-
OKTOBERFEST 2018THIS ISSUE:
DORKFEST 2018E-RACINGLIME ROCK
R O U N D E L M A G A Z I N EB M W C A R C L U B O F A M E R I C
A
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8
-
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
40
Oktoberfest 2018 was a history lesson. It was a celebration of
the 50th anniversary of the BMW 2002, of course, hence the
selection of that iconic sport sedan as the featured marque for
the
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix at the end of the week. But
staging Oktoberfest in Pittsburgh also steeped the BMW CCA in
two-and-a-half centuries of American history just because of the
location; perhaps no other city has been at the vital center of so
much of the story of our country. This is the place that a young
George Washington reported as a favorable site for fortifications
at the beginning of the French and Indian War (actually, there were
Native American allies on both sides). Indeed, it became the
location of several forts: The French first routed the British, who
were attempting to erect Fort Prince George, and built Fort
Duquesne. Then they burned it before retreating from a fortified
British onslaught, whereupon the British built Fort Pitt at the
strategic point now known as Pittsburgh’s Point State Park.
Strategic indeed: Here, as elementary children are no doubt
still schooled, is the point where the mighty Monongahela meets the
Allegheny River, and their confluence begets the Ohio River,
gateway to the West—which, of course, was New France prior to the
Royal Proclamation of 1763, a vast territory
stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the farthest outposts of
eastern Canada. Now, with the signing of that proclamation, it was
the portal to western expansion, despite provisions which declared
everything west of the Alleghenies to be Indian lands.
Move past that war and the Cartographer John Rocque drew plans
for Fort Pitt in 1759.
BY SATCH CARLSONPHOTOGRAPHS BY JON VAN WOERDEN
-
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
41
20182018
-
Yokohama Robber Baron Dinner at the Grand Concourse R
OU
ND
EL
OC
TO
BE
R 2
018
42
next—1776 and all that—and halfway through the new century as
the world powers its way into the Industrial Revolution: steam
engines! Railroads! Transportation! And right in the middle was
Pittsburgh, in a region abundant in coal and iron ore, with
waterways leading to the entire world. There were fortunes to be
made here, in the smelting of iron, in the making of glass, in the
financing of great projects, in the production of coke to fuel the
smelters—and in the making of steel. With the Bessemer process,
steel rails could be made quickly and cheaply, replacing iron
to
supply tracks across America. Especially after the Civil War,
business was booming. Pittsburgh’s population swelled with
immigrants from Europe and from the postwar South, even as Chinese
labor worked its way eastward with the transcontinental
railroad—itself a project created by ingenious schemes and blatant
bribery. (You were paying attention when they taught you about
Thomas Durant and the Crédit Mobilier scandal, weren’t you?)
It was the Gilded Age, when the robber barons ruled, and steel
magnate Andrew Carnegie was the richest man in the world. When he
sold his
Jack Pierotti came as his third cousin, William E. Corey; Mary
Pierotti came as Cora.
-
Yokohama Robber Baron Dinner at the Grand Concourse
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rnJa
ckie
Jou
ret
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
43
U.S. Steel holdings to JP Morgan in 1901—for $480,000,000—the
average household income in America was $750 a year.
Ah, those robber barons! They didn’t all come from Pittsburgh,
but Carnegie and his snarling Doberman, Henry Clay Fisk, were the
epitome of the breed. Pittsburgh is rich in labor history,
including the most violent episodes of the Great Railroad Strike Of
1877 (when Thomas Alexander Scott was head of the Pennsylvania
Railroad) and the Homestead steel-plant strike of 1892, when Fisk
sent bargeloads of Pinkertons to break the strike, with disastrous
results. Oh, and we can’t forget the Johnstown Flood of 1889, the
result of Pittsburgh’s wealthy elite buying a reservoir and turning
it into an exclusive lake resort, the South Fork Fishing And
Hunting Club. When the dam failed, more than 2,000 people lost
their lives, but none of the principals was found liable for the
club’s modifications of the Lake Conemaugh dam—including lowering
the dam so they could build a road across it. Only after the
disaster did Pennsylvania begin applying the common-law precedents
of
Fletcher v. Ryland in assigning strict liability to such
cases.
Ah, the roads of Pennsylvania! Just driving to Pittsburgh is a
journey through the past. Remember George Washington’s travels to
and from Fort Pitt? Part of these expeditions included the building
of military roads. The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike was the
country’s first commercial toll road. The National Road, the first
road project wholly underwritten by the federal government, cut
through the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, and may be said to
have fathered Highway 40; here you will find the first iron arched
bridge in the United States, completed in 1839 over Dunlap’s Creek.
And motorists should remember that the petroleum industry began in
Pennsylvania, too: River, rail, or roadway, every form of
transportation in America is entwined with the history of the
Keystone State—which also created the first American superhighway
with the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Oktoberfest in Pittsburgh, then, was a celebration of the
Bavarian marque, of course, but also a chance to dip into one of
... and the Friend Of The Club award also goes to Bill Wade.
Mike Renner receives his Friend Of The Club award from Eddy
Funahashi, Steve Johnson, and Frank Patek...
-
Shell Gilligan’s island boat tour
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
44
the most complex and fascinating centers of American history.
Hence the Yokohama-sponsored dinner at the Grand Concourse,
formerly the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad station—no, not
the same railroad structures destroyed in the Great Railroad
Strike. The event had a Robber Barons theme, and the BMW CCA took
it to heart. Of course, one couple, Mary and Jack Pierotti, went
beyond the ordinary trappings of costume-party dress-up by coming
as actual characters from the Gilded Age, William Ellis
Corey—another president of US Steel—and his wife, Cora.
Scandalously, Corey divorced Cora in 1906 in order to marry
showgirl Mabelle Gilman; his settlement with Cora of $3,000,000
must have helped ease any fractures in the pericardium, since it
would be more than $80,000,000 today.
Why come as those two? Because Jack Pierotti is actually a third
cousin to William Ellis Corey!
But the Gilded Age was not our only historical focus. This is
Three Rivers country, home of Heinz Field and the
Pittsburgh Steelers—yes, they once played at Three Rivers
Stadium, if that name rings a bell (perhaps Big Ben?)—and a place
with so many rivers might have watery excursions, say a three-hour
tour….
Yes: another theme party! The Gilligan’s Island theme dinner was
a challenge for those who never watched the TV show, but those
cultural illiterates—ahem—were vastly outnumbered by CCA members
who seem to have memorized every episode of the series, which ran
for three seasons back in the Dark Ages, 1964–’67. There was the
Skipper. (Yes, former BMW CCA president Scott Blazey does seem to
share DNA with Alan Hale, Jr.) There was his little buddy Gilligan.
(Sean Brown is obviously related somehow to Bob Denver.) There were
Mary Anne and Ginger and the professor. There were characters who
appeared as guests in one episode only, but who were nevertheless
cheered by the assembled multitude who seemed to have made a cult
of Gilligan’s Island.
And then there were Jon and Wendy van Woerden, who
The Gilligan’s Island theme seemed to strike a popular
chord with BMW CCA O’Festers, although it may
have been confusing to those who never watched
the show. Not even re-runs.
-
Shell Gilligan’s island boat tour
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn R
OU
ND
EL
BM
WC
CA
.OR
G
45
came as coconut trees. And you wonder why we love this club?!Of
course, there was car stuff, too: the usual driving schools,
autocross competition, rallies, and concours. But I think that
when the 1,300 fans of the marque who journeyed to Pittsburgh for
Oktoberfest 2018 look back on the event, they’re going to be
talking less about one more car event and more about our social
camaraderie: the traveling dinner at the Carnegie Science Center,
or the Robber Barons’ Ball, or the Gilligan’s Island dinner
cruise.
And unlike the Skipper and his little buddy, we made it back to
the dock.
Sean Brown was a fine little buddy to Scott Blazey’s
Skipper.
-
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
46
Griot’s Garage provides the official car-care products of the
BMW CCA, and they graciously set up several wash bays—fully stocked
with their products—so that we could wash
away all the road grime we had picked up along the journey to
Pittsburgh. Of course, some weren’t there just to wash their cars,
but were preparing and cleaning every detail in anticipation of the
Pirelli Concours. Luckily, the Griot’s Garage guys were on hand to
provide expert advice on detailing; they even hosted two separate
car-care clinics, an exterior and interior seminar, for attendees.
These covered a wide variety of topics, the largest of which
revolved around exterior paint care. So you have no excuses, gang;
get out there and make it shine!—Chris Hennecy
Vendor-hall activities kicked off on Monday, when mem-bers
packed the Sheraton’s ballroom as the doors swung open for
registration. First up was signing the necessary
waivers and picking up name badges. Once through the line, we
mingled with vendors and sponsors and enjoyed the latest addition
to O’Fest: the lounge and game area! Yes, members were eager to do
battle in a variety of games, including ping-pong, cornhole, and
giant Jenga! And fabulous hors d’oeuvres were served throughout the
week, thanks to generous support from Shell and Dinan.—Chris
Hennecy
Griot’s Garage Car Wash
registration and vendor hall
As always, O’Fest played host to a very interesting series of
tech talks including car care seminars from Griot’s Garage, tire
talks from Michelin and Yokohama, Rob Siegel’s vintage air
condition-ing seminar, and several 2002-specific programs. New this
year, was a 55-minute panel with social
media influencers who covered an array of questions about
today’s digital form of communication. The panel sponsored by Shell
consisted of social media pros including Samantha Tan, Matt
Maranowski, Spencer Berke, and Rooz Rafie.—Chris Hennecy
Tech Talks
-
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
47
Continuing a trend of gymkha-nas past, the 2018 Oktoberfest
gymkhana wasn’t held in a park-
ing lot, nor did it use actual cars; wheeled transport was
involved, however—in the form of a me-chanic’s creeper. Part of the
event included a slalom course run in—or rather on—this creeper,
one team member riding and the other provid-ing the motive power
and “steering.” If you’ve ever used a creeper for its intended
purpose, you know that with four freely pivoting casters, you have
little control over its direction; you’re literally along for the
ride.
Competing teams used a variety of steering methods, pushing,
pull-ing—even using the legs or arms of the rider as handlebars in
a usually vain attempt to control the creeper’s direc-tion. Riders
perched on the creeper in various positions: prone, sitting up, or
kneeling. Doug Jameson and Kasey Anton even navigated the course
with their beagle—for extra traction?
No method seemed any better than any other; the creeper simply
went where it wanted to go. And to make things a little more
difficult, the course
Gymkhana Madness Includes A Creepy—Er, Creeper—Slalom
was on a carpet, not the nice smooth concrete floor that is a
creeper’s home territory.
But creeper-slaloming was only a part of the event. In fact, it
only consti-tuted a fifth of the total activities—and points. Three
of the remaining four sec-tions involved Canada—not surprising when
you consider the event’s designer, Canadian Ted Kalman, from
Missis-sauga, Ontario. First was the beer-cap jar: Make an educated
(or just plain wild) guess as to the number of caps in the jar.
Canadian beer caps, of course,
laboriously collected by Ted, one at a time, over three grueling
months.
Then came the real knowledge test: Canadian Trivia. Fortunately
for us Amer-icans, the questions were true or false, so at least
you had a 50% chance of success. Example: “Canada has five time
zones.” Nope, they have six; Newfoundland is way out in the
Atlantic—and has its own time zone. The final knowledge test was a
little easier, if your BMW knowledge was up to snuff: Match
pictures of BMW models with their factory codes.
Perhaps in honor of the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of six
Super Bowls, the creeper slalom led to a test of one’s
football-throwing skills. The contest involved tossing a football
through two different-size hula hoops from an appro-priate
distance—more of a flea-flicker than a Hail Mary—but accuracy
counted. Finally, once again on the creeper, this time in a
straight line—at least as straight as a creeper can be pushed—to
the finish. Much hilarity ensued.
Twenty-six two-person teams (and one dog) ran the course. When
the laughing was over, Rob Mitchell and Greg John-son were in first
place, Owen Nelson and Ben Thongsai were second, and Preston Quirk
and Murray Crow took third. Doug, Kasey, and the beagle
unfortunately finished out of the money—or in this case, the
edibles, for gymkhana winners were treated to Canadian treats: a
six-pack of Kokanee beer and a bag of Ketchup potato chips.
I wonder what twisted event next year’s gymkhana chair will have
for us at O’Fest 2019 in Greenville!—Mike Self
-
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
Jon
van
Woe
rden
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
48
Pirelli ConcoursA SUPER CONCOURS IN STEELER NATION
-
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
49
Pirelli Concours An automotive concours d’elegance and football?
Not a typical combination. But
this year’s Pirelli Oktoberfest Concours used the plaza that
fronts Heinz Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although it
was held on concrete versus the usual grass venue, a cool breeze
off the Ohio River helped mitigate the heat.
Entries included 29 judged cars on the plaza and 118 registered
display cars on the River Walk below the stadium. Appropriately for
the BMW 2002’s 50th anniversary, many of them were entered in the
event: a third of the judged cars were 02s, and well over half of
the display cars were anniversary celebrants.
Three of those judged 02s were entered by their original owners:
Mike DiAndrea (’74 tii) and Bruce Hazard (’72) were in the Super
Clean class, and David Roach’s ’73 was entered in the Clean class.
Concours entries are divided by both age and what’s being judged;
the Clean class has judges looking only at the exterior and
interior, while the Super Clean class adds engine compartment and
trunk. Then there’s the Concours class, in which the underside is
also inspected. There’s a Tuner class for heavily modified and
track cars, and finally a Preservation class for cars that meet
rather strict criteria for originality: original paint, interior,
trim, etc.
In this sort of “clean-car contest” concours competition,
cleanliness is the most important criterion, followed by condition.
Authenticity is a consideration, but it takes a back seat to the
twin Holy Grails of cleanliness and condition.
-
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
50
Meanwhile, down by the Ohio—which begins here at the confluence
of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers—the owners whose cars were
on display only, not being judged, were relaxing, enjoying the
day’s events and the attention from all the passersby on the River
Walk, and trying to feel sympathy for the judged cars’ owners, who
pursued that last speck of dust in the 90-degree heat before the
dreaded “rags down” command rang out.
The judges, led by event chair Paul Cain, had their work cut out
for them. Using a new judging system—subtractive rather than
additive—for only the second year, and a scoring system that
drilled down to half-point penalties, made for some interesting
discussions within the two- and three-judge teams. In three
classes, first and third place were separated by two points or
fewer. Judges were reduced to careful searches for the tiniest
bits
of dirt overlooked by zealous owners. No ties this year,
however. (Several years ago, two cars tied for first; the
determining factor was having the owners remove their rear license
plate. One owner had cleaned back there, and the other got the
second-place trophy.)
When the judges had finished their tasks, the classic classes
(pre-E30 era) were dominated by 2002s. Scott Hughes’ immaculate ’75
2002 Turbo won in the Clean class, and Bruce Hazard’s ’72 won Super
Clean. André Noël’s E30 M3 won the second-generation Super Clean
class; no cars were entered in the corresponding Clean class.
For the third-generation cars, Noel Lara’s ’95 M3 won in the
Clean class; Jim Duggan took home top honors in Super Clean with
his ’98 M roadster. Moving to more recent models, Andy Baer’s ’99
528i took fourth-generation Clean, and Barry Norman’s 2007 Z4 M
coupe was the first-place winner in the Super Clean class.
The fifth-generation classes hold the newest cars: Mike
Lingenfelter’s 2016 M235i scored top honors in the Clean class,
while Jason Azima topped the Super Clean class with his 2013
335i.
New this year was the Tuner class. Its lone entrant was Tim
Wing’s ’87 325is. Concours Original also had only one entrant:
Jared Reid’s 1995 M3. Yet another new class for 2018 was the
Preservation class, for cars that have been preserved with as much
originality as possible. Gavin Roberts and his ’85 325e brought
home that trophy.
One final category: People’s Choice. All O’Fest attendees
received a ballot to cast for their favorite car at the concours.
The graceful, curved pre-war lines of Lance White’s 1939 321 Drauz
cabriolet seduced the majority of voters and carried off the
trophy.—Mike Self
Pirelli concours
-
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rnJo
n va
n W
oerd
en
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
51
Pirelli concours
-
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
52
Pirelli concoursJo
n va
n W
oerd
en
-
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn R
OU
ND
EL
BM
WC
CA
.OR
G
53
Jon
van
Woe
rden
-
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
54
Sports-car rallying, specifically time-speed-distance rallying,
is a game of jots and tittles, a fifth-
grade math-class word problem, a giant game of Mother May I. And
it’s not only a mental exercise for the participants, but an
interesting challenge for the rallymaster: Create a rally that is
straightforward and simple enough for the greenest novice, but one
that will provide an interesting challenge to the experienced
expert rallyist.
Fortunately, Pennsylvania has been the epicenter of TSD rallying
(as well as hard-core performance rallying) since the 1950s, and
the 2018 Shell Oktoberfest Rally employed the skills of Bruce
Gezon, a veteran rallymaster and SCCA rally champion (with some
three dozen championship wins over three decades).
Oktoberfest rallies add additional challenges. When your host
hotel is in downtown Pittsburgh, you have to find a route that
takes the rally out to scenic rally roads—and there’s no way to do
that in Pittsburgh without encountering Bridge City traffic. So the
2018 rally began with an urban scenic tour, taking rallyists over
historic cobblestones and a bridge or two while they warmed up
their tires and adjusted their odometers. With the initial slog
behind them, rallyists spent several hours enjoying the scenic
rally roads of Western Pennsylvania as they competed for honors—and
Shell fuel cards—in three classes: Class A for cars equipped with
sophisticated rally computers, Class B for cars with a range of
allowed auxiliary instrumentation, and Class C, which restricts
rallyists to stock instruments.
One challenge for TSD rallyists is the adjustment of ideal time,
perhaps for a delay on a bridge, or for an off-route excursion.
These time adjustments
Shell TSD Rally2002s WON
RALLIES IN THE OLD DAYS—AND IN
PITTSBURGH
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
-
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
55
Shell TSD Rally
are the bane of many novice navigators, but scoring steward Jeff
Hutzelman used a system that magically calculated each team’s
adjusted time at each control—and as they arrived back at the
Sheraton Station Square, rallyists found Hutzelman already in the
lobby, below a monitor displaying the scores for the entire
rally!
Scoring a total of 50 penalty points over five controls, George
Phemister and John Hartge took third-place honors in Class C, but
it wasn’t quite that simple: Scott Blazey and Dave Farnsworth had
also scored 50 points. However, in the case of identical total
scores, TSD ties go to the team with the lowest individual
timing-control scores, first
comparing zeroes, then ones, and so on. Since Phemister and
Hartge had scored a zero at one control and a one at another, while
Blazey and Farnsworth had managed a low score of three points, the
tiebreaking process was simple and straightforward.
Gary Lin and Brian Roche scored 48 points to take second in
Class C, while Geoff and Eleanor Franks won the class with a total
penalty of 40 points.
In Class B, where rallyists are allowed laptop computers and
auxiliary odometers, along with aftermarket GPS devices, Brian and
Kelly Blazey—rallying, it seems, is a Blazey family affair—placed
third with 53 points. Perennial O’Fest rally competitors Bob
and Sheila Morin took second with 43 points, while Candy and Jan
Gerber topped Class B with a 21-point run.
Class A, packed with rally veterans, saw Jim Storch and Tony
Lee—last year’s rallymaster for the Shell O’Fest rally in New
Orleans—finish third with 74 points, while Jim Miner drove and Pete
Schneider upped the game with a total of just fifteen penalty
points to take second. (Schneider is no stranger to the game; he
won the 2004 AlCan Winter Rally in an X3.) And in a fitting
celebration of the 50th anniversary of the BMW 2002, Greg Johnson
and Dave Roach accumulated just eight points in the entire rally to
win Class A in Roach’s pristine Colorado 2002.—Satch Carlson
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
-
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
56
There’s nothing quite like a nice roomy parking lot with no
scary obstructions—light poles,
curbs, and the like—to allow a fun and challenging autocross
course. Held on the largest of many paved lots at the Pittsburgh
International Race Complex (you may remember it as BeaveRun), the
event was so efficiently organized by brothers Chris and Jim
Williams—both local guys—that drivers were allowed five runs
each.
Jeff Taylor, Melissa Cunningham, Zac Cunningham, and the
Williams brothers collaborated in course design, and a great course
it was: no gimmicks but plenty technical—and challenging. With many
turns and precious few straights, drivers had to concentrate on the
pointer cones (those laid on their side to indicate which side the
driver should pass) in order to avoid going off-course and
collecting a spoiled run rather than a good time. Off-course runs
abounded—easy to do when the red mist of competition descends
and
you’re confronted with a seemingly endless number of cones
appearing to be randomly scattered over the pavement. There wasn’t
a straight section of more than a few hundred feet; that helped
equalize the difference between 100-horsepower 2002s and
300-plus-horsepower M cars.
Take a vicarious run with me through the course. From a rolling
start, almost immediately out of the box you’re faced with a
four-cone slalom. Rounding the final cone, you should be properly
set for the sweeping left ending in a narrowish gate that leads to
a double sweeping right; this double sweeper can be taken as a
single curve—if you’ve set up correctly for it, and if you’re
prepared for a narrow, off-line exit gate that rewards you for the
correct line but penalizes you for the wrong one.
Once you’re successfully past that gate, there’s a very short
straight—the longest one on the course—followed by a two-cone
slalom which leaves you in the right spot for a left-hand
sweeper
through a narrow gate—if you get it right. Next comes yet
another short straight followed by yet another narrow gate—see a
trend here?—that empties into a near-180-degree turn; it enjoys a
deceptively decreasing radius before presenting its exit gate.
The end is now in sight: just a three-cone slalom followed by a
90-degree kink to the right, and you suddenly find yourself in the
stop box, where you are required to stop—completely. More than a
few drivers blow a great run by failing to stop within the box.
This entire course was run in the 35–45 second range, depending
on your car and your driving ability.
Since 2018 is the 50th anniversary of the 2002, there were more
02s being autocrossed than I’d seen in many years—twelve, according
to my count—ranging from bone-stock to highly modified. Those 02
drivers posted impressive times, too; Josh Hankins made a 39.296
run in his carbureted
Tire rack AutocrossCOURSE DESIGN IS THE GREAT EQUALIZER
Jon
van
Woe
rden
-
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
57
’72, only 4.4 seconds off the fastest time of the day—34.862
seconds—that was set by Marcus Kroll in his 2005 M3.
Besides the dozen 02s and the usual array of M cars of all
vintages, there were some other cars not often seen on an autocross
course. David Miller drove his 535d very well, finishing just out
of the top three in his class by less than half a second. David and
Mary Eggleston brought their beautiful 635CSi coupe all the way
from Utah, and both turned in very respectable times for a very
un-autocross-oriented car. Another coupe driver, Jim Williams
piloted his ’92 850i through the course. These unusual autocross
rides all had respectable times—and not a single off-course
excursion.
When all the rubber dust had settled, drivers, workers, and
spectators agreed that the 2018 Tire Rack Oktoberfest Autocross had
been great fun: There were no “unfortunate incidents,” all engines
remained whole, and everyone left with big smiles after a day of
really driving their Ultimate Driving Machines.—Mike Self
Tire rack Autocross
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
-
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
58
Thursday was Motorsports Day for the BMW CCA Oktoberfest week;
PittRace (as most people refer to
it) was busy on every asphalt surface, with driving-school
students on the road-racing and karting tracks, and cone-chasing
competitors on the au-tocross course, under the supervision of
Allegheny Chapter members Chris and James Williams. They instruct
at PittRace driving schools, and used their knowledge to set up a
fun and novice-friendly course.
The first few cars arrived at 7:00 after enjoying a crisp, clear
morning drive from Pittsburgh. By 8:00, almost all of the 95
competitors were clearing their cars out for technical inspection.
That was followed by course walks, talking BMWs, and enjoying the
camaraderie of an Oktoberfest autocross.
The new Oktoberfest autocross class structure was designed to
adapt to cur-rent offerings of both BMWs and tires. Classes include
cars almost as they are delivered from the factory—Showroom
classes—to Tuner classes, which allow very clearly defined levels
of prepara-tion, and the Modified classes, in which almost anything
goes, including the use of sticky tires—those with a treadwear
number under 200.
The course was shaped like a rounded M. It offered offsets,
slaloms, sweepers,
and a couple of “mostly straight” sec-tions, so planning your
turns, both entry and exit, became very important. On their first
runs, drivers learned the course, getting a feel for the
surface—which was a bit deceiving! It looked like it had good grip,
but in reality it wasn’t as grippy as some would have liked.
And there was the infamous stop box.The stop box was the final
element of
the run, which had a slalom leading to a super-tight right-hand
turn that directed you to the timing-light beam. If you did not
stop before the end of the stop box—delineated by traffic pylons as
a square, or box—you received a twenty-second time penalty. (Yes, I
was one of those who broke the box on the first run.)
Showroom 1 drivers, in the class which includes mostly newer
BMWs like the 1 Series M Coupe, M2, M3, M4, and a few older cars,
were the first to take on the course. Tish Otten, co-driving with
Jeff Otten, finished third (37.270) and second (37.052)
respectively, with the top time being a 2006 Z4 driven by Kamran
Bakhtian (36.377).
The largest class, Showroom 2, with 21 competitors, also had the
broadest range of cars, from a 635CSi to an M550i, an 850i, and a
535d—which placed fourth! Geoff Franks grabbed third in a 2000 M
coupe (40.284), Jeff Taylor was second
in his 135i (39.226), and Jan Gerber won the class by a
2.5-second margin with a 36.776 in his 330ci.
The Showroom 3 class was set up to honor the 2002 in
almost-stock preparation—but alas, there was only one car for the
class! (Fortunately, other not-so-stock 2002s ran in other
classes). But Jim Michener’s 2002tii was a proper car for the
class, posting a fast time of 43.177.
The Tuner 1 class allows mild tuner preparations. It consisted
of multiple generations of M3s, a couple of 1 Series M Coupes, and
a Z4 M coupe. Gary Meredith, in his powerful 2011 M3, put himself
into third on his afternoon runs (36.156); he was right behind Seth
Koch in a second-generation E36 M3 (35.291). First place was
garnered by Marcus Kroll, who not only bested the class, but also
posted the Fastest Time Of The Day on his final morning run with
the only sub-35-second run of the event: a screaming 34.862!
For the Tuner 2 class, it was another large mix of cars. Third
place was cap-tured by André Noël in his E30 M3—and he saved the
best for last, clocking a 37.947 on his final run of the day! Zac
Cunningham was the outlier in his 2004 Mini Cooper, coming in
second with a run of 37.689, while the winner of the class was
Christopher Stokes in his 2011
AUTOCROSS CLASSES HAD A PLACE FOR EVERY CAR
Tire rack Autocross
Jon
van
Woe
rden
-
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
59
135i with a time of 36.288.Tuner 3 had two cars. Jon Trudel,
at
the wheel of a six-cylinder Z3, was faster than Matt Rousseau in
an E30 325is, winning the day with a 40.99-second final run.
The Tuner 4 class was the 2002 arena with seven 2002s in the
field. Coming in at the third position was Rob Morrelli in his 1975
2002 (41.019). Just in front of him was Charles Pompei in a 1971
2002, and finishing just half a second faster than Pompei was Josh
Hankins in a 1972 2002. It was great seeing those cars going
head-to-head—truly like the early days of the BMW CCA!
The Modified class, where just about anything goes, had cars
ranging from a 1972 2002 to M3s to a 1 Series M Coupe. Chris Hayes’
2008 M3 reeled in third place with a 37.573 on his final run.
Second place went to one of the key organizers, Chris Williams; he
and Hayes traded times and had a tight battle going on, but they
were both chasing Matt Murray in the 1M, who wound up at the top of
the page with a 35.160—a 1.893-second lead.
Each run group made three runs in the morning and two runs in
the afternoon. Many drivers were unable to improve during those
last two runs, especially
those leading their respective classes.
In order to make sure that everyone could enjoy the autocross,
Rookie and Fun classes were added to the mix. The Rookie class was
for anyone who had not run an autocross event before; Mike
Holsinger won the class in his beauti-ful new 340i. The Fun class
was won by Robert Hopkins in a Honda S2000 (36.439).
Of note, Melani Maslo’s entry was a Mini that ended up with a
mechanical problem, but she wanted to enjoy O’Fest and the
autocross, so she ran her 1989 Porsche 944 S2!—Matt Murray
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
-
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
60
If you’ve been to Oktoberfest, you know that the combination of
talented instructors and excellent race tracks
make the O’Fest driving schools quite comprehensive and fun.
This year’s track of choice was the Pittsburgh International Race
Complex (PIRC)—in full configuration, totaling a fantastic 2.78
miles and nineteen corners! Members had a blast and were excited to
see Yokohama providing trackside support and entertainment.
Attendees at the track also enjoyed lunch sponsored by our friends
at Lockton Motorsports HPDE Insurance.—Chris Hennecy
On Thursday and Friday, Michelin invited O’Festers to join them
at the track for the Michelin Driving Experi-
ence. Members were able to get behind the wheel of a BMW M3
equipped with the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tire, as well as one
equipped with a competitor’s tire. Participants tested the cars and
tires back-to-back in both dry and wet conditions on an
autocross-style course. And on Friday, lucky attendees who had
registered early got to experience the thrill of a hot lap at PIRC
with one of Michelin’s professional drivers in a BMW M3 on Pilot
Sport 4S tires.—Chris Hennecy
After its initial debut in New Orleans, O’Fest karting made its
triumphant return in 2018 with grudge-match
races at PIRC! Members were able to race for bragging rights
among friends and fellow O’Fest attendees, and we even saw some
special guests out on track, like Bill Auberlen!
PIRC had an impressive 0.82-mile Wilson Karting Circuit that was
a lot of fun to drive!—Chris Hennecy
Yokohama HPDE
Michelin Drive and Compare
Karting SHOWDOWN
Hot-shoe Bill Auberlen leads BMW NA’s Tom Plucinsky and
Alex Schmuck through the turns.
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
-
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
61
Club racingClub racers converged on Pittsburgh International
Raceway for Oktoberfest. See the story in Racing Lines on page 92
for details!
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
-
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
62
BMW CCA FOUNDATION CHARITY RIDES
One of the unique opportunities at any BMW CCA Oktoberfest is
the chance to see—and hear, and feel!—some of the most famous
racing BMWs in
North American motorsports history. Every year the true
enthusiasts at BMW USA Classic bring out a few of them for display,
demonstration, and even some hot laps.
This year, attendees were able to experience hot laps in the Z4
GTLM, the E46 M3 GTR, and the Alpina 2002, with drivers including
BMW NA’s Tom Plucinsky and Alex Schmuck, as well as BMW Performance
Center instructor Mike Renner—and of course BMW factory driver and
racing legend Bill Auberlen.
Best of all, proceeds from hot-lap tickets went to charity,
supporting the BMW CCA Foundation and their efforts to preserve
BMW’s history in the U.S.—and to educate young drivers through the
Tire Rack Street Survival program.—Chris Hennecy Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
-
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
63
Pirelli Dinner at the Carnegie Science Center“S
top playing with your food! Put those toys away!”—said no one
ever at O’Fest, so we combined the two for our Thursday-night
Pirelli-sponsored dinner at the Carnegie Science Center. The
center’s four floors offered inter-active exhibits including a
world-renowned miniature railroad and the world’s largest permanent
robotics exhi-
bition—all were available for attendees to enjoy throughout the
evening! Liquid Nitro cocktails? Ruben’s Tube S’Mores? Hey, there
were four floors of food stations! Yep, it was a fantastic
evening!—Chris Hennecy
As often happens, O’Fest week flew by too fast, and it was time
to judge the contest
submissions and decide on the winners in each category.
The photo contest, like so many things, needs to evolve with the
times. The day of the printed photo seems to be fading into
history; today, images are almost always in an electronic format,
be it on your cell phone, tablet, social media, or some computer.
We’re discussing how to handle this new reality in the future, so
stay tuned, and check the information feeds on social media and the
Oktoberfest website for announcements.
Speaking of submissions, we really need to have more items in
the original artwork category. We’ve had some outstandingly
creative items at times since I took on the organizer’s position;
the rules were revised this year to allow submission of physical
artwork or pictures of that artwork. The only
limitations are that it can’t be larger than 11x14 and it can’t
be so heavy that we can’t safely display it on the exhibit boards.
This is a challenge to those crafty CCAers out there: If you paint,
make small sculptures, or do inlaid woodwork, let’s see it! Just
make sure that it fits the requirements of size and weight. To
those of you making artwork out of crankshafts and engine parts,
sorry, but that can’t be accepted at this time. Just bring a
photo.
My thanks to this year’s volun-teers, John Johnson and Anthony
Barbagallo, for assistance in judging the photos. Thanks to Christa
and Isabella Barbagallo for counting the People’s Choice ballots.
And finally, thanks to Alice for putting up with me all week.
My thanks again to everyone who submitted photos at this year’s
O’Fest. Keep taking those pictures and start looking for your
winner for next year!—Mel Dillon
BMWS AT RESTFirst: Eric SavereisenSecond: Mary HayesThird: David
Scherr BMWS AT THE CURRENT OKTOBERFESTFirst: Michael
MitchellSecond: Mary HayesThird: Josh Hunkins BMWS AND PEOPLEFirst:
Mateo ButlerSecond: Lynne BellThird: Ian Branston
BMWS IN COMPETITION AND ACTIONFirst: Jeff RomageSecond: Margaret
HartkaThird: David Yando ORIGINAL BMW ARTWORK/DRAWINGSFirst: David
YandoSecond: Michael Mitchell ENHANCED OR MANIPU-LATED PHOTOS OF
BMWSFirst: Tish OttenSecond: Chris HayesThird: Lonnie Shirk
2018 O’Fest Photo Contest
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDMichael Mitchell
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
W. L
en R
aybu
rnW
. Len
Ray
burn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
Mich
ael M
itche
ll
-
RO
UN
DE
L O
CT
OB
ER
20
18
64
BMW NA Closing Banquet
Thanks for a great Oktoberfest 2018!
The BMW NA banquet usually features an inter-esting speaker. In
2018, we enjoyed an intro-duction to North America’s head of BMW
M
and BMW Individual, Kevin M. Philips. Host Tom Plucinsky asked
the right questions, and Philips responded with candor and
enthusiasm, being quite frank about the future of the manual
transmis-sion, the role of electric power in M cars, and the
no-longer-heretical notion of all-wheel-drive M machinery. BMW’s
“in-between” M Performance models like the upcoming X2 M35i have
been hot sellers—and excellent drivers—and the X3 M and X4 M models
currently under development will surely find new fans who will
wonder what all those cries of “Sacrilege!” were about.—Satch
Carlson
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
W. L
en R
aybu
rnW
. Len
Ray
burn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
Jon
van
Woe
rden
-
RO
UN
DE
L B
MW
CC
A.O
RG
65
Thank you, 2018 sponsors!
W. L
en R
aybu
rn
Oktoberfest October 2018
