BMW Club Gathering
July 22/23, 2023 Weekend
Race Weekend in Schenley Park – July 22/23
Join the biggest car show in the region at the BMW Club’s Schenley Park Car Corral. Includes weekend parking in Car Corral and access to BMW Tent, Race Program, and decal. The club has a reputation for its warm hospitality and many believe that the BMW tent at Schenley Park is the best place to watch the races as the racers enter the golf course after sprinting up the hill to turn #13. As always, all years and models of BMWs are welcome! Registration opens mid March.
SOLD OUT: Driving Tour of the Laurel Highlands – Friday, July 21
Driving Tour of the Laurel Highlands. Experience the beautiful countryside southeast of Pittsburgh in your BMW. $15 per car registration. There is no limit on passengers. Lunches at historic Stone House Restaurant in Farmington, PA are not included and can be purchased for $30 each. BMW CCA membership required for this event.
SOLD OUT: Welcome Reception – Friday, July 21
BMW Allegheny Chapter Dinner Reception at the Indigo Hotel located at 329 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. $40 per person for buffet dinner. Cash bar available. The contemporary, American Style Bistro serves dinner with an impressive selection of local libations.
There is also a block of rooms for BMW participants for $179 per night. The hotel is reserving an open air parking lot for $10/night. There is also a wash bay for club use. Book Here
Online Registration is Now Closed – You can pay at the Gate in Schenley Park
Registration can only be done through our online Vivenu portal above. Once you register, you will need to go back and add the year and model of your BMW – it is imperative that you enter this information so that you can receive your emailed receipt contains a QR code that will be scanned upon entry to facilitate a quick and touchless process. We strongly encourage you to pre-register now to ensure you get a spot on the field and to speed up the entry process. Refunds and single-day discounts are not available.
Allegheny Chapter BMW CCA
The Allegheny Chapter BMW CCA is a long-time supporter of the PVGP. The Chapter takes pride in its fundraising efforts as well as bringing innovation and excitement to its annual activities at the PVGP.
BMW Performance Center’s Ring-Taxi
Mike Renner has been a teacher for the better part of three decades, sharpening the on-track skills of everyone from FBI agents to Secret Service members. In 1999—the opening year of the BMW Performance Center—Mike became a certified instructor, leveraging 28 years of active and successful racing to cultivate his students. Each July he brings the BMW M5 Ring-Taxi to Schenley Park to take spectators for a lap of the track between races. Not only is it an incredible thrill, it also raises thousands of dollars for our charities and excites the crowd as Mike gets the car sideways in several turns.
BMW magazine Roundel editor Satch Carlson visited the PVGP in 2015 and a glowing review for our old city. Satch is also a columnist for Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car, and well known as a former columnist for AutoWeek
Allegheny Chapter events are open to all years and models of the marque. The club hosts tours, social gatherings, and autocross. If you have an interest in joining, please stop by the tent or visit the club online at alleghenybmwcca.org.
In January of 2016, the Allegheny Chapter was recognized as the 2015 International Club of the Year Award. Congratulations,, the award is well deserved!
Join the biggest car show in the region at the BMW Club’s Schenley Park Car Corral. The club has a reputation for its warm hospitality and many believe that the BMW tent at Schenley Park is the best place to watch the races as the racers enter the golf course after sprinting up the hill to turn #13. You do not have to be a member of BMW CCA to take part in the activities in Schenley Park! As always, all years and models of BMWs are welcome!.
Many thanks to BMWCCA, both the national organization and the local Allegheny Chapter for hosting an incredible O’Fest during the 2018 Grand Prix. There were Bimmers everywhere during the week and over 750 at Schenley Park. The club set the all-time record for Marque fundraising with a $126,500 donation! Together with the Pittsburgh BMW dealers and the national BMW CCA, the Allegheny Club Chapter has raised an astounding $425,000 for the Grand Prix charities!
BMW Club Racing with the PVGP
BMW CCA Club Racing has been a part of the PVGP since 1998 when BMW was Marque of the Year and 35 BMW 2002s buzzed through Schenley Park. It was one of the most dramatic weekends of racing in our history!
When the PVGP added the Historics at Pitt Race Complex in 2004 BMW CCA Club Racing was there with their own race group, contributing to the racing excitement and our charities!
Club Racing sanctions a class for almost any BMW ever converted to a race car. Club Racing Drivers chase a national championship determined by a points system. Each year, Club Racing designates four national events across the country where points are doubled. In recognition of the grand opening of the Pitt Race South Track, the Grand Prix’s Historics have been designated a national race.
Although it is a competitive series involving a national championship, drivers in the series are recognized for their sportsmanship and shared passion for getting the most out of their BMWs.
Drivers love coming to this event due to the hospitality they are shown by the BMW CCA’s Allegheny Chapter. Stop by the Allegheny Chapter’s BMW car corral to say hello to the drivers, chapter members, and volunteers.
The Club’s mission is to promote the interest in, the ownership of, and preservation of classic BMWs, as well as to encourage their use and visibility. They do this mainly through the organization of and the participation in specific events, and the publication of a quarterly magazine THE ULTIMATE CLASSIC. They are in contact with other BMW clubs in order to keep members abreast of events and happenings in the US as well as abroad. A strong emphasis is being placed on social contacts between members. The Club also maintains a register of members and their cars.
Honorary Race Director and BMW racer Bill Auberlen takes his BMW Z4 GTLM around the track on an exhibition lap at Schenley Park in 2018.
Special Volunteers: Mike Renner and his BMW Ring Taxi
Have you ever wondered what it was like to experience the PVGP from the other side of the fence?
In the latter half of the last decade, race driver Sabine Schmitz gained lots of notoriety in Germany by offering very fast rides to BMW guests at the Nürburgring track. Schmitz’s BMW M5 was known as the “Ring Taxi”. Of course, a ride in Schmitz’s Ring Taxi was a bit more exciting than a typical New York City cab ride.
When BMW was the marque of the year in 2009 the BMW CCA Allegheny Chapter hatched a plan to bring a similar experience to Schenley Park. The Chapter extended an invitation to Mike Renner, an instructor at the BMW Performance Center, to provide a few charity laps during the 2009 PVGP. Mike quickly accepted the invitation, and to the Chapter’s surprise, Mike indicated that the BMW Performance Center just happened to have an M5 wrapped in “Ring Taxi” livery sitting at the South Carolina school. As a bonus, Mike graciously offered to donate a fully paid 2-day driver’s school for the Chapter to give away as part of the PVGP fundraising efforts.
The club invited Mike back again in 2011 when 5-series cars were featured in the BMW corral. The M5 Ring Taxi was a natural fit and the success of Mike’s efforts grew. The Chapter discovered that guests would gladly pay for a ride with Mike and the combined efforts resulted in an increased donation for the charities the second year. Since then, Mike has been back every year and his charity laps have become one of the most talked-about events at the PVGP. Although the original Ring Taxi has since been retired, Mike always brings a newly released performance car or even a pre-production car each year which generates extra excitement among the BMW enthusiasts.
In addition to offering charity rides at lunchtime, Mike now also runs laps in between races and has continued to donate the 2-day M School Package at the BMW Performance Center, as well as various auction gifts and other raffle prizes which last year resulted in over $6,000 for the charities. To date, the Chapter has raised over $35,000 through Mike’s efforts. Mike has truly embraced the spirit of the PVGP. He often talks about the PVGP at other venues across the country.
In light of all he has done for the PVGP, we wanted to share a little bit more about this special volunteer. We caught up with Mike during this year’s One Lap of America event which stopped at Pitt Race in early May. As always Mike was willing to share a few moments of his time before jumping into his BMW and turning fast laps. The event was Mike’s 8th One Lap event. Mike was co-driving a new Performance Center M2 with Steve Maguire. After their run at Pitt Race, Mike and Steve were off to Palmer, MA, 554 miles distant for the next track event. For the record, the team finished 10th overall in this year’s event against much more powerful cars. Mike’s people-oriented personality comes through as he says the best thing about the weeklong One-Lap event is the time he gets to spend with friends.
Mike was a successful businessman with an interest for racing. For many years, he raced sports cars, GT cars and sports racers in SCCA National competition. He was also a driving instructor for various car clubs. While the BMW Performance Center was under construction in South Carolina, Mike drove into the facility one day and introduced himself as a racer, driving instructor and public relations specialist. Mike was soon hired as a part-time instructor at the facility. Mike says his wife always knew the days he was working at the track due to the huge smile on his face at sunrise. After three years of part-time work, Mike sold his business and became a full-time driving instructor.
Although it may look like Mike’s car is out of control each time he passes turn 13 as the car drifts sideway, Mike is always in control. That’s because Mike practices the skills he displays at Schenley Park almost daily and he teaches advanced car control skills for a living. When asked if we all could learn to drive like he does, Mike said: “The BMW Performance Center has something for everyone who wants to learn about driving, from teen driving courses to adult car control clinics, enthusiast driving courses, one and two-day M-Schools, and advanced M-schools for the more experienced drivers.”
Mike takes the Ring Taxi into a turn at Schenley Park
The PVGP is one of Mike’s favorite events. He said: “I love coming to the PVGP because of the unique nature of the event. The city does such a great job making the event happen. Everyone involved is incredibly friendly and welcoming. The PVGP organizers do a great job of making things fun and unique, and the Allegheny Chapter does a great job with its corral.”
Due to the tremendous capabilities of the new BMW M cars, Mike is able to give a thrilling but safe ride to those lucky enough to get a seat in his car. Everyone who gets out after a lap has an ear-to-ear grin. This year the club is asking $50 per seat for a ride with Mike. To learn more about how you too can experience the PVGP from the other side of the fence and possibly enjoy the best ride in the park, head to the BMW tent on German Hill, come to Turn 15 at lunchtime Saturday where Charity Rides are staged, or stop in at the MINI Track Rides Tent at the top of Serpentine Drive.
We thank Mike for being such a wonderful ambassador for BMW, the BMW CCA, and most importantly, the PVGP.