der Bayerische July/August 2021 - 8

X Marks the Spot
By Aspen Belvin | Photos by Aspen Belvin and Paul Seto
I
'll be honest - I have not been the
most active NCC member over the
past few years, mainly attending
IMSA races, social events, and NCC
Sim Racing events. Still, after MX1,
that's going to change. MX1 made
me enjoy and appreciate the social
interaction we have all been deprived
of this past year. It was initially slated
to happen in 2020, but the time had
finally arrived after a year of anticipation.
The days leading up to MX1
were filled with enthusiasm,
optimism, and excitement to hit the
road again with friends and to drive
the stress and worries away.
It engendered that feeling of Zen when
it's just you and the car accelerating
down back roads and highways. With
the bags packed, the X3 cleaned,
and the tank topped off, it was time
to meet at our starting point in
Manassas, VA. With everyone
prepared and ready, it was time to
kick the tires and light the fires with
the M cars in one group X cars in the
other with one destination. As we all
hit the highway with the sun slowly
rising, and it was a warm welcome to
8
spring. Multiple shades of warm
green, reds, yellows, and pinks lined
the highway. With the first stop for
the X group in Charlottesville, we had
a chance to stretch our legs. We were
able to have a moment to talk
about our cars as we waited for
Baron Selman, the X Chapter's vice
president. While watching the cars
pass, we knew when Baron was
pulling up. A hard-to-miss black X5
with big white bold letters on the side
that said " X Chapter " arrived, and we
were off to Danville, VA.
Once we arrived at Danville, we
all had a wonderful lunch, spending
most of the time talking about cars,
the fantastic weather, and just making
up for the lost time. With our bodies
fueled for the last stretch, it was time
to hit the road again and gas up in
Charlotte, NC, with a quick splash of
fuel to get us to Greenville, SC, and
we were all on our way again. As we
departed, one bystander yelled to me,
" Man that's a lot of BMWs, " and I
kindly replied, " Beautiful, isn't it? "
Just before we hit Greenville, the
worst occurred - traffic! Soldiering
on with the exit in sight, we finally
were out of the traffic and arriving at
the Zentrum. The last mile as we
arrived felt as if you were pulling into
your driveway after a long day of
work. We were home. With all the
cars parked, we took multiple photos
and proceeded inside the museum,
where the first X5, the signed 318i,
the F1 car, and the full line of the
current X models were all on display.
After spending some time in the
(Top) The M Chapter meets the X Chapter at the Zentrum, photo by Paul Seto.
(Above) Stop #1 at the Charlottesville Shell station, photo by Paul Seto.
Zentrum, I headed toward the
Marriott to check in and relax for
a bit. For dinner, we met up at
Firebirds, where members from the
Florida caravan were arriving as well.
Conversations of the drive to
Greenville and sharing of stories
about BMWs were paired with delicious
food. With the night winding
down, it was time to head back to the
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