BMW CCA Club Racing was started in 1995 to provide a competition venue for club racers to drive their BMW race cars in a fun, fair, and safe environment. BMW CCA Club Racing is a self-sustaining program of the BMW Car Club of America and emphasizes driver skill, car preparation, good sportsmanship, camaraderie, and equipment preservation. During the past ten years, BMW CCA Club Racing has licensed over 1000 racers, and a typical season includes 35 to 40 races.
For more info please visit the BMW CCA Club Racing website

GVC Club Racing

The Genesee Valley Chapter  held its first BMW club race at the Glen in June of 2002 in conjunction with Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), which honored BMW as its featured marque. Since then, the GVC chapter has hosted 15 Sprint / Enduro club races at the Glen…

The first GVC club race held in 2002 was a Sprint with a field of 54 cars, Chuck Stickley placed first in his E36 M3, turning in the fastest lap time of 2:09.471. That time on last year’s grid was good for 6th overall and you would have been fighting with IP cars… In 2007, the Modified and SM cars were down knocking around the magic 2:00 time barrier which was finally broken when Grand Am Racer Aaron Povoledo qualified Gregg Read's 500+bhp BM (M for MONSTER) car around in a mind-blowing time of 1:58.149. 

In September 2009, the GVC Club Race was named the "Stan Parker Memorial Club Race" in memory of GVC Chief Instructor and Founding Member, Stan Parker.

 

Before you can become a club racer there are a number of things that you should consider… First, you will need to define a budget. As any club racer will tell you, “The car is the cheapest part of racing!” Your “Getting Started” budget should include: The Race Car, Event Costs and Other Required Stuff.

The Race Car
Most rookie racers start in “stock” classes because stock cars are relatively less expensive to maintain than highly modified cars. Also, since seasoned racers typically move up into modified classes, there is less seasoned competition in stock classes, which is advantageous for a rookie racer.

Event Costs
These are the reoccurring expenses that you will need to pay for each event. This includes things like: Race entry fees, Track garage rental, Fuel (both road and race), Hotel, Food, and last but not least, replacement parts.

Other Required Stuff
In addition to the car and event costs, you will also need to pay for… a Medical exam, Race License fee, Coolant/oil breather catch tanks, Roll cage, Seat back brace, Window net, 5 or 6-pt. Harness, Driver suit, Helmet, Gloves, Shoes, Nomex socks, Nomex underwear, Balaclava (for those with facial hair), Fire extinguisher, and a AMB transmitter.

Once you have budgeted for the above items, you should set a timeline for preparation. Many racers start at least 4-5 months before their first race. You never know whether needed parts may be back-ordered or shops may have other priorities.

Next, you will need to make sure that you fulfill all of the prerequisites prior to your fist race. This includes passing a medical exam and successfully completing a BMW club race school. For specifics, please visit www.bmwclubracing.com

BMW CCA Club Racing has enhanced their racing program by offering a series of national racing school programs to serve as the perfect stepping stone for the prospective racer. These intensive two-day schools will help prepare the experienced driving school participant to enter the race environment.

In a race school, the student drives a ‘street prepared’ car on track with other students under simulated racing conditions. Extensive classroom sessions (5 hours per day) and four on-track sessions per day are designed to develop the driver’s racing skills and to reduce the anxiety normally associated with your first taste of competitive driving.

The on-track portion of the program includes: green flag starts, driving in traffic, drafting, driving off line, pace car restarts, qualifying and space management.The classroom session, taught by experienced race drivers, explains race preparation, driving techniques, race craft, and the mental and physical aspects of competitive driving.

The simulated race experience is so realistic that students often want to repeat the course multiple times. Graduates from the program have proven successful in their club racing careers in both performance and safety. All students are carefeully screened before being accepted into the racing school and, upon successful completion of the program, can be approved for licensing by BMW CCA Club Racing.