Pics from today's (unlucky) Bay Area M5 Drive - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

beetlem5 · 11th April 2004, 01:35

Well I made it home in one piece, which is not something I take for granted given the run of bad luck we had on today's drive. First of I want to thank Phil for taking the time and energy to pull this together. The route he planned was a good one and I had fun while things were going ok. Second I want to send well wishes to the two gents who had mishaps -- I'm glad you are ok and here's to your collective beasts making a full recovery.

Here's the pics from today's subdued run...

The day started at early, with a 2 hour drive ahead of me to get to the Sacramento area. All aboard the M5 train -- woo woo....

We made it to the first resteraunt in Roseville and had a good breakfast there. As usual on our runs, M5s dominated the parking lot:

Except for this buick, who thought he was an M5!

After breakfast we headed out on the road, including a series of very scenic bridges.

Unfortunately around here is where we had our first casualty. I'm not sure of the full story, but one of our Black M5's clipped fenders with an oncoming SUV, sending the SUV into a spin. The side airbags on the black M5 deployed. I'm not sure who was in this first M5, but I hope everything turns out OK. The damage did not look too bad.

At this point we made a mental note to slow it down and continued on our way.

At this point Phil took us on a series of very fun roads with lotsa twisties. The group's spirit was picking up again.

We were talking about taking a break shortly, but had one small stretch of road to go through. In hindsight it was a difficult road in that it had tons of small dips and hills. Unfortunately one of our cars went airborn and lost control:

The group stopped to make sure the driver was ok. Fortunately his airbags had deployed and he seemed ok. The farmer across the road called 911. The car had broken wheels and it looks like some of the undercarriage got pulled out, along with the bumper and side mirror. To the driver, I really hope things work out ok. The most important thing is that you did not get hurt.

At this point we decided to call it a day.

Thanks again to Phil for the hard work he put into this. While I'm sure we all wish the outcome was different, it's a good reminder that our fine german machines can't overcome the laws of physics.

To the two drivers who had mishaps, I'm sorry about the bad luck. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Gustav · 11th April 2004, 01:47

Wow. Im very sorry to hear about the two incidents

The best thing is that that nobody got hurt, we know the M5s are safe cars. Looks lile the black M5 will be fixable as well, hopefully it is not more damage than can be seen from here. I hope the police weenä't too annoying either.

Apart from that great pictures and great story! Thanks Bailey!

Zlaatan · 11th April 2004, 02:13

PhilSeastrand · 11th April 2004, 02:29

I feel really bad that we had so much bad luck. My thoughts are with the two drivers that had accidents.

Unfortunately I don't think the pictured car will survive. The tow truck driver thought it would be totaled. Since it went through the barbed-wire fence, almost every body panel was damaged -- not to mention the rear suspension. Hopefully he will be proven wrong.

As others have said, the good news is that no one was injured. It still stings, however.

TCM · 11th April 2004, 02:29

Oh dear, I am sorry to hear about the two unfortunate incidents that occured. I am glad to see everyone was ok. The cars can and will be fixed. It looks like you guys had some great weather and roads for the run. Thanks for sharing the pictures and story with us.

M Macht · 11th April 2004, 02:32

Thanks Bailey for posting the pictures and Phil for organizing the drive. It promised to be a fun day but the driving gods were not with us.

I also want to send my condolences and well wishes to our two fellow M5 drivers involved in todays accidents. Thankfully, no one was injured. I hope your Beasts will be repaired and back on the road soon. Our thoughts are with you guys. Hang in there.

Sharif · 11th April 2004, 02:39

sorry to see this type of thing. hope everyone is ok

willwin2day · 11th April 2004, 03:10

Hey..I was thinking of y'all this year. Brought back some great memories from last year! Sorry to hear about the mishap! Great photos Bailey!!

Donnie Isley

greg · 11th April 2004, 03:42

What a shame to have this bad luck on what otherwise appears to have been a beautiful day for a beautiful drive. I know everyone feels awful about the incidents, and that no preaching is necessary. My condolences.

However if you can, in hindsight, recognize what you as drivers or organizers might have done differently to have prevented these incidents or reduced the likelihood of their happening, I hope you'll share them with the rest of us for our collective benefit.

400hpAddict · 11th April 2004, 07:01

I hate to say this guys, but BAD LUCK? How 'bout BAD DRIVING maybe? Bad Judgement? Cars do not go airborne when driven properly. Ditto for the previous accident. If I had joined this drive and people were driving *that* insane, I would have simply bailed out. I'm not trying to start something here, but man, it doesn't sound like simple bad luck. It sounds like unsafe driving.

-Shawn