I was a BMW CCA member before even owning a BMW; suffering in an anemic 1996 Ford Ranger. Way back in the early 1990s, I was lusting over a 1988 535is used and needed work. As a poorly paid post-doctoral fellow in La Jolla, CA, owing such a machine would have to wait. Finally, as a new faculty member at NC State University, I bought a 2001 325i.

Raleigh is not that far from Virginia International Raceways where I spent many weekends watching racing. I joined the Tarheel Chapter and started attending HPDE events. My first instructor was James Clay, owner of the then fledgling BimmerWorld. I managed to spin the car down into a valley; never lift in a corner. But that weekend cemented my commitment to performance driving and never having to clean Virginia clay out of a car again!

The 325i was quickly exchanged for an E36 M3. In 2003, I moved to Issaquah and was a faculty member at the University of Washington. The M3 was nice, but I wanted a simpler car and one that I could turn into a dedicated track car. I found a 1991 318is and did just that: cage, seats, harness. TRAKCAR was born or so said the license plate. It was a simple car that with R-compound tires, stuck like glue to the track. It was not fast and I usually had a cold hand pointing the M Cars by, but I could catch them in the corners.

The four cylinder was fun, but I needed more power. A nice 2005 330i in ZHP trim came my way and the 318is was sold. ZEEHP as the license plate states is now my track car, but not greatly modified. It is still nice to drive on a tour and street.

For the commute back and forth from Issaquah to the UW, I found a 2015 i3 (BUZZZ) that saved me a lot of gas money!

In 2022, we moved from Issaquah to Stanwood, and I needed a car with more range than the i3. London Agrawal at BMW Seattle found me a low milage 328xi E91 Touring that is now my daily driver and hauler of stuff. I have been fortunate to have friends show me how to work on the BMWs. I do the majority of my own work and know when a job might be over my head. Yes, a couple of times I have made mistakes and the car had to be hauled away to the professionals to sort things out. Still, there is great satisfaction of doing the work myself. Plus, I get to buy tools!

High performance driving is only one activity of the Puget Sound Chapter. I was fortunate to have many great instructors over the years, being signed off for solo driving, and then as an instructor. Currently, Dave Cohen and I are the Co-Chief Driving Instructors for our chapter.We organize a group of dedicated instructors who focus on imparting their enthusiasm to the drivers who attend the HPDE events and Car Control Clinics. I have met many of you at out various car shows and tours. I continue to enjoy my BMWs, on the street and on the track and encourage you all to do the same.