MFest IX – The Super Show [Gallery]
There are car shows and then there are Super Shows. The annual gathering of crazy... I mean hyper-enthusiast-BMW-owners is now in its 9th year. MFest IX, organized by Chris Naguit and sponsored by Nitto Tire, was tailor made to fit the kind of crazy only BMW-owners know and love.
The Caravan
There aren't many events that take you on a journey - but MFest is one of them. For SoCal "MFesters," the journey started bright and early Friday morning. For me, it was at a Krispy Kreme in Ontario so I could get some hot, perfectly glazed donuts in me before making the drive. The first stop of the trip was at Barstow where we invaded the parking lot between In-N-Out and Panda Express. Once all the SoCal groups reached Barstow, it was time to roll out again. If you thought the Barstow stop was big, then you're in for a real surprise to see what it was like once we reached the Gold Strike Casino at Jean, NV. Not only were groups from SoCal riding in together, groups from as far as Florida and Texas joined in on the fun - and they all converged in Jean, a short distance from Las Vegas. I saw people come as far as Michigan, Alaska, and even a club called MFlight, which was founded in Germany! After a few good words by Chris it was time to finish the trip to Las Vegas and check-in at the SLS Hotel, this time with a Nitto helicopter overhead!
The First MFest BBQ
Chris has been pushing hard to have a meet and greet for all the MFesters, and finally this year, without any restraints from sponsors, he was able to make the BBQ happen. With the help of the MFest Staff, family, and Big Abe aka #oneBuffFlip working the BBQ Grill, everyone had a great evening. It was awesome to just relax, hear everyone’s story, and eat up after the long drive to Vegas; the perfect chill spot "pre-game" before a night of untz-untz-untz at the Foxtail Club – another perk included with the MFest IX weekend. Check out all the fun at the Adventure Combat Ops facility and even a scary surprise at the end!
The Super Show
All of this leads to The Super Show at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The goal isn’t about filling the venue with sponsors and spectators. They aren’t trying to make money or grab all that "insta-fame". Instead, they put on this show for everyone to have fun and just enjoy each other’s love for the M Series. All sorts of BMWs were on display, Nitto had giveaways, and the track was open to those who registered to track their BMWs. Brand new for MFest this year was a "shootout" for some short, friendly drag racing action. The new drag race was definitely something that caught the MFester’s attentions, and with some fine tuning Chris plans to perfect it for next year's MFest X! The Super Show was concluded with an MFest parade around the track for all of the MFesters to take a victory lap. But the fun didn’t stop there… after taking a couple hours to cool off and rest our feet back at the SLS, it was time to celebrate at club LiFE where we were all surprised by MFest with an open bar treat! And that's MFest, at least from what I remember. Cheers to another successful year!
