BMW Car Club of America, Windy City BMW Chapter

What the chapter covers

Windy City BMW is the Chicago-area chapter of the BMW Car Club of America, with a mailing address in Glenview, Illinois. Its introduction page calls it “one of the largest and most active chapters in the country.” Members get the chapter’s monthly newsletter, the Windy City BMW Breeze, and every 2026 issue through November is posted on its site.

Autocross

The autocross series runs six events a year, one of them at Tire Rack’s testing facility, plus an autocross school at the start of every season. Newcomers also get a mentor program: veteran autocrossers walk the course with them, ride along as passengers, give rides in their own cars and answer questions. Each run lasts around 60 seconds on a cone course laid out in a large parking lot; the chapter has used lots such as the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates and Maywood Park, and its 2026 series, sponsored by Yokohama, included a round at Boomers Field.

Track days and car control

High performance driving events run at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, Michigan, and Grattan Raceway in Belding, Michigan. Drivers are grouped by track experience, with an in-car instructor and, conditions permitting, four sessions a day, about two hours of track time, plus workshops between sessions.

The car control clinic is aimed first at newly licensed drivers, with a parent taking part so the two can talk it over afterward, but it is open to adults who want the skills without the speed. The chapter also has pages for karting and a road rallye.

Meetings, tours and the dinner

Membership meetings happen at least five times a year, usually at performance shops, dealers or other car attractions. The October meeting went to Bimm3r House, a BMW specialist in Romeoville. Next is an open house at URW Automotive, 4500 Northwest Hwy in Crystal Lake, on Saturday, November 7, 10am to 2pm, hosted by autocross chair Ed Graff, free and for members and their guests, with RSVPs to meetings@windycitybmw.com with a member number.

The fall tour is an annual two-day trip on Midwest back roads, run as a treasure hunt for scenic and humorous clues, with an overnight stay and a group dinner where prizes go to the best scores. Tours have gone as far west as Iowa and as far north as Door County, Wisconsin; the 2026 tour went to Starved Rock State Park.

The year closes with the annual awards dinner, where the autocross champions are crowned. The 2026 dinner is Saturday, January 9, 2027, 5:30pm to 10pm, at Double Clutch Brewing Company in Evanston, with sign-up on MotorsportReg or by paper form. Most years there is also a family picnic with an informal show and shine, and the chapter supports small local charities with hands-on help.

Shows, corrals and the tool box

2026 posts on the chapter’s site cover cars and coffee at BMW of Crystal Lake and at the Pearl in St. Charles, a Fuelfed Coffee and Classics morning in Winnetka and an ARB Bimmers & Beans morning. For August 7 and 8, 2027, the chapter is again sponsoring the Badger Bimmers Chapter’s BMW corral at the IMSA race at Road America, with sign-up through Badger Bimmers. Members can also borrow from a free club tool box that includes trailing arm bushing tools for the E30 and E36, a spring compressor and an oxygen sensor socket.

For anyone new to driving events, the mentor program and season-opening autocross school are the chapter’s own on-ramp. National dues and the join form are on the BMW CCA page, and other local meets are in the Chicago cars and coffee guide.