrella organisation.
A big thank-you goes out to Howard Walker and Peter Rust from our own club, and to Peter Dunn and Tony Moores from the BMW Club for negotiating this deal for our clubs.
New Club Website + New Webmaster
The clubs new website is now up and running (since November 2005) – please take a look. The site is already getting many visitors and is generating advertising funds that the club has never experienced before. This is a club website so please get involved! You all have your own pages on the site, and all pages could do with a refresh at regular intervals, so please send any new updates to our new webmaster.
The club has a new Webmaster. Clive Merritt of RM Software has now taken over as Webmaster from Howard Walker. Full details of the new site will be made available in the coming weeks.
2006 AGM
The BMW Car Club’s Annual General Meeting will take place at the National Motorcycle Museum on Saturday 13th May 2006 at 2.30pm in the ‘Crows Nest’ suite. Attendees at the AGM will gain free admittance to the museum on production of an up to date BMWCC membership card.
Also on site are a new restaurant, museum shop and free parking.
Pin Awards 2006
The National Committee decided to award pins to the following club members – Tony Hutchings, John Giles, Jim Hutson, Gabby Bliss and a posthumous award for Glen Wells.
The awards will be presented after the AGM at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham on Saturday 13th May 2006. Any person who won an award last year but failed to collect it can be ‘awarded’ at this years ceremony.
World Touring Cars at Brands Hatch
The club has manages to secure 500 free tickets for club members from BMW UK, with a net cost of £12,500 – The tickets will be available to club members on a first come first served basis via the club office, with each member being limited to 2 tickets. Each ticket allows one adult free entry into Brands Hatch on the Sunday raceday, and would normally cost £25.00.
We are also hoping to secure a club parking area together with the display areas for the 02, E30 M3’s & Coupe Register.