Q3_Newsletter_2018_V2_022619

BMW Car Club
of America
Illini Chapter
theRoundelian
PVGPPG. 8
Illini Chapter · BMW Car Club of America · Third & Fourth Quarter 2018
Inside this Issue:
Hayes Headlines......................4
Driver’s Event Conference.........6
Pittsburg Vintage Grand Prix.....8
Classifieds................................12
FInancial Statement.....................12

2018 Illini Chapter Board of
Directors
President
Sean Hayes
Peoria, IL
(208) 860-9749
President@IlliniBMW.com
Street Survival
Chairperson
Rick Largen
Lakewood, IL
(217) 825-8606
rickandkim@effingham.net
Vice President
Eric Wank
Metamora IL
(517) 861-9482
emwank@mtu.edu
Secretary
Bruce Huber
Morton, IL
(309) 258-3711
bahuber@mtco.com
Newsletter Editor
Eric Wank
Metamora IL
(517) 861-9482
emwank@mtu.edu
Treasurer
Chase Strantz
Canton, IL
(309) 339-1163
chasestrantz@yahoo.com
Track Events
Chairperson
Boris Peharda
Peoria, IL
(309) 256-9828
peharda@sbcglobal.net
UPCOMING EVENTS
• February 23rd: First Quarter In-Person Board Meeting: 4:00pm, BMW of Isringhausen
(Open to all members)
• February 23rd: Annual Membership Appreciation Dinner: 6:00pm, Alexander’s Steakhouse
Springfield, IL
• May 15th: Second Quarter In-Person Board Meeting: 6:00pm, Bloomington, IL (TBD)
(Open to all members)
• August 21st: Third Quarter In-Person Board Meeting: 6:00pm, Peoria, IL (TBD) (Open to
all members)
• November 20th: Fourth Quarter In-Person Board Meeting: 6:00pm, Decatur, IL (TBD)
(Open to all members)
2

THANK YOU
TO THE PEORIA CAR CLUB. TO THE CHAPTER MEMBERS.
TO OUR FRIENDS. IT WAS A GREAT 2018.
We are looking forward to another great year.
We are prepping for our M Madness 2019 event, and
are proposing May 18th as the date. We are excited
to have our fellow BMW and BMW M enthusiasts join
us again with the help of the Illini BMW Car Club for an
exciting day to celebrate these pieces of art, as well
as the coming of spring after this long winter.
Clinton Leman
General Sales Manager
Currently at our store in Peoria, we have a 2018 M3CS
and a 2019 M5 Competition in stock. We are excited to
share that we also have the new body styles that BMW
recently released - the all new 330’s, X5’s, X7’s, M850
Coupe/Convertible and a Z4!
UNVEILING THE M850.
The all new BMW M850 arrived in Peoria at
the home of Nathan and Terry with a few
special guests. What a beautiful setting on
Moss Ave in the historic West Bluff!
BMW
of Peoria
309.661.2691
1720 W Pioneer Pkwy, Peoria, IL
Peoria, IL 61615
bmwofpeoria.com
Service Hours:
Monday - Friday
7:00 AM-5:00 PM
Sale Hours:
Mon., Wed., Thurs.
Tuesday & Friday
Saturday
8:30 AM-8:00 PM
8:30 AM-6:00 PM
8:30 AM-5:00 PM
3

Welcome to 2019 everyone. I am sure you are
all thinking the same thing I am…how on Earth
do we have this much snow?! It is absurd! I am
certain I have shoveled more snow in the last
month, than I have in the 7+ years I have lived
in Illinois. All that being said, I managed to get
my 1991 318is stuck at the end of the driveway
during that first big snowfall, but I blame
the 14+ year old snow tires on that.
Regional Chapter Leadership Meeting
Before diving into 2019 plans and updates,
I wanted to let you all know that Eric Wank
(your Vice President) and myself attended a
fall regional BMW CCA meeting in Indiana in
September. This was primarily to be a meeting
of the minds between all of the North Central
Region chapters: “The Next 50 years of BMW
CCA.” There was a ton of lively discussion regarding
the future of the club, since we continue
to see declining membership numbers. In
the end, it boiled down to a few key takeaways:
1.The new purchase rebate is now available
immediately after purchasing a 3yr membership;
tell all your friends!
2.Regional Newsletters have been trialed for
the Atlantic Region, and if it goes well, it will
be replicated nationally (if you have questions,
e-mail us!)
3.Insurance got easier & cheaper!
4.Looking at regional, more-affordable, shorter
Oktoberfest events.
5.The club still needs ideas to grow & retain
members!
Eric and I came away from the meeting with
a renewed sense of purpose. While the Illini
Chapter is small, it is part of a huge, thriving
network of chapters around the country.
HAYES HEADLINES:
2019 Plans and Illini Leadership
Now to 2019! I know it is hard to believe, but
spring is just around the corner (at least I
hope so). Kicking it off will be our Annual Appreciation
Dinner, hosted in Springfield again
this year at Alexander’s Steakhouse. Prior to
the dinner, we will hold our first of 4 quarterly
in-person meetings; please attend and voice
your ideas & opinions for 2019!
Finally, while 2019 will be an exciting time for
the Illini Chapter, I will be witnessing it from
a different position on the board. The last few
years have been challenging, with changing
leadership and the loss of many key individuals
that helped the chapter tremendously
(our Treasurer & Newsletter team, namely).
Throughout all of that, our team continued to
steer our chapter in the right direction; our entire
board has put in tons of work! Well, with
some personal demands and the potential of
moving once more this year, I have decided to
pass the leadership baton. Up for election will
be Rick Largen, our Street Suvival Chair, for
President; Bruce Huber for VP; Eric Wank for
Secretary; Rick Roudebush possibly returning
as Treasurer; and Boris Perharda remaining
as our Track Events Chair. Please join us and
vote!
I want to thank you
all for the opportunity to
lead you for a few years.
I look forward to the Illini
Chapter continuing to
flourish! Hope to see you
all at a future event soon.
Let’s get out and drive
our bimmers soon!
-Sean Hayes
Illini Chapter President
4

BMWs are an Experience,
We make it Extraordinary.
The New BMW
M850I xDRIVE COUPE
Huge New Inventory
We have all new 330’s, X5’s, x7’s, M850 coupe/convertibles,
and a Z4 in stock today. We are ready to provide the
ultimate experience with each of these ultimate machines.
We understand you can not get enough of the BMW brand
- so we have a selection of excellent apparel, accessories,
and even toys for the children looking forward to someday
taking part in the ultimate experience.
Come in for an ultimate experience with all our BMW’s.
First Priority Service
We are commited to providing nothing but the best service
available to our customers here in Illinois and elsewhere.
With a dedicated staff of technicians and sales associates,
we promise to give you our very own First Priority Service.
BMW Courtesy Car
BMW Pick-Up and Delivery
BMW Lifestyle Boutique
Enjoy benefits including:
BMW Chauffeur Service
BMW Courtesy Wash
Business Center with WiFi
BMW of Bloomington
309.661.2691
1604 Commerce Parkway
Bloomington, IL 61704
bmwofbloomington.com
Service Hours:
Monday - Friday
7:00 AM-5:00 PM
Sale Hours:
Mon., Wed., Thurs.
Tuesday & Friday
Saturday
8:30 AM-8:00 PM
8:30 AM-6:00 PM
8:30 AM-5:00 PM

DRIVER’S EVENT
CONFERENCE REPORT
by Rick Largen
I recently attended the
Driver’s Event Conference
held in Dallas Texas.
The event was held at the
Westin hotel near the airport
in Dallas. It consists
of two meetings going at
the same time. One of the
meetings involves the stewards of the BMW Car
Club of America Racing program and the Driver’s
Event Committee. Though not as large as the national
conference that is also held in Dallas, it is
just as important. Especially that we all, or should,
participate in all the events that the chapter offers.
The event starts on a Friday. Everyone arrives
by three o’clock and the meetings begin at five.
Friday there is a welcome dinner and an outline
of how the weekend will progress out. Saturday
is a full day of lectures. A lot of subjects are covered
and some apply to all chapters. They are
anything on how to organize an event to liability
issues. There are also programs presented on
the Instructor Training School. This is a program
that is being organized to unify what anyone who
is a high performance driving instructor is teaching.
It is a pretty tough selection process. Not
everybody makes it. There are also programs
on organizing the group drives, as well as Tire
Rack Street Survival. Sunday, we got started
about eight in the morning. That is a travel day
for most, so the attendance is not as great. We
went over what we learned. We also met with our
driving events coordinator, who is Fred Bell. He
is an awesome person with a wealth of knowledge
I can only hope to get a small percentage of.
As many of you know, I am the chairperson
for the Tire Rack Street Survival
School that is held by our chapter.
I was able to attend the conference and bring
back a wealth of knowledge that not only applies
to Tire Rack Street Survival, but to every
driving event that is held by a club, not only on
the national level, but on a local chapter level.
Driving events are defined by the national office
can be anything from a drive to a destination to
high performance driving events that are held
at a racing venue. That being said, there are
rules that apply at every event, and some that
are specific to each event. To try and explain
all that, this article would end up being the only
one in a newsletter. I will try to highlight some
of what I was able to take away from the event.
All of us own, or have an interest in BMW for
many reasons. For some of us, it is the reliability
of the vehicle you own. Some of us
drive them for the exterior and interior craftsmanship.
There are also some that drive
one for the performance these vehicles have.
That being said, each time we participate in an
event, there are things that need to be done so
that we keep our participants and ourselves
safe and have a good time that we can all enjoy.
There are quite a few things that go into making
an event a success from not only the organizer
of the event, but to all of those who participate.
If you want to learn more, the entire guide
is available under the BMW Car Club website.
If you look under “Chapters”, you will
find the BMWCCA Operations Manual.
As always, I am looking for people who want to
participate, either by instructing, or volunteering
to do other necessary tasks for Tire Rack
Street Survival. Remember, this is everyone’s
club. Participate all you can. You don’t have to
be an officer, or be at every event. I’m sure that
everyone who is a member has something special
that they bring with them. Share it with all.
6

7

y Rick Roudebush
BMW car folks are awesome.
That is usually my tag
line, but this time it needs to
be shouted from the top of
German Hill right up front.
Many of us have never seen
a BMW 328 or 507 Roadster
in person, so when meticulously
restored versions of
these gorgeous rare birds
drive up the grassy hill and
back towards the BMW tent
in front of your very eyes,
it can be staggering, and
it was. We all knew PVGP
was gonna be beyond its
usual spectacular vintage
car gathering this year with
Ofest riding piggyback on
the event, but this year’s
display of cars was only out
shined by the caretakers of these pristine epic
roadsters. Spectacular cars don’t just restore
themselves and show up on their own. There must
be dedicated enthusiasts behind them who search
them out and recognize the potential underneath
the rust, dust, blankets, bird poop or lids of many
boxes in some cases. That person then must endure
the extensive effort and expense to secure
or reproduce missing or decayed parts, perfect
all the running gear, disassemble and reassemble
many times, prep and paint every piece and
document every step along the way to achieve
this level of perfection. When finally finished,
the best of the best people who slogged through
this extensive process then share the masterpiece
with other enthusiasts at events like PVGP.
Such was the case with these two old roadsters.
Lothar Schuettler is one of these kind folks
who displays his many cars at shows like Pebble
Beach and Hilton Head where his 328 Roadster
has earned top honors. The story of him buying
the 81 year old car in pieces stuffed in boxes is
well known and previously written about. When
first seeing him along side the car I was nearly
dumbfounded by how approachable Lothar is, eager
to share the story with strangers and then, with
a smile, he just handed me a thick binder of photos
from behind the seat of the car to, “Take it over
Lothar Schuettler’s Beautiful 328
Photo by Rick
Roudebush
to the shade and look it over. Bring it back when
you are done. There is a lot to look at.” To display
a gorgeous car like this one at a show like this
is an astounding demonstration of devotion to the
desires of fellow true enthusiasts to see the cars
up close and in person. This is a very rare occurrence
in my world and the vast majority of spectators
I witnessed were extraordinarily respectful.
( I get the following information from allcarcentral.
com )They only made 464 of these extraordinarily
well engineered roadsters from 1936 through
1940. Only 18 of those were produced in black.
Only 6 produced in black in 1937 and this is the
only black one whose engine was modified to be a
8

ace car. Schleicher & Co. was a tuning company.
Yes, even back in the thirties there were apparently
tuners extracting more power from BMWs.
Mr. Schleicher had been involved in the design of
the 328 before opening his own shop, Schleicher
& Co. and was able to increase the hp from 80 to
124. “In 1938-39, with Huschke von Hanstein at
the wheel, this 328 saw many victories at such famous
places as the Nurburgring, Hockenheim, the
The 328’s Modified 124hp Engine
24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Grossglockner hill
climb.” This is an amazing provenance and we
were so fortunate to see this car up close and in
person. Then later in the day we heard it start and
witnessed Lothar drive off in the car he so lovingly
and skillfully restored, mostly with his own hands.
I barely got started
looking at Lothar’s
big binder when my
friend Atanas and I
were called for our
turn for a”Hot Lap”
ride along with BMW
Performance Center
hot shoe Chief Instructor
Mike Renner.
I highly recommend
you do this if given the
chance. This was to be
my 4th ride along with
“Sir Schnell”. Two were
at a previous PVGP
and the other one was
at Daytona prior to the 24. Mike is an amazing ambassador
to BMW Motorsports and always makes
sure his passengers have a fantastic ///M experience.
This lap was no exception. We arrived as
Mike finished a lap with other lucky riders, and we
needed to wait for a break in the practice laps being
taken by the real vintage racers. We had seen
the retired RLL Racing Z4 parked along the road
as we approached in the golf cart. Atanas and I
talked with Mike about that beautiful
race car with lust in our voices, so he
asked if we wanted to go back and
have a closer look. Of course we did!
Mike asked to borrow the golf cart
for a few minutes and took us back
for closeup drooling, discussion and
pictures. Later in the day Mike would
be escorting a few folks around the
same track in this car. That must
have been a heart pounding, and ear
pounding experience. The Schenley
Park “track” is normally docile city
streets that wind through and around
Photo by Rick
Roudebush
the lovely peaceful park, providing
commuters and park patrons a beautiful
scenic drive. However, on PVGP
weekend the commuters and park patrons
are protected from entering the track area by
Jersey barriers and the streets are lined with hay
bales that protect the high curbs, trees and stone
walls from stray vintage racers and in our case,
the new BMW F90 M5. Race tracks are usually
banked for the turns, but since these are normally
Rick & Atanas enjoying the ride!
Photo by Atanas Nikita
9

city streets, they are crowned in the center and
have storm drains to remove the rain water when it
comes. This makes for a very interesting and challenging
“line” around the track that Mike has mastered
and memorized, then delivers quite a thrill
ride to his passengers. My friend, Atanas Zhilev,
admin for the Facebook page #MOTORSPORT-
SLIFE, made a video of our lap from the center
back seat where you can see Mike masterfully
working the wheel of the new 600+ hp M5, guiding
it through the tree tunnels, skirting the stone walls
and drifting around German Hill curve as we hoot
and holler with delight at the rush of “brutal acceleration
“ (Atanas’s words, and a pretty accurate
description). The braking and cornering capability
of this car in Mike’s hands is simply amazing
and just makes me giddy with joy. Here is a link to
our hot lap video. https://youtu.be/hVdwqSrlQKo
After our thank yous and goodbyes
to Mike and with eagerness of new plans to
meet again at Road America this August for
another thrill ride, we walked shaky legged
back to the golf cart and Gary returned us,
all jabbery like school kids, to German Hill
where the BMWs are carefully arranged by
model. We strolled through the display again
and took pictures of our favorites and visited
with some owners, you know, car talk. We
also wandered down to see the record setting
drift car and the specially designed refueling
car. While we were making our rounds, Dee
Sutton saw my wife Sonja and invited her to
ride along in a 2002 for the record setting parade
lap. Atanas and I watched the cars go by not
realizing Sonja was in the third car. So many cars
to see and so little time. After our tour of all the
BMWs, we grabbed a cool drink and took a seat
at a table under the tent to soak up some shade
with my wife Sonja who had just returned shortly
before us. It just so happens she had sat at a table
with Thomas and June Pesikey, the owners of the
bright red 507 we had seen arriving that morning
and had just been photographing. After introductions,
Sonja told us that they were the owners of
the beautiful bright red roadster that was attracting
so much attention as it sat gleaming in the sun in
front of us. I don’t know if we were stunned earlier
by the sheer presence and sound of my first 507
sighting or were still full of endorphins from our hot
lap, but I hadn’t put it together that these were the
folks that had arrived in the gorgeous red roadster
earlier that day. Of course, we are dying to hear the
story. Thomas proved to be another one of those
awesome BMW folks who was very approachable,
so easy to talk with and willing to share his story
with this car. The more questions we ask, the more
kindness that poured out. Thomas opens a fantastic
tooled leather binder that he hand crafted himself
containing amazing before and after pictures
Photo by Rick Roudebush
How often do you see two 507’s at once!?
of the car as purchased and all along the way to being
reconstructed as the beautiful specimen sitting
there less than twenty feet away. I am knocked out
by the before picture of the aluminum front nose
after it had been chemically stripped of it’s paint.
It kind of looked like silver Swiss cheese. A wood
pattern was made by taking measurements from
another car and making minor adjustments to fit
Photo by Atanas Nikita
10

his car. All of the body parts were hand hammered
and welded at the factory back in the day and no
two were exactly alike. The wooden skeleton was
then used to hand shape a new aluminum skin to
re-create the singular spectacular shape of one of
the most beloved and lusted after rolling art forms
ever created. Once the individual pieces were created
and welded together, weld seems flattened
and massaged smooth as a baby’s butt, the decayed
nose was cut off and the newly made nose
was grafted onto the car and those butt welds were
ground smooth. Now it looks like a car again. A ton
of hand sanding and blocking followed before the
sexy red paint was applied towards the end of this
41 year long labor of love. I asked Thomas if he
still has the old front end. He said it simply disintegrated
into pieces as it was being cut off, but he
still has the wooden “buck” pattern that was used
to hand craft the new nose. “I would hang that
over the fireplace in my lining room.” I said, only
half joking. He laughed and assured me it is hanging
in his shed, but will be hanging prominently
in his garage as soon as he makes room. We
poured over nearly every detail of the restoration
with awe and respect for
the attention to detail and
craftsmanship. Later conversation
revealed we have
a mutual love for all things
planes, trains and automobiles.
We both have our slot
cars from bygone era, his
1/24 scale and mine HO.
We both love model trains
and real steam engines.
Kindred souls. Is it kismet
that we met here at PVGP?
A skilled craftsman in his
own right, Thomas created
the beautiful tooled leather
book cover and the leather
floor mats that adorn the floor of the car. Just as it
is impossible to capture the beauty of the 507 in
a photograph, a photo of the floor mat does not
reveal the depth of workmanship involved in creating
it, but I think you can get a glimpse of the kind
soul behind the eyes of my new friend Thomas.
Speaking of new friends, Jackie Jouret was
on hand to sign copies of her newest addition to
the world of BMW cognoscenti wannabees. We
met at the “Hero’s of Bavaria” exhibit, for which
she ‘wrote the book’ with the same title. This time
her offering is “The Icon: 50 Years of the 2002”
and “The Foundation” exhibit of the same name
is not to be missed. (She gets embarrassed when
I refer to her as “THE” Jackie Jouret, but suffice
it to say, I’m a big fan.) The “Icon” was the main
focus of this years PVGP, to see ‘how many of the
2002s could be gathered on a track’ on it’s 50th
anniversary as championed by our friend Bret Sutton.
That will be his story to tell, but there were at
least 4 rows of 2002s spread across the widest
part of German Hill. That seems like a lot to me.
After Jackie signed my copy of the “Hero’s” book
we were talking and Mike Self walked up. “Well,
you must feel like you are right in your element
here Mike.” I say, recognizing him from his picture
on his monthly contribution to the “Roundel”.. We
chuckle as we are looking over a colorful field of
“Roundies” and square tail lighted little boxy Bimmers
that started the BMW fervor here in America.
Many thanks to the folks that volunteered to work
so hard to make this event such a grand success.
These are a few of the highlights of my
2002s for Days!
experience at this years gathering, but there are
many “moments” to be had at the Pittsburgh Vintage
Grand Prix and the Allegheny Chapter folks
truly know how to throw a fantastic party. If you
love cars, especially Bimmers, you should definitely
plan to attend next years get together. I
think you will enjoy meeting the best of the best
awesome BMW folks and the cars ain’t bad either.
11

2017
FINANCIAL
REPORT
by Eric Wank
First off, the board would like to apologize for
the delay on reporting out our 2017 Financial Report.
With the change of Treasurers (and a period without
one) it took some time to fully understand and catch
up on our finances. We have began using an online
accounting software that has really simplified and
sped up our book keeping. 2018 is already reconciled
and will be reported out in the Q1 Newsletter.
2017 Was an average year financially for us
(see details on next page). On the whole, we ended
up with a small loss of $61. Rebates from National
came in at just over $3k, and significant income
comes from Street Survial rebates; and we have to
give a special thank you to Mr. Benet from Kauth
& Mayeur for another generous donation making
TRSS less of a financial burden on our club. We
also want to thank our great advertisers, who help
keep newsletter costs low.
Speaking of newsletters, they are still quite
a substantial cost at almost $3k. Although we’ve
discussed going fully digital, the board voted to
maintain our high end hard copy which you have
all come to know and love. Event costs were over
$4k, which we see as a good thing. Spending on
events to benefit our members is what this club is
all about. TRSS is the highest cost event, but as
you already know much of it is offset. Other small
fees are shown as well; we also now have a storage
locker for all our club possessions.
If anyone has any questions on our expenses,
please reach out to us!
CLASSIFIEDS
2003 E46 M3. 42370 miles. Adult Driven. Never Tracked. $25K Firm
Rod bearing recall was done by BMW Dealer Certified MTech as soon as issued by BMW. S62 is tight
and strong. Coveted stick. I know both prior enthusiast owners personally.
Fresh Oil change and inspection by Isringhausen Imports 1/7/2019.
Contact: cmp@ParksFamily.com
E36 Sedan Clear Tail Lights
Aftermarket, new in plastic.
Located in Metamora, can meet in Peoria
Area.
$40
Contact Eric at:
emwank@mtu.edu
Ads may be posted by members at no
cost. All ads must pertain to BMW oriented
items. The Editor reserves the right to edit
them.
Email contact@illinibmw.com to submit
an ad!
12

Miscellaneous Income & Expense Items
Administrative Expenses
13

2019 TRACK
EVENT CALENDAR
The following are track events upcoming near our area. Not all are
BMW CCA events, so please research and plan accordingly. If you
have questions or need assistance registering for track events, please
contact Boris Peharda, our track events chairperson.
April 5-7 .............................Gateway with SLPCA
April 26-27..........................Putnam Park with CIRPCA
May 10-11.........................Road America with LAPS
June 3 (Monday only).........Autobahn (Full Course) with LAPS
July 15(Monday only).........Autobahn (Full Course) with LAPS
July 27................................Gateway with SLPCA
August 9-10.......................Indianapolis Mtr Spdwy with MORPCA
September 13-15................Mid-Ohio with MORPCA
Photo by Eric Wank

Illini BMW Chapter, Ltd.
BMW Car Club of America
P.O. Box 10306
Peoria, IL 61612-10306
The
Roundelian is
the official publication of the Illini
Chapter of the BMWCCA, Inc. The Illini Chapter and its
individual contributors retain the copyright for all information,
articles and photos included in the publication in both print and
electronic versions. Reproduction or other use of the materials
in this publication is not permitted without the written approval
of the Illini Chapter of the BMWCCA. Unless otherwise stated,
maintenance and modification procedures herein are not “Factory
Authorized” and their use may void your BMW warranty. Ideas and
opinions are those of the writers and no authentication or approval is
implied by the editor or the Board, who assume no liability for information
contained herein. The publication is printed four times a year and
distributed to members in good standing at the time of publication.