About this event
Welcome to the Motor City Chapter BMW CCA!
What's new--We're using electronic waivers this year and won't be using or collecting paper waivers. And as our gift to you, we've extended our holiday discount--sign up by January 31 and use the discount code Santa50 for $50 off! More on both of these below.
Join us at our flagship high-performance driver education (HPDE) weekend at Grattan Raceway. This is your chance to explore and hone your driving abilities on one of the most entertaining courses in America. Grattan’s 2.0 miles of exciting and challenging corners (including a 160 degree hairpin and a downhill reverse camber turn) make it one of the best around. A recent track resurfacing only further enhances the experience.
All drivers—young and not so young; novice, intermediate, and advanced—are welcome.
This year, the event will be held the weekend of September 15-17, 2023. We offer flexible scheduling--students can register to drive on either Saturday-Sunday or Saturday only. Approved advanced students who register for Saturday or Saturday-Sunday and instructors are also invited to drive on Friday, September 15. Note: You must be an instructor or approved A+ Solo student to drive on Friday. Contact our chief instructor at Ken Rutyna prior to sign-up for Friday if you are an advanced student and have not been pre-approved for A+ Solo driving.
Motor City Chapter BMW CCA prides itself on offering some of the best instruction in HPDE. No matter your driving level, we will help you improve!
HOLIDAY SAVINGS!
You know you want to come, so why not sign up now? And to sweeten the deal, we're offering some holiday savings if you sign up by January 31--use the discount code Santa50 at checkout and receive a $50 discount on the fee for the school (including on the fee for Friday for you instructors driving on Friday). Don't forget--use Santa50 and save!
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Fast Facts
- Location. Grattan Raceway in Belding, MI. About 30 minutes northeast of Grand Rapids.
- Event Type. High Performance Driver Education (HPDE). This is a non-timed, non-competitive driving event. Participants safely learn and develop (a) high performance driving techniques, (b) the driving lines at Grattan, and (c) situational awareness through on-track experience.
- Driving Groups. Participants will be organized into one of several driving groups (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced/Solo) based on experience. Passing rules are more lenient for more experienced run groups, including open passing with a point-by for the Advanced/Solo driving group. Our goal is to foster a safe and invigorating environment for everyone!
- Food at the track. The Grattan grill will open all three days for lunch.
- Camping. We plan to have camping available at the track on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
- Additional Information. You can find more details about our driving schools in general on our website on the page About Our Drivers Schools under the heading "Our Events."
- Questions? Just send an email to our chief instructor at Ken Rutyna
Event requirements
WHO WE ARE AND WHY WE REQUIRE BMW CCA MEMBERSHIP
The Motor City Chapter is a nonprofit club run by dedicated volunteers. We do this for the love of the sport, and our goal is to foster an entertaining and educational environment. We’re part of the BMW Car Club of America, which sets out certain rules all BMW CCA chapters must follow. One of those rules, intended to preserve our tax-exempt status, is that anyone paying to attend a chapter event must be a BMW CCA member. So we ask that all students have a current valid BMW CCA membership prior to registering for this school. (Instructors, unless they’re driving on Friday, don’t need to be members, because we do not charge instructors for Saturday or Sunday.)
But if you're not already a member, joining is inexpensive and easy to do. An annual membership is just $58, and you can sign up by calling BMW CCA at 1-800-878-9292 or signing up online at BMWCCA.ORG. Be sure to update your profile on Motorsportreg to include your current valid membership number. Your registration can't be confirmed unless your Motorsportreg profile includes a verifiable current membership number.
Plus, being a member has its advantages. You get a terrific monthly club magazine and qualify for rebates and discounts on BMW cars, parts, and service. Membership is also your entrée to a world of enthusiasts who love cars and the car life—whether it’s BMWs or another make of car. That’s why you’ll see all sorts of cars at our driver schools and other events—BMWs to be sure, but also the other German marques, and Mustangs, Camaros and Corvettes, Dodges, Toyotas, Alfas, Subarus, and even the occasional Mitsubishi. You won’t regret joining.
COVID PROTOCOLS
We have no idea what Covid restrictions, if any, will be in place on the day of the school. However, we will follow all federal, state, and local Covid requirements in effect at the time. Currently, we do not plan to require that vaccinated and unvaccinated participants be treated differently or to require masking (although you are welcome to wear a mask if you like). However, we will be asking certain questions on vaccination status as part of the registration process. You can review our Covid guidelines for track events HERE.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Drivers. By the date of the school, all drivers must be 16 years or older and have a full driver’s license that does not require another qualified party to be a passenger in the vehicle. For students under 18, the student and a parent or guardian must sign a Parental and Minor Release Waiver (see Forms below). Be sure to bring your driver's license with you to the school.
Vehicles. We welcome cars of all makes and models! Unfortunately, we can't permit vans, minivans, trucks, or similar vehicles. However, if you have a capable SAV (BMW X3, etc.) and would like to bring it, please contact our chief instructor at Ken Rutyna for prior approval. Our apologies, but per the BMW CCA Driving Events Operations Manual, we cannot accommodate most convertibles. However, BMW CCA does permit certain hardtop convertibles, targa, or T-top vehicles. If you have a question whether your vehicle is permitted, please contact the chief instructor before registering.
Tech inspection. All vehicles must pass a pre-school technical inspection performed by a licensed mechanic and complete the Vehicle Technical Inspection form (available at our website HERE). The form must be completed no more than four weeks prior to the school and after your most recent track event. Instructors may, at their option, complete their own technical inspection. New this year: Pre-approved A Solo drivers also may, at their option, complete their own technical inspection. No onsite technical inspections will be performed.
Helmets. You will need a Snell SA or M-rated helmet (2015 or newer). Note: As a result of Covid concerns, we no longer offer helmet rentals.
Waivers. New this year, we will be collecting the BMW CCA adult waiver and the BMW CCA communicable disease waiver electronically, using Speedwaiver. We will not be using or collecting paper waivers at the school, other than the minor waiver for students under 18. You will see the Speedwaiver information when you register--please add your mobile number there to enable the Speedwaiver process. Shortly after you complete registration, you will receive a text message asking you to sign the waivers via Speedwaiver. Please sign the electronic waivers promptly after registering to avoid delays when you arrive at the school--it's quick and easy, so please don't put it off. Note that your agreement to the standard adult waiver also is a condition to your completing registration (under Release and Waiver below).
The minor waiver (for students under 18) is available on our website HERE. If you like, you can also review the other waiver forms on that page. Note: If the student is under 18 and requires a Parental and Minor Release Waiver, please contact the chief instructor at Ken Rutyna to arrange to complete one before the date of the school.
Note: We no longer require a medical form. If you have a medical condition you would like the track's safety or medical crew to know about, you can communicate with them directly at the school. We'll also have available paper wristbands on which you can write a medical condition you'd like the crew to know about. Finally, please complete or update your medical information on your Motorsportreg profile page. We will use that information in the event of an incident at the track.
For questions or additional information regarding any of these requirements, please contact our chief instructor at Ken Rutyna
Note that a separate application form must be submitted for each driver, even if you are sharing a car.
Please monitor the Motor City Chapter BMW CCA web site for up-to-date information.
INSTRUCTORS
- If you are not on our instructor list, but would like to instruct for us, please contact our chief instructor at Ken Rutyna before registering. We welcome guest instructors and appreciate their participation in our events.
- A WORKING COMMUNICATOR is essential for effective communication. Please bring extra batteries. You may have two students over the weekend. Please bring two student headsets or supplies for disinfecting your student headset between sessions.
- All instructor cars should have a front passenger seat. Part of your instructing job includes taking your student out in your car to demonstrate the skills that you are trying to impart. We ask that this demonstration is done at the STUDENT'S RUN GROUP LEVEL speeds. Please, no thrill rides for students. If you would like to instruct, but do not have a car with a front passenger seat, please contact our chief instructor at Ken Rutyna before registering.
- There is no fee for instructors to drive on Saturday-Sunday. The instructor fee for driving on Friday is $150 for instructors who are instructing Saturday or Sunday.
- We ask that you complete your student evaluations using the Driving Evals system. Please share your evaluation with your student before the student (or you) depart the school.
- Finally, thank you for choosing to instruct at a Motor City Chapter driver school! Your help is essential and very much appreciated. We hope you have a rewarding experience with our chapter. It is our honor to have you instruct with us.
RUN GROUPS AND A+ SOLO DRIVERS
Run groups. We plan to run four run groups at this school: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced/Solo, and Instructors. During registration, students will be asked about their experience and preferred run group. If your preferred run group is consistent with your experience, we will do our best to put you in that group, but the final decision is the chief instructor's.
In-car instruction. The novice and intermediate group students will have instructors assigned to them. Students in the Advanced/Solo group may have instructors assigned to them, at least for the first session on Saturday, unless the student has been pre-approved as an A+ Solo student. Pre-approved A+ Solo students can select A+ Solo as their preferred group during registration. Please check with our chief instructor if you're not sure you're pre-approved or wish to be pre-approved to run A+ Solo at this school.
The A+ Solo double run group option. A+ Solo drivers have the option during registration of paying a small additional fee to run in two different groups--the Advanced/Solo group and the Instructor group. For that small fee, this option effectively doubles your available track time. Before choosing this option during registration, check with our chief instructor to be sure you are pre-approved to run A+ Solo at this school.
