2013 July.indd - Tarheel Chapter BMW Car Club of America

gotiate the Cork Screw for Goodness sake! NeedI say more? Actually, schools happen to be oneFest aspect that has gotten better and better overthe years; must be those super tracks that havesprouted all over the country. As for the tours andrallies, the record is more mixed. I envy the folkswho’ll be looking for checkpoints in the countrysidearound Monterey and Carmel. It’s pretty,and hilly, with vineyards and big time agriculturaloperations – and lots of nice two-lanes. But that’squite unlike a couple of Fest rallies I’ve been on inrecent years; the way they had me cruise througha lot of sprawling suburbs made me feel I was ona real estate tour! And by the way, a word of cautionabout O’fest rallies: Avoid getting placed inthe top class – Prepared, Class A, Expert or whateverthe label may be. It’s the one with the reallyserious contestants, which almost invariablyleads to protests and heated arguments over supposedlydimwit instructions, allegedly invisiblecheckpoints and what have you. The colorful languageemployed on such occasions by the likes ofthe late ‘Hormone’ Fischer still rings in my ears.As far as the raffle goes, all I can say is: Youpay your money and you take your chances. Withall those absentees buying block of tickets, theodds aren’t great. In forty years, this chapter hashad only a few winners of the big prize, maybethree or four, including one who I recall wasn’t atO’fest – and thought it was a crank call when wephoned him with the good news! Like I said, it’sup to you and Lady Luck.Let’s see; what have I overlooked? Oh, yeah;Oktoberfest hotels tend to get booked solid prettyearly. It’s happened to me the last two times; Ihad to look far afield for vacancies, which wasn’tfun; and I understand it has happened again thisyear, as both the main hotel and the overflowhostelry were out of rooms by mid-May. So, ifyou’re thinking of attending a future Oktoberfest,the word is: Book REAL early, like three months inadvance, and even that may be cutting it close. Ofcourse, that wouldn’t be much of a problem if ourchapter were to host another Oktoberfest in, say,2015. Hey, it’s just a thought.The Triangle’s Choice For AutoBodyLocally OwnedFamily OperatedCommunity FocusedServing The Triangle For 30 YearsKenny Hawkins Automotive605 Germantown RoadRaleigh, NC 27607(919) 851-0242