Racing Lines | BMW CCA Club Racing History: The Series Goes National

As the Tire Rack BMW CCA Club Racing series turns 30, we will run stories of historical interest over the course of the year. In this post we will focus on the series’ first national races and the establishment of the new national championship series, both taking place in 2002.

Steve Olsen became the chairman of BMW CCA Club Racing in 2002, succeeding Scott Hughes, who founded the series along with his wife, Fran. Before 2002 the series was regional, with racers seldom traveling long distances to compete in other parts of the country; Olsen envisioned a national series, with racers traveling more often. He inaugurated a national points system in 2002 that was designed to encourage racers to travel beyond their regions. This system, still in place today, awards titles in a wide range of classes designed to accommodate any BMW that a racer might elect to run in the series.

In addition to the points system, the series also staged its first national race at Texas World Speedway in March of 2002 to actively encourage cross-regional competition. Since that event was deemed a success, it was decided to stage a national championship race at Texas World Speedway in November.

The March race drew 42 competitors from across the country, albeit with a marked tilt toward the west. California racer Gil Caravantes dominated the event in his ex-PTG E36 M3 GTR, winning all three sprints and the 1.5-hour Sunday enduro. His closest competitor was Pierre Collet, a Cincinnati-based racer who campaigned a B-Modified E36 M3. Collet finished first in class and second overall to Caravantes in all three sprints, and led the Sunday enduro until a blown tire left him a spectator in the infield. Among other front-runners in the event were chairman Steve Olsen, who swept D-Modified in his E30 325iS; Mike Akard, who finished on or near the podium in all three sprints, finishing second in B-Modified in his E30 325is; North Carolina resident Matt Richmond in an H-Prepared E36 M3 Lightweight; the father-and-son team of Robert and Bruce Todd, also competing in H-Prepared in an E36 328i; and Mark Kirberg, another H-Prepared E36 M3 LTW racer.

The only North Atlantic Region racer to a score a class win over the course of that weekend was New Jersey’s Dave McIntyre in an E-Modified E21 320i. McIntyre would go on to serve as club racing chairman for a time. Philadelphia’s Tony Salloum—his VAC Motorsports was a BMW CCA Club Racing sponsor then and remains a sponsor of the series today—was on hand with a B-Modified E46 328i. He chased mechanical gremlins at TWS.

Salloum, who still takes to the track from time to time in club races, and Akard, who actively campaigns a PWR4-class F82 M4 GT4 in the series, are the only racers who ran at TWS in 2002 who remain active in the series today.

In November the series returned to Texas World Speedway with an invited group of national front-runners in Club Racing classes. Racers competed in non-championship races on Saturday and in a 40-minute championship sprint on Sunday.

At the start of the Sunday sprint, the front of the pack included March winner Caravantes, back to contest the Super-Modified title in his E36 M3; North Atlantic region competitor Chuck Stickley in a C-Modified E36 M3, who would dominate the class in the series for several seasons; Arizona racer Bill Bentzen in a B-Modified E36 M3; Matt Richmond in his H-Prepared E36 M3; chairman Steve Olsen in his D-Modified E30 325iS; and the late California racer Scott Chan in an H-Prepared E36 M3 Lightweight.

When both Stickley and Caravantes fell back on the first lap, Bentzen, Richmond, and Chan took the lead. Caravantes and Stickley worked their way back into the lead on lap seven, when an off-course excursion by a 2002 racer whose car’s throttle stock open led to a long full-course yellow flag. After fifteen minutes spent under caution, the green flag flew, setting off a thirteen-minute sprint to the finish. Caravantes took the overall win ahead of Stickley—and both emerged as national champions.

BMW CCA National Champions 2002

Super-Modified: Gil Caravantes, E36 M3 GTR

C-Modified: Chuck Stickley, E36 M3

D-Modified: Steve Olsen, E30 325i

E-Modified: John Barhydt, 2002

H-Prepared: Matt Richmond, E36 M3

I-Prepared-Tim Probert, E36 M3

J-Prepared: John Fisher, E30 M3

K-Prepared: Billy Jack Ethridge, E30 325iS

L-Prepared: Terry Sayther, 2002

M-Prepared: Bill Thacker, 2002

H-Stock: Scott Smith, E36 M3

I-Stock: Scott Riley, E36 M3

J-Stock: Luis Marques, E30 M3

K-Stock: Vivek Govindapillai, E36 325i

Since 2002, titles have been decided by points calculations across the course of the season.—Brian Morgan, Roundel motorsports editor

Photo of racers on grid at TWS in March 2002 by Brian Morgan