A Spectacular Autocross Season

Fred and John (photo by Aimee Reveno)

The final event of the Massachusetts BMW Dealers Group Autocross Series took place on a beautiful day, October 18, 1998. It was a day to remember. This ended a spectacular season shared by many autocross enthusiasts.

Our thanks go out to all of the Massachusetts BMW Retailers who sponsored this season's autocross series. Improvements this season were so numerous and vast that we won't even get into them now. Needless to say, next season will challenge us to further increase your fun factor in this premier Boston Chapter event.

Final Autocross Report

Just how good was the final event? Breaking all previous records, 87 people attended the final autocross. BMW participation was over 50% this season, a significant increase over last year's 33%. In addition, the total number of BMWs attending this year (100 BMWs) was more than double the 1997 season's attendance (45 BMWs)!

Mike DeSorgo easily won Class B in his 85 535i. (photo by Ron Sisco)

For over a dozen die-hard enthusiasts, many fun runs into the night at our season-closing event provided an opportunity to experience a new thrill--night autocrossing! This was truly a unique experience, which required participants to depend on their intuitive skills to navigate the course without being able to see the cones coming up ahead. WHAT A BLAST!

The participants of Autocross 8 had 389 runs in 7 hours (an overall average of 64.782 seconds per run), with a median run time of 62.234, giving us a Run Efficiency Rating (RER) of 96.1%. This is a substantial improvement over our last calculated RER of 92.5%, and even includes a long break for the traditional autocross cake eating ceremony that was enjoyed by all. We will be shooting for an RER of greater than 100% to further raise your DSQ, OFT, and FGB next season (see October 1998 BIMMER's Crushing The Cones for explanation of terms).

The Autocross Cake (photo by Justin Hughes)

The fastest time of the season, 52.537 seconds, was turned by Steve Jackson in the Formula Lotus. Two lightweight M3s driving on the course simultaneously was a great sight, which we hope to see repeated next season. Francis O'Connor took BMW FTD in his '95 M3 CSL with a 55.803, closing the gap with Fedja Jeleskovic's 55.269 in a '95 Talon.

At season's close only 3 people out of 220 total participants came to all 8 events: Jim LaTorre, Scott Casagrande, and Leon Reitman. Our hats are off to them for their dedication and enthusiasm for the autocross series!

M3/Z3 Challenge

John Mansfield, Autocross Co-Chair. (photo by Ron Sisco)

The E36 M3 / Z3 Challenge was a great success. We had 22 participants throughout the season, and 10 who qualified for the year-end drawing. The ticket for the grand prize was drawn at the Fourth Quarter General Meeting on November 18th at BMW of Peabody.

Francis O'Connor was the lucky winner of a brand new BMW Mountain Bike, provided by our sponsors, the Massachusetts BMW Retailers. Congratulations Francis! Because this promotion was so successful, we plan to continue with a similar promotion next season. Stay tuned for details!

Improvements For Next Season

While we had a great season, we are continuously seeking to improve this event. Possible changes for next season include: an expanded course, timing software updates, improved result reporting at the event, reduced waiting time in the queue, a streamlined registration process, and incentives to encourage on-time registration. We invite all comments geared towards improving the series and enhancing your enjoyment in the event. Please send your comments and suggestions to Fred Beck, either by e-mail to fbeck@boston-bmwcca.org, or by mail to Fred Beck c/o the Boston Chapter, BMW CCA Inc., PO Box 382, Weston, MA 02193.

Volunteers Needed for 1999 Season

Fred Beck, Autocross Chair. (photo by Ron Sisco)

We need a number of Club members to step up to the plate and grab hold of the reins to help guide this wild autocross ride into the new millennium. We would also like to build a back-up crew in the case that neither Fred nor John could make it to an event.

There are a number of tasks that you (yes, YOU!!) can perform to assist in the operations of the 1999 autocross season. These include equipment transport, course setup and breakdown, registration, tech inspections, worker assignments, timing operations, event coordination, data processing and scoring, results publication, accounting, and article writing. Experience is not required, enthusiasm and willingness to be part of our team is. We are happy to train any and all volunteers. Please contact Fred and John with your interest.

In closing, we had a real blast running the autocross series, made a lot of new friends and enjoyed seeing everyone have a good time! We had excellent competition, were continually challenged by the course, and look forward to doing it all again next year. Thanks to everyone for making this a great season!

Fred and John

Be sure to check out the Autocross 8 Photo Gallery!

January 1999 BIMMER

Behind the Wheel: 1999 Is Going To Be A Great Year! by Mike Webb

Under the Hood: What's Wrong With Resolutions? by Greg Scott

Crushing The Cones: A Spectacular Autocross Season by Fred Beck and John Mansfield

January 1999 New Members by Barry Tarr

Keys In Hand: Get Your Dance Cards Out! by Fred Beck

1999 Boston Chapter Ice Racing: Ice Races Are Just Around The Corner! by Stan Jackson Jr.

Snake, Rattle, and Roll: Road Ragin' at NHIS by Mike Cox

Driving School at NHIS: October Driving School Photo Gallery by Ron Sisco and Mike Webb

Fourth Quarter General Meeting by Tom Farnsworth

Winter Prep Tech Session: at Newport Imports by Tom Farnsworth

Winter Prep Tech Session: My Car, the Guinea Pig by David Demming

Fifth Annual Leaf Peeping Fun Rally by John Sullivan

1998 Autocross 8 Photo Gallery by Ron Sisco

In Memoriam: Charlie Kutasz: 1954-1998 by Michel Potheau

Charitable Contributions: The Charlie Kutasz Fund by Mike Webb

1999 Boston Chapter Ice Racing: January 1999 Ice Racing Report by Stan Jackson Jr.

More Boston Bimmer articles by Fred Beck

President's Page: Mr. Beck Goes To Washington November/December 2000 Bimmer

President's Page: Calling All Members October 2000 Bimmer

President's Page: Bonjour, Chapitre de Boston! September 2000 Bimmer

President's Page July/August 2000 Bimmer

President's Page June 2000 Bimmer

There are 51 more Boston Bimmer articles by Fred Beck

More Boston Bimmer articles by John Mansfield

Crushing The Cones: Well Beyond All Expectations June 1999 BIMMER

Crushing The Cones: One Down, Seven to Go! April 1999 BIMMER

Crushing The Cones: Season Awards This Month! November/December 1998 BIMMER

Crushing The Cones: Driver Satisfaction Quotient October 1998 BIMMER

Crushing The Cones: Sun and Fast Times! September 1998 BIMMER

There are 6 more Boston Bimmer articles by John Mansfield