Ultimate BMW Show

Ultimate BMW Show 2006 Report
Saturday 23rd September 2006

The first Ultimate BMW Show was a great success with top action on and off track.

BMWs have all the right elements to make great drag cars. Powerful engines, rear-wheel drive and stable handling all add up to unbeatable straight-line fun. So Santa Pod decided to introduced an event exclusively for BMW owners, where the track was open only to BMW's. There was a good turnout to the first Ultimate BMW Show at Santa Pod Raceway and once the mist cleared and the racing continued under blue skies for the rest of the day.

The RWYB classes were all very close with the 12 seconds the best time in every class. Unfortunately there were no BMW bikes present so Class D went un entered.

RWYB Classes:

				A - 4 cylinder - 12.635s at 110.28mph & E - Non road legal - 12.509s at 113.64mph Paul Webster - Mini One Paul ran his 1600 supercharged mini in Class A on road tyres and then again in Class X on slicks. The car has a four paddle clutch, alloy flywheel and 100 shot of nos.

				B - 6 cylinder - 12.669s at 109.53mph Paul Bareham - BMW 335 Paul who has been coming to RWYB days for two years, bought this car and made it track ready for under £3k. The car has 220k on the clock, a 3.5l engine from an E34 and a 150 shot of nos.

C - 8 or more cylinders - 12.626s at 110.83mph - David Doyle - BMW E30

The first Ultimate BMW Show & Shine competition saw a mixed selection of cars pulling into the paddock but the judges were unanimous in their choices for the 3 trophies.

Best in Show - Sam El-Riche - M3 Evo Convertible

This M3 Evo convertible is currently the best of its kind, with an already impressive list of awards from its first three shows: Max Power Live, Trax, and Ultimate Street Car, making this car seemingly unbeatable in the Show & Shine.

Its owner, Sam El-Riche, together with the guys at Design-Dynamix, has transformed his M3 into a modified car enthusiasts dream, with an array of outrageous modifications and quirky features. The exterior of the car has been fully redesigned with a mad wide arch kit blended into custom skirts and bumpers, as well as amazing purple paint and head turning lambo style doors. The interior has been fully trimmed in white leather with plenty of carbon fibre, and includes TVs moulded between the legs in the rear seats, a PS2, a very impressive audio/visual system, and even a holster for a gun!

This beast of a car sits low on custom 20” Asanti chromes, boasting 14” wide rear wheels, with huge Hi Spec Mega Monster stopping power. This car also packs a 3.2 litre, straight 6-cylinder, 24 valve lump with an uprated ECU and Schrick cams, with twin carbon exhausts on show out the back. Currently running 350bhp, with a top speed of 170mph, and a 0-60 time of 5 seconds, this car is just as impressive under the bonnet as it is in the show & shine arena.

Overall this car is quite simply a modified masterpiece, and a true pioneer in BMW modification.

				Best Retro - Shane Moriaty - BMW E21 A classy White E21 with a very tidy engine bay and some nice retro touches.

				Best Custom - Peter Chandwani - BMW 323ci A very tight car with lots of mods in every area including: realigned wings to fit an M3 bonnet, one off DPE wheels in liquid cinder, full custom hi-fi install, custom touch screen control unit in dash, roof spoiler, ACS mirrors, Hamman rear, Eisenmann exhaust, CA intake, lots of carbon fibre in the engine bay and Strut Brace were just some of the mods.

Up at the finish line on pit side were the Drift Area and handling circuit. With both drifters and the general public trying out the handling circuit by the end of the day none of the so called pros were up to the challenge with the trophy going to an M3. Full details on the Handling Page.

The drift arena saw many world class drifters showing off their skills and performing to the amazed audience. Watching a monstrous drift car glide effortlessly sideways, being steered with extreme control and precision, inches away from obstacles, with its rear wheels tearing up the surface and the engine roaring to every movement of the driver’s right foot, is an amazing spectacle to behold, and the people at Ultimate BMW Show were lucky enough to witness this impressive display of skilful driving.

The line up was made up of many rear wheel drive beasts, including Skylines, S13s and S15s, as well as the obvious BMs. Amazing tyre screaming drift displays were watched by crowds every few hours alongside the drag strip, and a lot of melted rubber was left in the arena to accompany the massive smiles of enjoyment across the faces of the audiences.

A big thanks goes to the BMW clubs that came along including: E30 Zone, Show Offs, BMW 7 Resource, E36 Coupe.com, Underground Styling.com, Hampshire BMW Drivers.

There were drag demos from racers including Colin Lazenby and the Fireforce 3 Jet Funny Car that came out twice to thunder it's way past the finishing line at well over 250mph.

As well as the car action there was plenty happening off track, the afternoon got underway on the Santa Pod Live Stage with first Miss Ultimate BMW competition, after the dancing and prancing was over it was Claire from Surry who walked away with the trophy and £100 of gift vouchers. There was more entertainment from attractive ladies, in Fuelers Bar with free pole dances throughout the day. Else where around site the BMW traders and caterers were kept busy.

View the 2006 Gallery for more photos.