Event date: 9 June 2024
On Sunday 9 June, BMWDCM hosted a drive around the Mornington Peninsula, with stops to collect some honey (thankfully not directly from the hives!) and to enjoy a pub lunch together.
For me, it began with a rainy drive to Moorooduc. If I may side-track for a moment: if you don't drive far each year, please check the age of your tyres. BMW USA recommends replacing tyres every 8 years; I've had tyres about this old that had plenty of tread left and were fine in the dry, but terrible once the roads were wet. Back on topic, thankfully it stopped raining near Moorooduc and stayed mostly clear for the rest of the drive.
Our first destination was Pure Peninsula Honey, where we stocked up on honey and honey-related products, such as honey-infused vinegar and pickles. After a quick driver's briefing, we hit the road towards the coast and then the twisty roads. There were about 20 cars on the drive and I volunteered to be "tail-end Charlie" of the second group, which involves making radio calls to the group leader that the back of the group has made it through a particular turn. Or not, as the case may be! Due to a break in Convoy Procedure, Graham T and I didn't see the other cars make a turn, so we missed it. We headed towards Dromana to regroup. Due to our detour, I'd assumed that were now somewhere behind the rest of group two, so it was a surprise to everyone involved when the cars from group one started coming past us while we were pulled over! We then resumed our correct position in the group and enjoyed the squiggly road up to the Arthur's Seat lookout.
After a quick stretch of the legs at the lookout, it was onwards to the Pig & Whistle tavern for lunch. However, drive-leader Peter has a knack for finding great driving roads, so we took a very indirect and enjoyable route to get there. My favourite part was the series of tight corners around the valley. Danny and I also took a bit longer than most, since we were nerding-out in the carpark about the glorious E39 5-Series sedans and wagons (second in greatness to only the E30 3-Series model range!!). Inside the tavern, we were given our own private room, so it was great to have our own space to chat over lunch. I was at a table with Danny, Helen, Mark and Paul, who were all good company. My lunch selection was fish'n'chips, washed down nicely with a local mid-strength beer. It also turns out that our function room was a theatre, and the younger club members (Harper, Payton and Olivia) needed no invitation to jump up on stage and put on a funny Magic Show for us older folk to enjoy.
Thank you to Peter, Jo and our convoy leaders for running a really fun day out.
Simon de Lisle | Member #430 BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
BMW M Motorsport embarks on the most spectacular racing week of the year with the slogan “BMW M is back at Le Mans”. Exactly 25 years after the victory of the BMW V12 LMR, the start of the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the Hypercar class marks the return of the BMW brand to the top category at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 will play a very special role as it competes as the 20th BMW Art Car. Designed by the internationally renowned artist Julie Mehretu, the car will be a highlight in the paddock. In the LMGT3 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), two BMW M4 GT3s will compete for victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
In the Hypercar class, BMW M Team WRT and six BMW M works drivers face what is probably the toughest competition in current motorsport. 23 Hypercars from nine manufacturers are registered for the endurance highlight of the year. In the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Dries Vanthoor (BEL), and Marco Wittmann (GER) will take turns driving. The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 Art Car will be raced by Robin Frijns (NED), René Rast (GER), and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA). The design of the 20th BMW Art Car by Julie Mehretu was unveiled on May 21 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris (FRA). It was created based on one of the artist’s works as a “performative painting.” More details can be found in the BMW M Motorsport Media Guide: https://b.mw/WEC_Media_Guide.
In the LMGT3 category, Team WRT fields two BMW M4 GT3s in new liveries. The #31 BMW M4 GT3 will be driven by the winners of the 6 Hours of Imola (ITA), Augusto Farfus (BRA), Sean Gelael (INA), and Darren Leung (GBR). The #46 car will be shared by Maxime Martin (BEL), Valentino Rossi (ITA), and Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA).
On the occasion of the comeback in the top class after 25 years, BMW is also celebrating its history at Le Mans. Legendary vehicles such as the BMW V12 LMR winning car from 1999 and the BMW 3.0 CSL Art Car by Alexander Calder from 1975 can be admired by the more than 300,000 expected fans.
BMW’s first successful start at Le Mans took place back in 1939 with a BMW 328 Touring Coupé. It won its class and finished fifth overall. It wasn’t until the 1970s that BMW once again made waves at Le Mans, especially with the invention of the BMW Art Cars by Jochen Neerpasch and Hervé Poulain. The Calder Art Car debuted in 1975. That was followed by the BMW 3.0 CSL by Frank Stella in 1976, the BMW 320i Turbo by Roy Lichtenstein in 1977, and the BMW M1 by Andy Warhol in 1979. Other BMW Art Cars at Le Mans included the BMW V12 LMR by Jenny Holzer in 1999 and the BMW M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons in 2010.
BMW M Motorsport achieved its greatest sporting successes in the 1990s. Above all stands the overall victory for Yannick Dalmas (FRA), Pierluigi Martini (ITA), and Joachim Winkelhock (GER) in the #15 BMW V12 LMR in 1999. By 1995, a car powered by a BMW engine had already won, namely the BMW McLaren F1 GTR. Most recently, BMW M Motorsport competed in 2018 and 2019 with the BMW M8 GTE.
Vincent Vosse (Team Principal BMW M Team WRT): “It is the fourth time that we go to Le Mans, but it will be our debut in the top class. Just to be there, defending the colours of a top manufacturer such as BMW, and bringing the largest entry we have ever brought to Le Mans, makes us proud of what we have achieved as a team. Still, this is a reflection that keeps our minds busy for no more than a couple of minutes. The really important thing is the competition ahead of us. In Hypercar, it is difficult to tell what our ambitions can be. We have had a start of the season that was eventful and promising at the same time. It’s difficult to make predictions until we’re on track at Le Mans. That’s when we’ll know where we stand. Concerning the LMGT3 the objective is to make up the points lost at Spa. We won on strategy at Imola but were very unlucky at Spa. We had an ideal plan to arrive at Le Mans leading the standings, and this is not the case, so the objective is to close the gap here. We have a competitive car and great drivers, so we’ll aim at making a perfect and faultless race. We all know that in 24-hour races that generally pays off.”
Augusto Farfus (Team WRT, #31 BMW M4 GT3): “I have unfinished business with Le Mans, as I always had bad luck there during my time with BMW M Motorsport and could never finish the race. I want to change that this time, of course. Our BMW M4 GT3 has shown very strong pace in the first FIA WEC races of the season, even though we unfortunately couldn’t convert that into points recently at Spa-Francorchamps. I think, with an experienced team like WRT, we can go into the 24 Hours of Le Mans with high expectations.”
Valentino Rossi (Team WRT, #46 BMW M4 GT3): “The big moment has arrived, and it will be my first time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most famous race in the world. I am very happy and proud to be associated with BMW and Team WRT for this big race. I have known the track since last year, having participated in the Road to Le Mans race, and I like the Circuit de La Sarthe a lot. We’ll be there for a long week and we are ready. We had some good performances in the first races of the season, but now we need to understand our level, speed, and competitiveness at Le Mans. We hope to be strong and I cannot wait to live this experience!”
BMW PRESS
Dense fog was the dominant theme at the 52nd edition of the 24h Nürburgring (GER). Only just under seven and a half hours could be driven under regular conditions, followed by a break of over 14 hours, before the race ended after five formation laps behind the safety car. As a result, the #72 BMW M4 GT3 of BMW M Team RMG, which started from pole position and with good chances of victory, was ultimately classified in third place. The result is provisional, and the official final result is still pending. The car, in the design of BMW M Motorsport Premium Technology Partner Shell, was shared by the three BMW M Motorsport Gen2K drivers Max Hesse (GER), Dan Harper (GBR), and Charles Weerts (BEL). The ROWE Racing #98 BMW M4 GT3 driven by Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Marco Wittmann (GER), Maxime Martin (BEL), and Augusto Farfus (BRA) was classified in seventh position. The ROWE Racing #99 BMW M4 GT3, in which Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Dries Vanthoor (BEL), Robin Frijns (NED), and Farfus took turns, led the race in the early stages but retired after an unavoidable accident.
Just before the start, the 24-hour race was already typically turbulent. It began to rain on the starting grid, and tyre choice became a lottery. In the pole car, the #72 BMW M4 GT3, starting driver Harper came into the pits after the formation lap to switch to drying wets, as did Wittmann in the #98 BMW M4 GT3. Meanwhile, Farfus in the #99 had already started on those tyres and sprinted from seventh on the grid to the front of the field within 20 minutes. Behind him, Harper and Wittmann also gained position after position and worked their way back to the front. After about two hours of racing, the first driver changes took place.
Van der Linde took over the #99 car and continued to fight at the front. However, in the fourth hour of the race, the leading BMW M4 GT3 was forced to retire through no fault of its own. While lapping, van der Linde was hit on the left rear by a slower car and collided with another car. The fight for victory ended in the track barrier.
The focus then shifted to the other two BMW M4 GT3s which were still promisingly positioned in the race. As the fog on the Nordschleife thickened, the race was suspended at 23:22, with car #72 in second place and #98 in seventh. After more than 14 hours, at 13:30 on Sunday afternoon, the field went back on track behind the safety car for five formation laps. The order of the cars was based on the standings of the race in the lap in which the class leader had crossed the finish line for the penultimate time before the red flag. The minimum pitstop times that had accrued at that point were also taken into account. For the #72, that meant third place, and for the #98, eighth place. Eventually, the race director decided that the race would not be restarted after the five formation laps. The #72 remained in third place, and the #98, which had made a pit stop, finished in seventh place.
In the other classes of the 24-hour race, BMW M Motorsport teams achieved nine victories. In the SP10 class, FK Performance Motorsport celebrated a one-two triumph with the BMW M4 GT4. In the SP8T class, the BMW M4 GT4 even took all three podium places. First place went, among others, to the two former BMW M works drivers Timo Glock and Timo Scheider (both GER).
Franciscus van Meel (CEO of BMW M GmbH): “It was a very short 24-hour race, with seven and a half hours of racing. We were doing great with all three cars. The drivers and the teams did a great job. We were unlucky when Sheldon, who was leading, had to retire through no fault of his own. After that, the other two cars flew our flag very high. It's a pity that the race was not restarted. I would have liked to see where we would have ended up. We were highly motivated.”
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “This was an extremely unusual 24-hour race on the Nordschleife. The bad weather was very unfortunate for the participants and especially for the 240,000 fans on site. We had chances to win with all three BMW M4 GT3s. We laid the foundation with a fantastic qualifying, in which Max Hesse became the youngest driver ever to secure pole position. Unfortunately, we lost the leading #99 early on through no fault of our own. Then the fog came, and we could no longer use the good performance of our BMW M4 GT3 and the excellent work of the teams. A big thank you to all BMW M works drivers, BMW M Team RMG and ROWE Racing, and our BMW M Motorsport employees who once again faced the challenges of the Green Hell. Congratulations also to all BMW teams that were successful in the individual classes.”
Max Hesse (#72 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team RMG): “I have mixed feelings. Of course, we are super happy that we finished and are on the podium with P3. We would have liked to make more use of our pace, but we couldn't race again today, although it must be said that we were a bit lucky because other cars went to the pits. If it had been a green flag, it might have been difficult for us with the fuel but we are on the podium, although of course, we would have liked to have landed two steps higher.”
Dan Harper (#72 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team RMG): “P3 in the 24h Nürburgring, I think it’s an amazing result for us. It has been the first time with Charles as part of the team. It was fantastic to be back with BMW M Team RMG; we have been competitive the whole week and been at the front. BMW M Team RMG and BMW M Motorsport gave us an amazing car It’s a shame with the conditions as the race was stopped for most of the time and we could not really get back racing. But we came away with the podium and it’s a great feeling.”
Charles Weerts (#72 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team RMG): “I’m very happy to finish third in my first ever 24h Nürburgring on the Nordschleife. If I would have known this before I would have been of course extremely happy. It was quite a special race with a lot of time under the red flag which is not something we want to have as a racer and as the spectators, but today it was safety first and it was probably the right call. We don’t know how the race would have finished without the red flag. We could have won it, maybe we would not have been on the podium. Now we finished third, a big thank you to BMW M Motorsport, to BMW M Team RMG and to my team-mates who were incredible during the whole weekend.”
Sheldon van der Linde (#99 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “My heart hurts after such an accident, and it wasn't my fault. If I were in that situation again, I would do exactly the same thing. I believe the driver in the other car didn't see me. I was in her blind spot as I passed. I was almost past, and then she hit me on the left rear. Then I hit another car that was completely uninvolved, and that's how it happened. A racing incident. But at the end of the day, we were out after leading for so long and that hurts, also for the team, which puts so much work into it. We work almost half a year towards a 24-hour race, and then it goes so wrong.”
National Motoring Heritage Day was formed by the Australian Historic Motoring Federation in 2006 to get all car club members drive their vehicles around their own area - city, town, etc - to show the strength of the car movement in Australia.
Sadly, this fine idea has often been converted into static car displays which are mainly attended by those already in the classic car movement - although the display cars do have to drive to the show and back.
This year the AOMC (the peak body for motoring clubs in Victoria) got a bit back to basics with a couple of cavalcades as well as some shows.
Our plans to run our own cavalcade/drive - which we have done for the last two years - got badly off track when the proposed end venue - E30 Racing at Phillip Island - was cancelled so the track can be re-surfaced (again).
Fortunately, in my role as an AOMC committee member, I had assisted a Geelong based club organise a cavalcade taking in the Geelong and Torquay water fronts and cafe strips, passing as many eyeballs as possible.
So we switched our club event to take part in that.
The start point was a well attended monthly coffee and cars style event from which about 40 cars departed for the cavalcade drive to the Great Ocean Road Chocoltaire and Ice Creamery, which not only has ample parking and quite a crowd of people but some very nice food and coffee.
One advantage of this arrangement is that there were many obviously old cars in the group, some of veteran status, which are more liklely to cause heads to turn - which is the objective. And I am glad to report that heads certainly did turn, thumbs up were given, and people came to look.
Our members brought a wide range of heritage vehicles, not all BMW, all appreciated and we all had a very enjoyable day out, just making it to the end before some rain came.
Lawrence Glynn Treasurer
Dear members,
By now you all should have received your copy of edition 6 of our wonderful annual magazine, idrive. What a fabulous edition as usual, thanks to all who contributed. If you did not receive yours, check your profile on our database and make sure your address is correct. We have had a few returned already and Jo has contacted those who neglected to update their change of address and they are now updated. Please make sure all your personal and vehicle details are updated at least once a year. If you didn’t get your copy, come to an event and we will have copies on hand to give you.
May started off with one of our favourite events, our annual Presentation Dinner. It saw us attending our charity night for Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre at WestWaters Entertainment Complex with Guest Speaker Jack Perkins. We set this event up to raise money for Peter Mac and what a great result we had, with over $2,000 donated before the night started and then raising over $6,300 by the end of the night. There were lots of raffle and silent auction items - thank you to all who donated, too many to mention and always worried I will forget someone. The food was great and Jack Perkins was very interesting and so giving of his time on the night. You can view the photos from the night in our gallery. The event was also a test for the BMW Clubs Australia Nationals next year to see how WestWaters will function with a big event. Safe to say, we were very happy. The Nationals next year will be an event not to miss.
7 May was our members meeting at Berwick BMW. We had a great night. It's always good to check out what our sponsors and dealership have to offer our members.
9 May was our latest drop-in-donut night in Geelong. These nights are great for our members on the other side of the pond to catch up and talk about cars and what is happening in the club.
On 11 May we had round 2 or our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship at Sandown. There was a huge turn out, starting off a little damp but clearing up and to a glorious Autumn sunny day. It was so much fun out there for all that came and did some laps.
19 May we had a large group of our club members join in the drive around the Geelong precinct for some fun with their cars for the National Motoring Heritage Cavalcade.
June is upon us and nearly half the year as gone already. It's been such a great first half.
2 June was to be our Kaos Custom Bikes Come and Try at Calder but for reasons beyond our control this event had to be cancelled. I will be spending two days at the BMW Clubs Australia AGM instead.
4 June is our Outlaw Slot Car Evening Members meeting. It's something different and a bit of fun to be had. Registrations are going well and there are still a few spots left if you are wanting to join in.
On 9 June we will be doing a drive on the Mornington Peninsula, starting from Pure Peninsula Honey, then taking the scenic route to Pig and Whistle for lunch.
15 June is Round 3 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship, this time at Calder Park. Due to cancelling the come and try day, we have made a come and try group within this event for those who missed out. If you are wanting to join us as an official be sure to email officials@bmwdcm.com.au and express your interest. We will also be doing parade laps at lunch time, so come out in your road car and join in the fun. Registration is essential - use this link to register.
23 June will be our drive out to Trafalgar to the Holden Museum. Lunch will be a BBQ in the function room attached to the museum so we will have plenty of time to enjoy what they have there for us.
Check out the calendar as we are uploading events all the time and we would hate you to miss out.
As we head into winter we do less events each week, but there are still some fun events coming up for everyone to come together and have some fun.
Check out all events in the calendar here.
As mentioned, on 2-3 June I will be attending the BMW Clubs Australia AGM in Melbourne. This happens each year and we get to network with the other cub delegates from around Australia. I will include my report on this in my June Presidents Report.
Membership is still growing. We are welcoming quite a few new members each month and it’s lovely seeing new faces come to events to join in with us. Welcome to all those new members.
We now have the second run of the new long sleeved cotton motorsport shirt in stock if you want to place an order. They were so popular we sold out the first run in weeks of them landing. Have a look on our web site and place your orders. We can post them or any of our merchandise out or bring them to the next event, if you like..
Jo is now slowly coming back into the club office but will be on staggered days. Please call first if you are needing anything from her or want to drop in for a chat or look at the club rooms.
CPS renewals are still going well using the online service. It makes it very easy to renew, so keep up the good work and thank you for helping make our life a little easier.
Thank you all for making this the great club it is, I look forward to seeing you at an event somewhere soon, until then take care out there.
Graeme Bell | President
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.
PO Box 81, Tyabb VIC 3913 Incorporated in Victoria #A0102695G BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc is a member of: BMW Clubs Australia and the BMW Clubs International Council Motorsport Australia Affiliated Motorsport Club
I was honoured (and very surprised) when you expressed your appreciation of me, by awarding me New Member of the Year. It can be said that an award from your peers is the best. I am still amazed that having a great time with the club during the 2023 year was worthy of an award with such prestige.
Your approval makes any humble efforts I have made on behalf of this wonderful club feel worthwhile and I am happy that you see me as a valuable club member.
My thanks must go to the committee who facilitated such a fine evening and to those who kept score of all points accrued by those in contention.
I am humbled by the honour, and I thank you one and all.
Terry Lane | Member #965 BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
The 20th BMW Art Car celebrated its world premiere on Tuesday evening at the Centre Pompidou in the French capital, Paris. The internationally renowned New York artist Julie Mehretu designed the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, which will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) on 15th/16th June, as a “performative painting” based on one of her artworks. The event, attended by several hundred invited guests, was also attended by the artist, as well as Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, and Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Human Resources and Real Estate.
“The BMW Art Cars are an essential part of our global cultural commitment. For almost 50 years, we have been collaborating with artists who are just as fascinated by mobility and design as they are by technology and motorsports. Julie Mehretu's vision for a racing car is an extraordinarily strong contribution to our BMW Art Cars series,” said Zipse.
Mehretu explained her approach: “The whole BMW Art Car project is about invention, about imagination, about pushing limits of what can be possible. I don’t think of this car as something you would exhibit. I am thinking of it as something that will race at Le Mans. It’s a performative painting. My BMW Art Car was created in close collaboration with motorsport and engineering teams. It is only completed once the race is over.”
Space, movement and energy have always been central motifs in Mehretu's work. For the design of the 20th BMW art car, she transformed a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional representation for the first time, with which she succeeded in bringing dynamism into form. Mehretu used the colour and form vocabulary of her monumental painting “Everywhen” (2021 - 2023) as a starting point for her design. The work is currently on view at the artist’s major retrospective at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice (ITA) and will subsequently become part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York (USA), to which it has been gifted.
Its abstract visual form results from digitally altered photographs, which are superimposed in several layers of dot grids, neon-coloured veils and the black markings characteristic of Mehretu's work. “In the studio where I had the model of the BMW M Hybrid V8 I was just sitting in front of the painting and I thought ‘What would happen if this car seemed to go through that painting and becomes affected by it?’” Mehretu said. “The idea was to make a remix, a mash-up of the painting. I kept seeing that painting kind of dripping into the car. Even the kidneys of the car inhaled the painting.”
The fusion of image and vehicle was realised with the help of 3D mapping, with which the motif was transferred to the contours of the vehicle. The elaborate foiling allows for the fully designed BMW M Hybrid V8 to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. BMW M Motorsport works drivers Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Robin Frijns (NED) and René Rast (GER) will enter the 20th BMW Art Car with start number 20 at the Circuit de la Sarthe on 15th June. Like them, Mehretu is also eagerly awaiting the race: “I went to see the BMW M Hybrid V8 race at Daytona, and that experience was overwhelming. Designers, engineers, aerodynamicists and so many other creative minds are working on taking this vehicle to its extreme. When it goes out on the racetrack now, so many dreams will be fulfilled.”
Leading up to race day, Mehretu's BMW Art Car will make an appearance at the Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este in Lake Como (ITA) on its way to Le Mans. As part of the exhibition for historic vehicles organised by the BMW Group and the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este, Mehretu herself will present the 20th edition of the BMW Art Car Collection. It will be featured in the grounds of Villa Erba together with the BMW Art Cars by Alexander Calder (1975), Frank Stella (1976), Roy Lichtenstein (1977), Andy Warhol (1979), Jenny Holzer (1999) and Jeff Koons (2010), which also made their race debuts at Le Mans.
Franciscus van Meel (CEO of BMW M GmbH): “Our return to Le Mans is spectacular for several reasons. For the first time since our victory in 1999, exactly 25 years ago, we are competing with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the top class of the world's biggest endurance race. We are facing the highest-class competition currently available in racing in the Hypercar category. With more than 300,000 spectators, the 24 Hours of Le Mans also provides an overwhelming stage for the launch of the 20th BMW Art Car by Julie Mehretu. It stands in a great tradition of rolling works of art that have competed at Le Mans. I find the design fantastic and can't wait to see how it will captivate all participants at this mega-event.”
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “The deployment of the 20th BMW Art Car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is as much an honour for us as it is a motivation. We at BMW M Motorsport are all aware of the enormous significance that BMW Art Cars have in the brand's racing history. Our goal for the weekend is for the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 to attract attention, not only with its great design, but also with its strong performance on the racetrack. Robin Frijns, René Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde are outstanding drivers who have already proved this season that they can fight for top results in the Hypercar class. We have prepared as best as possible for the season highlight and are determined to present ourselves and our cars in top form.”
Vincent Vosse (Team Principal BMW M Team WRT): “It is an honour for BMW M Team WRT to be part of a project with such prestige. We have never done anything like this before, and it will be something very special to deploy this wonderful work of art at Le Mans. We will give everything to ensure that the 20th BMW Art Car finishes the race where it belongs.”
Sheldon van der Linde: “First of all it’s a huge honour to be selected as one of the drivers for the 20th edition of the art car at my very first Le Mans 24 hour in our Hypercar. I love the bold graffiti look that Julie Mehretu has gone for with our art car. I’m a huge fan of abstract art and have tried to incorporate her style into a one-off helmet design I will have for Le Mans. If the car is as fast and bold as it looks, we’re in for a very good weekend.”
On June 21st, BMW will be hosting the world premiere of the 20th Art Car.
Since 1975, renowned artists from all over the world have been designing BMW Art Cars. It all began when French racing driver and art lover Hervé Poulain, who, in collaboration with BMW approached artist, Alexander Calder to paint on an automobile. The result was a BMW 3.0 CSL that raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1975, where it became a crowd favourite and was the birth of the BMW Art Car Collection.
Over nearly five decades, 19 renowned artists from around the world have left their indelible mark on BMW Art Cars, each adding their own distinctive style to these “rolling sculptures.”
In 1989, two Australian artists Michael Jagamara-Nelson and Ken Done Art Car created the 7th and 8th Art Cars, respectively, both using BMW M3 racing cars.
Julie Mehretu, chosen by an international jury of museum directors and curators, has been selected to craft the next BMW Art Car masterpiece. Her vision will come to life in the form of the BMW M Hybrid V8 Art Car, premiering on May 21, 2024, in Paris, before racing in the prestigious 24-Hour race of Le Mans in June 2024.
You can access more background information on BMW Art Cars through this link. the history of BMW Art Cars
See links below with information and first art impressions of Julie Mehretu’s designs that have been painted on the 20th Art Car.
20th BMW Art Car
Julie Mehretu 20th Art Car
Images
You can access images of all 20 cars here. Julie Mehretu’s 20th Art Car will be uploaded on May 21st.
BMW Group Australia
Event date: 11 May 2024
Wow, what a day. Cloudy skies and a wet track presented no promises as we entered Sandown Raceway in our 5 Series BMW. Unlike the other Come and Try Days I had attended, this was an AROCA Sprint Round, which meant that the sessions were timed. The first round came and went with the presence of a wet track, however, all was well under the guidance of Graeme Bell. In the second round, the first glimpses of sunshine arrived, drying up certain parts of the track. By the time of the third session, it was past 1 pm, and I was seated in the car with Shannon Cooper receiving top-notch training from an E30 driver. On the third lap I got a surprise when I noticed the black flag aimed at my car. Unaware of the issue, we entered the pit lane where we were informed that we weren’t allowed 2 passengers in the vehicle during the competition. After some negotiation, we were granted one more round with an instructor before I would have to drive by myself. Suddenly it felt like everything came crashing down. I went from driving on the track with exceptional guidance from some of the best to being chucked into the deep end with no headlights. But hey, you got to start someday right?
Going into the solo round, I felt slightly nervous but confident in my abilities to control and handle the car. Focusing on spatial awareness and checking my mirrors in the first half of the day made me convinced that I would do okay. And let me tell you, I did more than okay. As soon as I entered the track and got into my driving rhythm, I completely forgot about the fact that I was driving by myself. Better than that, I achieved my fastest lap of the whole day in that final round!
This goes to show that whilst things may be difficult and scary at first, it’s all about popping that blister and giving it a go for the first time. Because trust me when I say that I wouldn’t have gone out on my own if it wasn’t for the motorsport regulations for that particular competition.
Claire Trainor | Member #1020 BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
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