BMW Car Club of America, San Diego Chapter

What the chapter covers

The San Diego Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America calls itself “a very active group that hosts dozens of events throughout the year for BMW enthusiasts.” Its mailing address is in San Diego. The chapter’s membership guide, an older document still on its site, describes a territory spanning all of San Diego and Imperial counties and most of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Email is the chapter’s main channel: members get an upcoming-events email each month, and the chapter newsletter moved to email only from 2021. The board meets quarterly in person; the next meeting is listed for November 10 at Leucadia Pizza in UTC and La Jolla.

Autocross in Chula Vista

Autocross runs on the lot at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, in what the chapter calls a no-work format. Drivers book one or more hourly sessions, each capped so everyone gets plenty of laps, and the chapter supplies the corner workers, so nobody spends the day picking up cones. Between sessions, drivers can take rides with instructors. The 2026 season had four Saturday events; the last is November 7.

Arrive an hour before your session for registration, tech inspection and the mandatory driver’s meeting. Cars run in classes A through F, X for non-BMWs and Gold for instructors. Helmets must be Snell SA or M, 2015 or later, and loaners rent for $10. Cars must stay under 95 dB, tall vehicles with lifted suspension or a live axle are turned away, and events run rain or shine. Drivers must be BMW CCA members, and the chapter says spots usually fill before the day. The venue’s indoor restrooms are open, and lunch is bought at registration.

Backroads tours

Tours explore San Diego’s back country roads and finish with an optional lunch. The next one is listed for Sunday, November 29, 9am to 1pm, starting from the Target on Jamacha Road in El Cajon; arrive by 9am to register and attend the driver’s meeting. Every participant and passenger signs a waiver, minors need a guardian or a notarized waiver, cars should arrive fully fueled, and the chapter’s rule is plain: “NO hooning or dangerous driving.”

Picnic by the Bay

Once a year the chapter holds its picnic at Spanish Landing Park on San Diego Bay, a family and pet friendly day with a show of members’ cars on the grass and a charity auction. Anyone can walk in and browse as a spectator, using the paid public lot next door, but displaying a car on the grass takes club membership and an entry ticket. Proceeds go to a San Diego charity, and the chapter says the picnic has raised over $10,000 to date.

Performance Center, karting and camping

The chapter’s annual visit to the BMW Performance Center West in Thermal is listed for Saturday, February 6, 2027, noon to 4:30pm: a buffet lunch, lead-follow laps in BMW M cars at The Thermal Club, a skid pad, a timed autocross and a drag race. The member price is $399 per driver, beginners are welcome, drivers must be 18, and no spectators are allowed.

Karting is on Sunday, January 17, 2027, at K1 Circuit in Winchester on its Pro Track, for BMW CCA members and associates only. Before that, Oceanside Motorsports hosts a Euro-themed camping weekend, December 4 to 6, at Thousand Trails Wilderness Lakes in Menifee, with a mini car show and an optional K1 Circuit visit, and it is open to non-members.

The home page’s advice for newcomers is to join the national club first, then read the membership guide, newsletter and calendar and come to a social or driving event. National dues and the form are on the BMW CCA page, and other local meets are in the San Diego cars and coffee guide.