BMW CCA Motorsports & Mascara 2025 Celebrates International Women's Day

Motorsports & Mascara 2025, powered by Hagerty, the BMW CCA celebrates International Women’s Day

Contributors:

Ginny Denton, Melissa Dobson, Marissa McDermott Klimek, Denise Noble, Valerie Caprigno

The Motorsports & Mascara weekend kicked off with a welcome dinner on Friday, March 7, 2025 at Group Therapy in beautiful downtown Greenville, SC, amidst the chaos of the Women’s SEC Basketball Tournament which also happened to be in town. The group enjoyed a great venue over tasty food and drinks as they got to know each other and share their hesitancy and excitement for the weekend ahead. Representing a range of skill levels from experienced track drivers to novices, the group came together for the BMW CCA’s celebration of women in motorsports.

On Saturday, International Women’s Day, ten enthusiasts gathered together for the weekend’s featured activity: a day of driving excitement at the BMW Performance Driving Center in Greer, SC. The day began with introductions and a driver’s safety briefing including what could be expected on the track and what the group would be learning in the morning and afternoon sessions. Once the basics were taken care of, the group headed outside for the best part – the cars – the sporty M240i and the agile and quick M340i!

The morning activities included High-Speed Braking and Emergency Lane Changes in the M2, Correct, Pause, Recover (CPR) technique for oversteer and understeer recovery on the skid pad using the M3, and a fast and fun Slalom in the M2. Participants were paired up and took turns as driver and passenger, listening to directions and feedback from instructors over walkie-talkies clipped securely in the driver’s door. Each exercise began with a slow drive-through and the instructor’s explanation of our objectives. Driver One drove each exercise first, then swapped to Driver Two and ran another set. Instructors Mike Renner and Bill Snyder shared their own experience and expertise, talking the group through every part of the day with humor and encouragement. Their directions were clear and easy to follow. The setup allows participants to benefit not just from 1:1 instruction but listening in on feedback to other drivers as well. Each pair of drivers had complete control of the car during the exercises except for our time on the skid pad, where instructors join drivers in the passenger seat to provide immediate feedback and course correction if needed. Partners were allowed to ride along in the back seat to continue learning, if they chose.

Midday, the group enjoyed some time to catch their breath, sitting down to a delicious lunch buffet and chatting about the thrills experienced and what each learned. From the most seasoned driver to the most novice, each participant improved their skill set in some way. Everyone agreed, there’s always something new to learn! Thus refueled in both body and mind, the group returned for the afternoon session: timed runs through a small but technically challenging track setup in the M2 and competing against each other with M3s in the Rat Race for the title of “Rat Queen”. The day was capped by hot laps in an M3 Competition driven by instructors Mike and Bill. What a thrill ride!

Exhilarated and exhausted after a full day of Freude am Fahren (Sheer Driving Pleasure) with The Ultimate Driving Machine, the group headed for an informal photo shoot at the BMW Zentrum Museum down the road. To close out the weekend, attendees reconvened for food and drinks a few hours later at Juniper, the rooftop restaurant at the AC Hotel in downtown Greenville. The delightful few hours allowed for reliving the day, getting to know each other, discussing past, present and future cars, and planning next steps to help bring more women into the motorsports community.

HERStory: Participants’ take on Mascara & Motorports 2025

Participants reflect about their Mascara & Motorsports experience. With varied expectations and skill levels going in to the weekend, the overwhelming takeaway is that each participant learned something valuable, improved their skills and most importantly had a fantastic experience! Let’s see what each had to say…

Participant: Melissa Dobson

BMW CCA Chapter: Peachtree

When I purchased my first BMW with the help of a close friend and member of the BMW CCA, I was encouraged to join the club and the Peachtree Chapter. As a newbie, the rewards have been a spectacular surprise of fun filled social and driving experiences. The Ladies’ Motorsports & Mascara was an amazing introduction to high performance driving. The full day driving experience was filled with instruction from professional drivers, Bill Snyder and Mike Renner. As you can imagine, leading ladies through driving maneuvers and around the track could be said to have been a test itself of patience; their enthusiasm in coaching, however, was met with an abundance of gratitude from the ladies. Meeting new BMW enthusiasts, enjoying beautiful driving weather in Greer, SC and social events in Greenville created unforgettable memories. What an inspiring group of women from New York to Michigan, Ohio to Georgia and South Carolina. All in celebration of International Women’s Day! And if the exhilarating experience of BMW driving wasn’t enough, event sponsor Hagerty Insurance spoiled us with some surprises in participants’ gift bags. A very special thank you to Mandi Arnold (Buckeye, Tarheel, M and X Chapters) and Valerie Caprigno (Boston, M and X Chapters) who helped to pull together the spectacular event!

Participant: Marissa McDermott Klimek

BMW CCA Chapter: New York

Going into this experience, I was very nervous, as I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve done HPDE and autocross in the past. Our group had varying levels of experience, from more track experience, instructors, to novices that have never been on the track. So, I was somewhere in the middle. I was anxious to try something different. The classroom and track sessions in the beginning with Bill and Mike eased my comfort levels. My skills increased throughout the day with Bill and Mike’s excellent instruction and exercises. I had some lightbulb moments where Mike was able to explain concepts to me that I haven’t had explained to me during other events. I felt like this event was a major breakthrough in my development, and I’m looking forward to going into my next HPDE season. The camaraderie among fellow BMW enthusiasts added to the fun, creating a welcoming and engaging atmosphere. I’m looking forward to having more experiences with this women’s group, and we’ve discussed Indy possibly in the fall.

Participant: Denise Noble

BMW CCA Chapter: New York

I began attending HPDE events in 2010 and have been a BMW CCA Instructor for 13 years. I also instruct with ACNA, PCA and FCA and am a member of WIMNA. I did not have high expectations for this event as I had previously attended Performance Delivery for my e92 M3 as I had been attending HPDE events for two years. I decided to attend the Motorsports and Mascara Event, which was held on International Women’s Day, as I was getting the pre-track season itch and craving warmer weather (even talking one of my previous students into taking the trip with me!). Well, this event exceeded my expectations in every way! The whole group of Women got along very well, and became friends by the end of the event. Valerie and Mandi were amazing and had put a tremendous amount of effort into planning the event. It was amazing to see everyone’s progress throughout the day and in each exercise as their confidence level grew even as the speeds increased. As RBG said “It Shouldn’t be that

Women are the exception”; and I will add, at HPDE events.

Participant: Ginny Denton

BMW CCA Chapter: Motor City

BMW Performance Center’s Mike Renner and Bill Snyder join Motorsports and Mascara participants Ginny Denton and Marissa McDermott Klimek for a fantastic day of driving.

I’m a lifelong car enthusiast, with a particular love of German cars. From BMW to Trabant, I’m here for them all! I had an early introduction thanks to my mom, who was a German-to-English translator for Volkswagen at their US headquarters in Troy, Michigan. I first learned to drive in Volkswagen’s employee parking lot, mastering such essential skills as navigating large open areas at 15 mph and extreme accuracy in parking (inspiring our little family’s long-running joke, to “come as close to that pole as you can without hitting it”).

I bought my first BMW in 2008, fulfilling one of my wildest childhood dreams. My E36 dream car was a beautiful 1995 325is 5-speed manual in Boston Green with dove gray interior and I adored it. We had three amazing years together until a fateful winter night on a curvy rural road covered with black ice put an end to our love affair. These days I am the proud owner of a black-on-black 6-speed manual E91 (2006 325xiT) that has been my beloved daily driver and pretend racecar since 2012, and a silver-on-gray E53 (2006 X5) that came to live with us in August 2024. My driving goal? Tackle the Nürburgring in a BMW!

I confess, my track experience was almost nonexistent and I had been SO intimidated by the idea of high-performance driving education that I’d hesitated more than once to join co-ed classes and events. For me the opportunity to book a full day women-only driving event was ideal. I was eager to challenge my own capabilities and push farther towards the limits of the cars, increasing my everyday driving confidence and preparing myself to take my beloved E91 on the track for the very first time in mid-September, in the Motor City chapter’s HPDE event at Grattan Raceway.

I’m thrilled to have been a part of this event, both for the performance driving and for the new connections I’ve made with my fellow female BMW enthusiasts. It was a distinct relief to be among a group of such supportive, friendly, and encouraging women. May this be the start of a new yearly event!