Friday I drove up to Santa Ynez (inland from Santa Barbara) to spend the night at my parent's place. Saturday I drove to Bimmerfest and set up my Coupe at StopTech's booth, toured the show, etc. After dinner with some fine m5board peeps I drove back to Santa Ynez to crash. Sunday I drove down (and across) to Willow Spring Intl. Raceway to support my BMS buds during the second day of the BMWCCA double-points weekend. After a stop for a victory dinner (see below) at In-N-Out I drove home.
Since my intinerary sounds a bit dull without pics, here we go...
It was a beautiful day to drive up the coast. There was a lot of color in the water, blues, greens, some purple and redish tones - must have been some interesting interactions between the light and the clouds:
Santa Barbara and one of the Channel Islands while climbing up the 154:
Down into the Santa Ynez valley:
Sunset:
Sunrise Saturday morning, 5:30am:
6:30am, the moon is still out:
Departing my parent's property en-route to Bimmerfest:
Lake Cachuma from the 154:
Still a little bit of dawn color to the sky over Santa Barbara as I drive back down the 154:
My Coupe parked in the general parking area at the Earl Warren Showgrounds prior to moving it to StopTech's booth. This lot will be PACKED later:
The first few BMWs to arrive at the 9am public opening. The 101 was backed up, to a standstill, for 2 miles south of the Showgrounds with BMWs!
The indoor displays, prior to the show's opening:
Another Daytona Prototype car running Dinan S62 power:
My M Coupe, and an E90, at StopTech's booth. The Coupe drew a lot of stares and inquiries, ranging from the complimentary to the mystified. I'm still surprised by how many BMW owners still don't know what a Z4 M Coupe is
There were four (by my count) M Coupes in the parking lot. Here is a group of three that came in together. Two are from the Bay area, the other is from Arizona:
TC Kline also had his Carbon Coupe there:
Scott brought his E46 SMG HP race car. As many shows as he brings it to, he gets the award for the most miles in a cop magnet without a ticket
More BMWs:
Some of the cars from the SoCal m5board caravan:
A pair of *****in Dueces:
More Dueces:
Now for my awards section. Certain vehicles I felt deserved special praise or ridicule. Opinions are, of course, subjective.
Cleanest Shark of show:
Ugliest 8 Series in show:
Bluest car is show (bluer than the 8 in person):
Most-obviously-modding-via-installment award:
Worst-wheels-on-an-E46 award:
The I'm-better-than-you-because-I-drive-an-M6-Cabrio-so-I-can-double-park Award (maybe I should rename it the snob award for less typing?):
Most bling in show:
Funniest mod in-show:
Yellowist car in show:
Best-tasteful-use-of-bling-wheels award:
Worst-looking-sugar-scooper award:
Pinkest car in show. Most blinged-out E36 in show. AND Girliest car in show:
Best non-BMW:
Best use of "Bangle Tape Surfacing" design philosophy:
The I-need-a-BBK award:
Best off-road suspension in show:
Those of us from m5board lined up after the show closed for some group photos. Here is a shot of the "primary photographer" lining up the cars:
And the group pics:
Some of the m5board group's cars in a Santa Barbara parking garage prior to dinner:
Driving down the 101 on Sunday. There was a lot of salt spray in the air, which made for soem interesting mid-morning mist:
Sea-side hills:
My Coupe parked above turns 2 and 3 at Willow. If you look closely you can see Josh's #68 IP-dominating car:
In case you've been wondering what Markseven has been up to since selling his 540iT, here he is running his E30 around Willow:
Here he is passing a bunch of slower cars into turn 1:
Here's the car I came to see, Josh's #68. Some of you may remember that I designed the paint scheme for this car last year along with Miller's CM E36 (
old thread). Josh is now in only his second season of racing and is dominating the IP class.
Here are Chris and Herm prepping and welding up a broken lower control arm on Josh's leading competitor. The broken arm was discovered just prior to a qualifying race and rather than letting him sit in the pits and miss his whole second day of racing (ensuring Josh would win), The BMS guys obliged the competition's request to fix their car. It's testament to BMS that with many other teams, including Evosport and Bullet Performance, in the pits - the competition came to BMS for help. The repair took about an hour and was quite messy (and a little dangerous) in the strong winds Sunday. And no, Chris never asked for payment. This is the spirit of club racing!
Here are pics of Josh's car as he goes on to an easy win his class in Sunday's qualifying race.
The start:
Josh following Scott's HP car and the former Turner Motorsports DM car through turn 4:
Turn 3:
Approaching turn 4:
Some shots in the pits between races:
Here are pics from the big race on Sunday. Josh won his class again (he won his class in EVERY race this weekend!) by about a 1/2 lap over the second place IP car. Also of note, another BMS car, Strom's DM E46, was in heavy competition against a car formerly Turner Motorsport's championship-winning ALMS car. Despite having only 2 weeks of prep time in Strom's car and no serious mods to its engine they ran competatively all race.
The pre-grid:
Josh approaching turn 5A:
Turn 5B:
Turn 6:
Heading back home, south on the 14:
Through the mountains on the 14, nearing the 5:
Sunset on a fun BMW weekend:
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