derBayerische November/December 2023 - 25

The author particularly liked this
colorful 'sticker-bombed' F80.
M Pact 2023
By Chewy Pierre
Introduction
Hey Everyone. My name is Chewy, and I am one of the newest contributors to
der Bayerische. I am a recent NCC member with about five years of BMW CCA
membership. I grew up as a child of the Fast and the Furious era. My first car
was a Nissan 240sx. I learned to use a manual transmission driving across the
country from California to North Carolina. After the purchase of my first BMW,
a 2000 323i, I was hooked. My current car is a 2014 335i with bolt-on modifications.
There is something about the brand that just makes me feel special
every time I go for a drive. The engine note and power delivery check all the
right boxes.
Last year, I made the mistake of missing the opportunity to go to MPACT.
I heard the event was fantastic. This year, I felt that it was imperative
that I make my way up to Pennsylvania to witness the splendor in person at
Pocono Raceway.
MPACT Motorsports Festival is one of the largest BMW-centric car
gatherings in the United States and certainly on the East Coast. For those who
may not know, it was started in Baltimore many years ago as an East Coast
version of Bimmerfest. This year shattered the previous spectator turnout with
1,478 registered vehicles and ticket sales boasting 6,224 attendees.
First Impressions
Upon entering the parking area, I knew I was in the right place. There was a
plethora of Bavarian goodness as far as the eye could see and I wasn't even close
to the main show area. I can't begin to tell you how amazing it was to see all
these beautiful BMWs after I exited the tunnel that led to the main staging area.
November I December
What I saw
There was a sea of G and F Series builds from stock to heavily modified
street and racing applications. There were various E chassis with E9X
being the most prevalent and a smattering of E30's, E28's, E36's, E38's as
well as the odd E9, Mustang, Corvette and supercars like McLaren and
Lamborghini. The event included many vendors such as Turner
Motorsport, Akrapovič, Kies Motorsports, RK Tunes and BMW CCA to
name a few. Attendees who signed up could participate in events like roll
racing, drifting, an exhaust contest, skid pad testing as well as track time.
It was crazy to see a few cars, including a Porsche 911, reach 200 miles
per hour on the main straightaway.
Whom I met
I had the opportunity to meet Jonathan Ferrer who is a major contributor
to the Bimmer DIY community and goes by the moniker, " ThicWhip " on
YouTube. He has amassed a huge following over the years and has been
a major influence on me and countless others in the BMW genre.
One of his recently completed builds is an M1 clone which looks and
sounds fantastic.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Brian Kies of Kies Motorsport
who started his YouTube career recording himself installing parts on
various BMWs in an empty parking lot. Now he and his company
are one of the biggest BMW-centric shops on the East Coast. It would
behoove you to check out their channels. There is a lot of
quality content.
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