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Established in 1981, Gateway Tech is an annual gathering for those BMW enthusiasts who want to delve just a little deeper into the technology behind their Ultimate Driving Machine ©. Once a yearfor the past 20 years, the St. Louis BMW Club has taken over a St. Louis hotel and filled it with BMW cars, gadgets, and gearheads for three straight days. This year, with tech sessions, social gatherings, a
showroom/vendor area, and a BMW CCA Club Race, there's a little something for everyone.
Traditionally, there have been about 3-4 E34 M5's at this event. We would love to see more!
Tech Sessions:
The core of Gateway Tech is, and always has been, its Tech Sessions. These classroom-style presentations and lectures are offered on a variety of topics like suspension techniques, engine tech, wheel/tire science, detailing, serious modifications, competitive motorsport, and many others. The sessions run for about an hour each and go from
approximately 8am until 5pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the event weekend. Each session is strategically scheduled to make sure everyone gets a chance to sit in on the sessions they want to see. To
view the schedule check here.
Social:
Evenings after tech sessions there is an opportunity for attendees to grab some good food and join in with others to discuss the tech sessions, favorite upgrades, and of course, tall tales of track prowess. Thursday evening is open to attendees to find their favorite dining experience in the St. Louis area. Some suggestions may be found here. Friday evening offers a buffet, and Saturday night is the
main social gathering with a catered banquet. During this banquet there will be a number of speakers and presentations including a demonstration by the Gateway Tech charity, CHAMP assistance dogs. CHAMP trains these animals to do some amazing things, and by the end of the demo, everyone will be wondering if they can be trained to
fetch the 15mm open end on demand.
Once the speakers are finished and CHAMP leaves the crowd in awe, the banquet moves on to everyone's favorite part: The (in)famous Gateway Tech Door Prizes! With prizes donated by various vendors, BMW, and others, we always have a wide variety of goodies for those lucky enough to hold the winning tickets. Make sure you stick around though, because you have to be present to win!
Showroom/Vendor Area:
Between tech sessions, attendees might want to take a break to visit the Showroom and Vendor area. In the center of the room are display cars brought in by BMW to show you the latest and/or greatest toys they have to tempt us. In past years they've brought things like a PTG Racer, the E46 M3, a McLaren F1, and the 400hp Z8 for attendees to drool over. (We strongly discourage drooling in the cars, some
poor guy has to clean those.) Along with BMW's offerings there are typically a number of unique member cars that grace the floor. We even had an Isetta out on the floor, until someone smelled gas and we were forced to roll the potential Molotov cocktail out of the building!
Surrounding the show cars are vendors with tables full of after-market products for your viewing (and buying) pleasure. Springs, engines, short-shift kits, detailing products, synthetic oils, and specialized brake components have all been on display. Sometimes vendors may have interactive demos such as a short-shift attached to
a transmission to give you a sort of "try before you buy" aspect. Vendors have also been known to cut special deals at Gateway Tech so be sure to walk over and survey the tables!
The Showroom/Vendor area is open to all for the duration of Gateway Tech. You DO NOT have to be a registered Gateway Tech attendee to view the vendor area. So if you're in the St. Louis region and you're not sure you're interested in the whole event, you can still come down and get a free look at some great stuff!
Bottom line? If you're interested in learning more about your car, your marque, or BMW CCA Club motorsport, then this is definitely the event for you.
For more information, check out the website
http://www.stlbmwclub.com/gatewaytech.shtml
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