Bimmerfest Road Rally...........

[Jon S.]

Same route???

Maybe we should lobby for an escort this year?

http://www.eagleglenonline.com/bmw/images/bimmerfest/Image081.jpg

[BoostedE21]

What about that one guy that was there last year? maybe you can talk to him :dunno: . I think we should have the same route but am for a different drive. Either way I'm just happ BF is on! :thumbup:

[Kyle325i]

maybe we could come up with a better meeting place than a freeway offramp and onramp. it gets a little insane when you have so many people that it ends up looking like a bmw dealership...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=26044&stc=1
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=26043&stc=1

if you squint hard enough i think you can see jon's car in the second pic!

[Kyle325i]

hey jon, worst case scenario i could drive around town and pick up some of those orange cones that they use at construction sites for this year. we've got a ton of them just lying around town, i'm sure they wouldn't be missed :D

[DaveClement]

I think that the freeway onramp staging area was pretty good. There really aren't many places that you can line up that many cars at the same time. If it is anywhere other than a freeway onramp, the group will get severely broken up due to stop signs and traffic lights before they get to the freeway.

I do have some suggestions for this year that you may want to consider. Have a separate radio frequency band for the tour organizers that is separate from the rest of the group. It was sometimes difficult for them to communicate due to all of the rest of the chatter going on. Station at least a couple of people with bullhorns at strategic locations. One should be at the top of the hill, just before the freeway, another at the bottom at the end of the offramp. The group is too spread out for everyone to know what is going on and people did not know what to do.

I was at the right place at the right time last year and I got called upon to bring several of the organizers up to the top of the hill in my 750 at the last minute. (It must have been all of the leg room in back.) The people at the top were already starting to leave, probably because they did not know what they were supposed to do and/or got tired of waiting. I think that someone on a bullhorn calling out “We are still waiting for people at the back of the line to pull off the freeway, please wait by your cars and be ready to leave, but do NOT leave yet” would have been a big help.

It might not be a bad idea for the coordinators to wear something to make them stand out, perhaps the sort of vests that road crews wear. Also consider some signaling flags to help direct traffic and catch people’s attention.

I’m really looking forward to May 1st!

[LordGop]

Last year was my first bimmer fest and the only way I knew were to go and what to do was my Motorola talkabout radio. I would hear a event coordinator (or other) come on and advise what was going on, where there was more room and when we were leaving. There was like once or twice when someone would do the little ring/call buton thing, but I didn't notice a lot of over talking and chatter, maybe just me? The notice that the caravan was coming to a stop was also very helpful in knowing to give everyone a little more room. The on/off ramps I think were fine and a great way to fit all those cars, it might be tough to find another option that works as well and is tested. There was a bunch more room on the on ramp and I knew that there was, once again by my trusty radio.

That radio system is great I have used it a lot at other meets and it really really helps to get a message out there fast. I think that if more people had the radios it would be smoother and smoother as the numbers increased (of people with radios). The last BMW meet I was at (the J&Js meet in OC, some of you might know it) and there was a exit we had to take the people with radio made it fine, but some without pasted the exit (dang traffic =) ). Well let me not go on hehe, just really in favor of these great little things. They are not the much $ and people will use them again and again.

Looking forward to the fest :thumbup:

[xs3x]

maybe we should cruise by cutter? :eek: j/k

I'm up for the same route.. :thumbup:

[scottn2retro]

maybe we should cruise by cutter? :eek: j/k


:rofl:

I think the route is simple & known (which is good) and although it's getting a bit crowded, if there is a better staging place than Refugio Rd., I'd like to hear it.

What I do worry about is capacity of the stopping point at the 101/154. It's an awesome site though when all those BMWs are lined up on the highway, but it's getting hard to manage.

Maybe we should contact chpahoy about some coordination of some type. :dunno:

[jvr826]

I'm not familiar with the fairgrounds area, however it looks huge in the pictures on their website. Seems to me we should be able to get in some sort of line-up there before we depart. Having some help to get us out onto the freeway (hold traffic at stop/signals) may make the first off-ramp stop unnecessary. Then we can just buzz up to Refugio and gather there before heading out 154.

IMO the problems with traffic control start when some lame-azz minivan or 18 wheeler gets in the middle of us and wants to make a left turn off 154. I can't remember how many at grade interesections there are on 154, but it wasn't 2 or 3. Holding up traffic on all of those for us to pass may be a bigger favor than we can ask.

ymmv,

[SpeedinBlueBima]

Wow I'm so glad this is happening, it was so much fun last year.

[Kyle325i]

IMO the problems with traffic control start when some lame-azz minivan or 18 wheeler gets in the middle of us and wants to make a left turn off 154. I can't remember how many at grade interesections there are on 154, but it wasn't 2 or 3. Holding up traffic on all of those for us to pass may be a bigger favor than we can ask.

ymmv,

ouch, that happened a lot last year. In fact I remember there was like a group of 30 or 40 of us that got stuck behind a pick-up truck and a car. The truck was in front and was going slower than hell. Well the passing lane came up and the car did the right thing and went into the right lane and slowed down, the pick-up truck on the other hand sped up to 80 and stayed in the left lane. As if it wasn't enough to be an ass like that, he gets passed by some 20 M3s. I'm the last one who makes it in front of him and I have to cut him off before the passing lane ends. Well sure enough he gets pissed off at me and starts flashing his brights and honking his horn at me, go figure :rolleyes:

[jvr826]

ouch, that happened a lot last year. In fact I remember there was like a group of 30 or 40 of us that got stuck behind a pick-up truck and a car. The truck was in front and was going slower than hell. Well the passing lane came up and the car did the right thing and went into the right lane and slowed down, the pick-up truck on the other hand sped up to 80 and stayed in the left lane. As if it wasn't enough to be an ass like that, he gets passed by some 20 M3s. I'm the last one who makes it in front of him and I have to cut him off before the passing lane ends. Well sure enough he gets pissed off at me and starts flashing his brights and honking his horn at me, go figure :rolleyes:

This is pretty typical behavior in CA. The whole "you're not gonna pass me" bull$****. I now live in a rural area where turnouts are provided for slower vehicles to let the backlog pass. Too bad most don't know what "slower traffic use turnouts" means. When I was in Idaho last summer, they have a better sign: "It is unlawful to detain 3 or more vehicles." or something like that.

I support capital punishment for drivers not keeping right or not using the turnout, oh, and for those who do use it without a signal.

[car_for_mom]

:rofl:

I think the route is simple & known (which is good) and although it's getting a bit crowded, if there is a better staging place than Refugio Rd., I'd like to hear it.

What I do worry about is capacity of the stopping point at the 101/154. It's an awesome site though when all those BMWs are lined up on the highway, but it's getting hard to manage.

Maybe we should contact chpahoy about some coordination of some type. :dunno:

Oh yeah - I think there should be a CHP Beemer escort for all our Bimmers! :bigpimp: :thumbup:

And the picture should appear on the cover of Roundel, too!

[car_for_mom]

maybe we could come up with a better meeting place than a freeway offramp and onramp. it gets a little insane when you have so many people that it ends up looking like a bmw dealership...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=26044&stc=1
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=26043&stc=1

if you squint hard enough i think you can see jon's car in the second pic!


In the second picture, the first Bimmer on the right hand side, the Topas Blau one you can barely see behind the gentleman in the white T-shirt, is none other than Karl Bimmer, proudly participating in his very first Bimmerfest! :wave:

[uberpanzer]

If we can gather everyone together well before we leave the fairgrounds, things should be fine and we wouldn't NEED a stop on the 101 before getting to the 154. If we ~DO~ stop on the same offramp/onramp on the 101 though (in case it is decided to not change things), the first cars there should pull all the way up to the top of the ONramp. I have been at all but the first Bimmerfest, and the cars on the drive keep multiplying. There was barely enough room last year with people half way up the onramp, with cars actually still on the freeway, not quite on the offramp. For safety sake at least people should go all the way to the top of the onramp, lining both sides of it and the offramp.

As for the 154, there isn't much we can do about it. It is a good place to regroup after getting off of the 101, and there isn't really any place else to do that. We'll just have to make full use of that side street a bunch of us turned down last year (where some people had some fun in the dirt area at the end of the street :angel: ) and try and get as many people packed in as possible.

As for a CHP escort on their nice, shiny new BMW bikes, it would be great if it could be arranged, but I'm not sure if we can even do that. Besides, a lot of people might STILL get into trouble. As much as we tell people to stay calm and NOT race, it still happens (and I'm guilty myself of driving too fast on the rally). Having this happen while being escorted by the CHP might not work. But who knows. If we can get them to ride in front of us, we probably should.

I guess the good thing about my M3 having a blown motor right now means I'll be in a lesser 4 banger for the 'Fest....so I ~SHOULD~ be going slower..... :mad:

[Keith]

My vote is to leave things as they have been, it's been a blast and we all know what to expect. :thumbup:

Just my 2.5 cents! :D

[Beemin 323]

I'm with keith, keep it the same. When you get off refugio you can also go right or left. so cars can park there also for the regroup. Should be plenty of room.

Chad

[Raffi]

Jon, I think it would be a great idea to have chpahoy and a couple of his buddies help us out on the road rally, as long as we aren't forced to drive 35 mph. :angel:

[tpham]

Same route???

Maybe we should lobby for an escort this year?

http://www.eagleglenonline.com/bmw/images/bimmerfest/Image081.jpg

We should've gotten his name down from last year :angel:
http://members.roadfly.org/Session/8653-ZgSZbd89rztqYbknfcVX/WebFile/CHP.JPG

Cheers,
TP.

[chpahoy]

I'm out here monitoring things from a distance. It's nice to see that picture of me is still making the rounds on the internet. FYI, I did let the guy go with a warning. I have been in contact with Jon and I'm trying to get some help from my co-workers regarding the drive on SR-154. I'm hoping that once we get to 154 north of Buellton, we can have someone block the overcrossing so we can get all Bimmers off the Fwy in a continuos line. I have talked to the guys in my office and as long as we all keep our nose clean there shouldn't be any problems. Now, the Santa Barbara guys, that's a whole different bll game.

K

[amercersx]

i have a white rsx. please dont pull me over. lol. =) i just want to enjoy the bmws!

[scottn2retro]

Just for my clarification, the Refugio Road exit off the 101 is out of Santa Barbara Police jurisdiction, correct? :D

[RKT BMR]

Chpahoy, I think I can speak for many, many of us that we are very pleased to have you part of the community :thumbup: The vast majority of us want to have fun doing this while staying safe, and not pissing off the general public unnecessarily. Having you step in and put some effort in to helping in that regard deserves major props, bro. We all owe you some serious gratitude.

We'd love to see some of your coworkers/buddies enjoying the event too... There's got to be a BMW crew in the CHP ranks. Anyway, don't blush too hard, but you've been among the finest examples of actual realization of the cop motto, "To protect and serve" that I've seen in a long time. Thanks again!

[RKT BMR]

Just for my clarification, the Refugio Road exit off the 101 is out of Santa Barbara Police jurisdiction, correct? :DThere was discussion elsewhere about dropping that stop, given the enormous size of the caravan that is expected this year.

While it's always been moe of my favorite components of the caravan, I agree with others that it is probably not practical any more, being probably unsafe and too disruptive with the number of cars we're going to have. :dunno:

[scottn2retro]

Aren't there some BMW motorcycles (actual beemers :) ) used by the CHP?

[xs3x]

I'm out here monitoring things from a distance. It's nice to see that picture of me is still making the rounds on the internet. FYI, I did let the guy go with a warning. I have been in contact with Jon and I'm trying to get some help from my co-workers regarding the drive on SR-154. I'm hoping that once we get to 154 north of Buellton, we can have someone block the overcrossing so we can get all Bimmers off the Fwy in a continuos line. I have talked to the guys in my office and as long as we all keep our nose clean there shouldn't be any problems. Now, the Santa Barbara guys, that's a whole different bll game.

K
dont pick on us locals :cry: :cry:

[RKT BMR]

dont pick on us locals :cry: :cry:I'm pretty sure he was referring to the SBPD, not the local citizenry.

[xs3x]

I'm pretty sure he was referring to the SBPD, not the local citizenry.
oops, just read his post again, and i misunderstood him..

the SBPD is what I'm really worried about, after what I saw at NOr cal vs so cal..but nothing is stopping me to go to bimmerfest :thumbup:

[Raffi]

Chpahoy, I think I can speak for many, many of us that we are very pleased to have you part of the community :thumbup: The vast majority of us want to have fun doing this while staying safe, and not pissing off the general public unnecessarily. Having you step in and put some effort in to helping in that regard deserves major props, bro. We all owe you some serious gratitude.

We'd love to see some of your coworkers/buddies enjoying the event too... There's got to be a BMW crew in the CHP ranks. Anyway, don't blush too hard, but you've been among the finest examples of actual realization of the cop motto, "To protect and serve" that I've seen in a long time. Thanks again!
:stupid:

Except that he's not a "cop"... :D

[chpahoy]

oops, just read his post again, and i misunderstood him..

the SBPD is what I'm really worried about, after what I saw at NOr cal vs so cal..but nothing is stopping me to go to bimmerfest :thumbup:


I kind of agree with the 154 offramp being a hazard to other traffic, based on the number of vehicles involved. I just think its too late to alter the route. Given more time (on my part) I think an alternative can be found. There's always next year, bigger and better.

K

[scottn2retro]

There was discussion elsewhere about dropping that stop, given the enormous size of the caravan that is expected this year.

While it's always been moe of my favorite components of the caravan, I agree with others that it is probably not practical any more, being probably unsafe and too disruptive with the number of cars we're going to have. :dunno:

In my estimation, I find the 101/154 meet up to be the one that is getting hard to manage. The Refugio Rd. meet is needed to put the caravan into one group.

If we could leave Refugio Rd. in one big group - and stay that way (I think a lead vehicle from the CHP would help a lot), it would make for a better caravan.

:dunno:

[chpahoy]

In my estimation, I find the 101/154 meet up to be the one that is getting hard to manage. The Refugio Rd. meet is needed to put the caravan into one group.

If we could leave Refugio Rd. in one big group - and stay that way (I think a lead vehicle from the CHP would help a lot), it would make for a better caravan.

:dunno:

Tough to do that escort thing. The last time CHP did an escort is was the running of the bulls, 50 Lamborghini's from Santa Barbara to Monterey. Cars would get stretched out and the next thing you know you have 20 Lambo's doing 120 mph to catch the lead pack. The public didn't to much of that, so that's why the CHP is not in the escort business. Logistics is going to be a big problem with the amount of cars, but I think we'll manage.

[Keith]

Tough to do that escort thing. The last time CHP did an escort is was the running of the bulls, 50 Lamborghini's from Santa Barbara to Monterey. Cars would get stretched out and the next thing you know you have 20 Lambo's doing 120 mph to catch the lead pack. The public didn't to much of that, so that's why the CHP is not in the escort business. Logistics is going to be a big problem with the amount of cars, but I think we'll manage.

I agree with you "K".

Hey, I have an idea, how about putting some lights on top of the '88 M3?? :thumbup:

K

[chpahoy]

I agree with you "K".

Hey, I have an idea, how about putting some lights on top of the '88 M3?? :thumbup:

K

I don't even have lights on the top of my patrol car, that way I can sneak up on the unsuspecting. One other observation, I noticed quite a few people milling about in the middle of the road on the Refugio Rd. off ramp. Now I know this is the Officer part coming out in me but, if you have people walking around in the middle of the road the public complains. When people complain they do it to the local authorities. So, the less complaints the better. Just looking out for the best interests of the group!

K

[Kaz]

With the format of Bimmerfest this year where everyone's parked in one huge lot (not scattered all over the place), I don't think the Refugio stop is necessary at all.

[segal3]

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=26043&stc=1
if you squint hard enough i think you can see jon's car in the second pic!


AHHH IT'S ME!

lol...a year later, someone IMs me with this...my car's the white 7 on the left 2 or 3 up...

~Matt Segal

[Jon S.]

http://www.cuttermotors.com/bimmerfest/2003/images/103.jpg

http://www.cuttermotors.com/bimmerfest/2003/images/109.jpg

http://www.cuttermotors.com/bimmerfest/2001/images/bfest31.jpg

http://www.cuttermotors.com/bimmerfest/2002/images/fest40.jpg

[RKT BMR]

Jon, I'm hoping/assuming you still have the BMW flag, and that that isn't at, what is it now, Santa Barbara BMW Group (formerly Cutter :( )?

[Ty Vil]

http://www.cuttermotors.com/bimmerfest/2003/images/109.jpg


Hey there's my old car before a drunk driver finished it off. I'm going to miss having the Dinan M3 at the fest this year. The yellow one will be nicer next year but in the mean time I just haven't had the time or $$$ to put into it.

Back on topic, I think stops should be kept to a minimum.