Over 500 members gathered for the annual Festorics Corral and Hospitality Area presented by Michelin at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. In fact, members drove from as far away as Florida and Maine to attend the race and enjoy all that Monterey Car Week has to offer. The Festorics corral experience included a mini car show of sorts, spectacular views of the racing action, and a catered trackside lunch on both Saturday and Sunday.
Attendees were treated to a full field of historic BMW entries on the racetrack including the BMW V12 LMR driven by Bill Auberlen, No. 25 3.0 CSL driven by Brian Redman, the E46 M3 GTR driven by John Edwards, and the No. 56 E92 M3 GT piloted by Connor de Phillippi.
On Saturday morning, members witnessed perhaps one of the greatest moments in Festorics history as Bill Auberlen piloted the BMW V12 LMR to a dominating victory. To celebrate the win, Auberlen pulled up to the BMW CCA corral on the cool down lap, waived his hands in salute of the crowd that had cheered him to victory and did an electrifying burnout, a nod to his fellow BMW enthusiasts. Later, Auberlen paid a visit to the corral along with his fellow BMW pro drivers, John Edwards and Connor De Phillippi, taking pictures with members and sharing his thoughts on driving the famed V12 LMR to one more victory.
Also, joining us was Mike Renner from the BMW Performance Center who gave away a two-day M school to one lucky member. Members also had the chance to win CCA swag and Cool Carbon brake pads.
Of course, the corral wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our amazing volunteers, members, and sponsors. This year’s sponsors included Michelin, BMW NA, BMW Performance Center, XPEL, and Cool Carbon.
If you haven’t already, start making your plans now to attend next year’s BMW CCA Monterey Weekend, August 14–16, 2020. It’s a bucket list event for any BMW enthusiast!—Chris Hennecy
[Photos courtesy Chris Hennecy.]