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.) Exception: A student who is a member can register another student who is not a member as the member's guest, so long as the member pays for the guest's registration. Please contact the registrar if you want to use this option.

If you're not already a BMW CCA 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.

If you are currently not a member of the BMW CCA and sign up between now and our September driving school at Grattan, We will apply a new member rebate discount your event registration fees by $58 to offset the cost of joining the BMW CCA. Note that the discount only applies to multiple day registration fees only. Please contact the event registrar for the application of discount after checkout.

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 if any Covid restrictions 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). And we will no longer be asking questions on vaccination status as part of the registration process.

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 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, and 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. As we did at Grattan in 2024, 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: we do not offer helmet rentals.

Waivers. As we did at Grattan in 2025, we will be collecting the BMW CCA adult 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 waiver via Speedwaiver. Please sign the electronic waiver 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 waiver also is a condition to your completing registration (under Release and Waiver below). If you like, you can review the waiver form on our website HERE.

If a student is under 18, the student and a parent or guardian must complete the BMW CCA minor waiver form. We do not have that waiver in electronic format. It's available HERE. Please download it, complete it, and bring it to 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 the event registrar.

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 the event registrar 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 before registering.
There is no fee for instructors to drive on Saturday-Sunday. The instructor fee for driving on Friday is $195 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.