der Bayerische July/August 2021 - 15

N C C
V O L U N T E E R
While it did so, you darted into the
breakfast buffet, came back out,
turned on the main burner to start
building steam, and topped off your
water supply; and then you were
finally ready to go. 50 cars would go
out and nearly all would come back,
but two or three would return on
trailers due to this or that. After
dinner, the parking lot would be
buzzing with people out tinkering
until 10 p.m. to get the car running
again for the next day. It sounds like
a pain and it is a bit of " rolling the
dice'' on whether you would return
that night, but it was all part of the
experience. I honestly didn't think at
the time that touring in modern cars
could be anywhere near as engaging
and as social of an experience, but
going out on that Pie Run in the
S2000 on that cool November day
changed my mind on that point.
dB: What is Tours about? (What are
the goals of Tours?)
Robert: Go for a drive and gain an
experience from it, enjoy a new view,
see a new road, taste a new flavor.
If you get away from your usual life
for even a couple of hours and just
enjoy your Ultimate Driving Machine
with other members of CCA, then I
have done my job as a Tourmeister.
dB: What do you like best about your
involvement with Tours?
Robert: I would not have seen so
many different roads and places if I
didn't have a reason to go out and
find something different for each
tour.
dB: What changes would you like to
see in Tours or in the chapter as a
whole?
Robert: We are always looking for
more help to split up the work of
planning and running tours, doing
test runs, and brainstorming new
routes for future events.
dB: How would newcomers become
involved?
Robert: Sign up and come along on
one of the tours! If you want to lend
a hand you just need a two-way radio
and a good sense of direction. If you
want to get more involved after
that, then reach out via email
(rhop@udel.edu).
dB: Tell us a little about your current
(or previous) cars.
S P O T L I G H T
Robert: I grew up in a family with
Hondas, so naturally I've had a few of
those, including a 1992 Honda Civic
Ex, a 2011 Honda Fit, a 2007 Honda
Civic Lx, a 2007 Honda Civic Si, and
currently a 2008 Honda S2000, all
equipped with manual transmissions.
As you have probably noticed
from my list of Hondas, I like smaller
cars with a nimbler feeling. Riding in
my coworker's E36 M3 showed me
that BMWs could be like this too.
I wanted something slightly newer,
for daily driver duties, so I suppose it
shouldn't come as much of a
surprise that I would be interested in
the 1 Series. I decided to test those
waters with a 2008 128i 6-speed
manual with the Sport Package that
needed some TLC.
When the 128i met an unfortunate
end at 150,000 miles, I decided
to start fresh, so I bought a 2015
M235i equipped with the ZF 8-speed
automatic transmission. It had
17,000 miles and was just off its
lease. It is my first automatic-transmission
car, and as someone who
has owned nothing but manuals
before, it left quite the first impression.
It has accompanied me on
many tours and a full autocross
season since I purchased itin midsummer
of 2018. It really is a " do it
(Below) Taking the M235i for a spin on the autocross course shortly after its purchase to see what it could do.
Photo by Perry Aidelbaum.
(Above) Making the Annual
Christmas Tree Run in the S2000
for giggles.
all " car, which is what I really like
about it. With the adaptive electronics,
it can be sporty on the tour and a
bit subdued and relaxed for the freeway
drive back home.
dB: What is your favorite movie in
the car, car-chase, heist or racingrelated
genre?
Robert: This is tough. I like The Great
Race for its slapstick comedy, but I
am always game to watch the InitialDanime
when I want to watch a show
to cheer on the underdog.
dB: What else would you like to
convey to our readers?
Robert: Whether it's a tour, autocross,
HPDE, or other club event that the
club is planning, come out and
enjoy the results of the work that our
great volunteers have contributed
to run the club's driving and social
programs.
dB: Thank you, Robert!
Robert: You're welcome!
July I August
15

https://www.nccbmwcca.org/driving-events/driving-tours/

der Bayerische July/August 2021

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