About this event
Tour to The Ridge Motorsports Park via Hood Canal September 26. Join BMW Club Members on Saturday, September 26 for another great day of touring! From Federal Way, cruise around the east side of Tacoma, cross the Narrows Bridge that replaced "Galloping Gertie", stop at a really cool coffee shop, and continue along scenic roads that line South Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Nice weather should provide us with gorgeous views of the Olympic Mountains. This will be one of our shorter tours at about 175 miles round trip from Seattle. Our destination will be The Ridge Motorsports Park near Shelton. It is an amazing venue featuring a wide smooth surface with plenty of elevation changes. In the past, we arrive, park, have a short meeting with the track people, and wait for the lunch break of the BMW CCA High Performance Driver Education day. When they are off the track, we take three parade laps following the lines of the fastest drivers. (Please first cinch seatbelts and stow all loose items in the cabin.) We're not at competition speed but it's a whale of a lot of fun!
Unfortunately, the instructors will not be able to give hot lap rides on the track due to current State and BMWCCA regulations.
While there are no formal picnic facilities at the track, there is a small snack shack that has enough to keep you topped off with carbs, caffeine, and sweeteners. When we were there in 2019 it looked like they were planning on expanding the food offerings in a more permanent building. Shelton has some nice restaurants that are not too far down the road. All tours are driven on public roads, minding local traffic laws. We focus on safety, but always make an effort to find little-known twisty roads that are enjoyable at any speed. While we highly encourage participation in our High Performance Driving Schools, no special skills or equipment are needed to participate in a Tour or for the parade laps.
BMW in the shop? No problem! Write the model number of your favorite BMW on a piece of paper, place it where everyone can see it, and you're in! We do require that one person in your car be a BMW CCA member.
The tentative schedule is to meet at 8:45am for a 15 minute social hour in strict compliance with Covid-19 guidelines behind the Starbucks at 2032 S. 320th Ave. Federal Way in the huge parking lot. To get there, take exit 143 (320th) off of I-5, and go west 2-3 blocks and turn right at the Starbucks. Continue up to the common parking lot behind Starbucks. After a driver's meeting, we will depart no later than 9:30am. More information will be sent to all those signed up about a week prior to the tour. If you have any questions please contact Dan at danhemenway@comcast.net, and we’ll get it resolved. LET’S DO THIS!
