Klub Rennsport
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UBCSCC member in a modified '73 2002 setting up for Turn One at Westwood raceway in Coquitlam, B.C. |
Back in the early 1980's, 2002s were a common sight
at local non-sanctioned club gatherings and CASC
organized events. Auto slaloming, officially called Solo
II, was a popular weekend event where many 2002s
dominated their classes competing against better
advantaged Datsun 510s, Ford Capris, and Alfa Romeo GTs.
Whether in B-Lot out at UBC, at a local Woodward's
parking lot, or up at Westwood raceway, there was a
slalom event happening almost every weekend throughout
most of the year. Friendships were made, car clubs
thrived, and people driving similar cars often waved and
flashed headlights at one another on the roads. But time and the region's growth over the past decade have taken its toll on both the sport and the lifestyle many of us once associated with. Most of B-Lot is now enveloped by rampant campus development, Westwood has become a major housing subdivision complete with a golf course, and Sunday shopping virtually put an end to what used to be the fastest growing motor sport in North America. The cars have become much more sophisticated today, the competition rule book is thicker, and any form of gesture from drivers on the road either meant photo radar or signs of road rage. This page will bring you stories from the days when club racing was much kinder, gentler, and simpler. Those were the days when BMW 2002 owners were basically a club amongst themselves. It was the 2002 owners and their privateer efforts in the '70s and '80s that built the foundation for BMW's current motor sports image in North America. |