SIGFest Event Galleries...
SIGFest 2021 Recap:
Our 21st Anniversary
Saturday: BMWCCA Cars & Coffee / SIGFest Concours d'Elegance
This was our first attempt at running an event in an area unfamiliar to us - and it presented us with some rewards and some challenges.
It was really fun and interesting to have the opportunity to hold the event at Lime Rock Park, with the cars parked just on the sides of the racing surface. We were allowed to set up our event right in the pits! It was challenging however, to plan, organize, and hold an event so far away (nearly 4 hours away from where I live). In addition to my E30 M3, my wife drove our support vehicle (our Honda Odyssey van) packed to the roof with tents, tables and supplies. James did the same, driving his E30 M3 Cabrio with his wife providing the transportation for an equal amount of supplies in their van.
The weather was absolutely ideal, partly cloudy skies, with temperatures in the mid - 70s. The rural area where Lime Rock Park is located (Lakeville Connecticut) is beautiful, and the drive up in the morning offered unforgettable passes through clouds of fog only to emerge out the other side to see the sun rising over the mountaintops.
The BMW CCA was holding their club race at this track and rented the facility for the entire weekend. As is common at racetracks located near residential areas, Sundays are quiet days at the track and no racing is permitted, so they were using Sunday to hold their first annual "Bimmers in the Park" gathering. We were fortunate to be invited to participate and hold SIGFest 2021 as part of their first annual event. A huge thanks goes to the BMW CCA in general (specifically Lou Ann Shirk and Jeff Caldwell with whom we worked). In addition to our contingent of 45 E30 M3's, there were a few hundred other BMW's of all types, from restored vintage BMWs from the 60s and 70s to full race cars and BMW's latest offerings. We were the largest organized group at the event , and the first to arrive and the last to leave. This was our 21st event and we've held this gathering each year since 1999 with the exception of last year (for obvious reasons). When I started this event my intention was to connect E30 M3 enthusiasts in a way that email lists and online forums cannot. Thanks to the efforts of fellow enthusiasts - SIGFest has continued to connect people who share a passion for these cars and the heritage they represent.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help organize and run this event. Bob and Sheila Morin, Shawna Liu, Laura, Anthony, and Avery Rausch, Mike Chew, John Ho - and many others that pitched in to make the event work. It looks organized and runs smoothly because of you.
A big thanks also to our sponsors whose donations and support have made this event possible:
bimmerworld (Represented by Austin Via), Bose (Represented by Tom Gratiano), FCP Euro (Represented by Janusz and Michael Hurczyn), The Marrk (Represented by Mike Chew), Detailers Domain, Turner Motorsports, BMW of Bloomfield, BMW of Morristown, BMW of Bridgewater, BMW of Tenafly, and Rogue Engineering.
Awards
Our team of discerning judges studied the impressive field of E30 M3's, and we were proud to award trophies to the winning cars. Thank you to bimmerworld - one of our oldest sponsors- for commissioning this year's trophies (handmade, custom framed Lime Rock Park-themed E30 M3 shadowboxes. Hard to describe, but my attempt at something different, simple and (hopefully) something that folks will be proud to display). Bimmerworld President and Founder James Clay is one of the original E30 M3 SIG members, and he has cited his participation in the SIG many years ago as one of the inspirations behind the creation of bimmerworld, and the successful racing team he founded.
See photo's of this year's winners here.
Raffles and Prizes
We raffled off some amazing prizes, graciously donated by our aforementioned sponsors. Several people headed home with what looked to be incredible Bose products (a Bose Sound bar, and Bose sunglasses with embedded speakers), others with BMW watches, a battle scarred bimmerworld race wheel, a kids ride-on toy, BMW branded luggage, high quality detailing products, gift cards and more. Please- if you won something- contact the vendor that provided that prize and thank them for their participation. Don't forget to keep supporting the vendors that support us.
After a long day (which for the organizers started at 3 AM) we packed up the event and headed on a long trip home- tired but really satisfied with the day. I think everyone had a great time. I actually met quite a few new E30 M3 owners, and I hope the show was engaging enough to lure them back for our next event.
Please feel free to contact us if you have ideas for future events or would like to be involved in some way (assisting with organizing the event, as a sponsor, or volunteer). What keeps this event going after 22 years is the energy and obvious enjoyment we see from the participants - in the amount of camaraderie and appreciation for this event and the cars we all know and love.
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