MUNICH: BMW Clubs and community management of the BMW Group Classic said the BMW Clubs International Council has a new chairman.

Scott E. Blazey, 71, from the United States, has been elected to the position, succeeding David de Bruyn from South Africa who unexpectedly passed away earlier this year. De Bruyn was chairman of the World Council for nine years.

The BMW Clubs International Council, formed in 1981, currently represents more than 230,000 BMW Club members in around 800 recognised clubs in 78 countries.

Blazey is a former president of the BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA), the largest BMW club in the world. He also served as the president of the Kansas City BMW Club, chairman of BMW CCA Club Racing, a delegate to the BMW Clubs International Council, and is currently a trustee of the BMW CCA Foundation, a separate, non-profit charity that promotes teen driver safety among other things.

“The goals for the Council are simple," said Blazey.

"Building on the previous achievements of the council, we will continue to help existing BMW clubs grow; help new BMW clubs get started; work with the BMW Group Classic to foster a sense of community with and enthusiasm for the brand; and do what’s right to help BMW club members worldwide enjoy the very best possible BMW and BMW club experience.”

In the question-and-answer session below, Blazey offers a deeper insight into his enthusiasm for BMW and the BMW Clubs:

When you got the first time in touch with BMW (products)?

Blazey: The first time I really noticed BMW was at the 1973 24 Hours of Le Mans, when I watched the BMW 3.0 CSL (#51) win its class. I bought my first BMW less than two years later, but it was not a car. It was a BMW R75/6 motorcycle. My first BMW automobile, a BMW 2002, came less than a year later and from then on, I have always owned and driven BMWs.

Which/When was the first BMW Club you have joined?

Blazey: I was with the US army in Germany when I took delivery of my BMW R75/6 motorcycle in 1975 and joined my first BMW Club, which was the BMW Club Bad Windsheim. It was there I first experienced the camaraderie, fun, and sense of community from BMW enthusiasts.

What makes BMW Clubs and the community so special to you?

Blazey: BMW automobiles and motorcycles are great fun to drive but even more, they generate in many of their owners an enthusiasm for driving and for sharing the BMW experience. I love motorsports and through BMW Clubs I have gone racing wheel-to-wheel, won time-speed-distance rallies, and traveled all over the U.S.A and the world. Through it all I met and continue to meet fellow BMW enthusiasts who have become many of my best friends.

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