SABEEMERTUNNELRUN 2025

Posted on: 31 October 2025

The odds were really against us this year.

It seems as if every year since 2020, the challenges to do this event become harder and harder for us.
The Cape roads in general have become much busier. The crowds get bigger. Cape Town traffic is just unbearable. Law enforcements and City officials have become stricter with regards to groups of people gathering together. Especially car groups. Permits are required from the city offices
And the general public has become more anxious and frustrated with everything going on around us.

The trouble at the toll gate last year on the N1 didn't really help our plans for this year.
An idiot went and spun his BMW just outside the Huguenot Toll Plaza on the national N1 highway despite us asking them to behave to save the future of the SABeemerTunnelRun) highway. That was just careless. We have seen videos of more misbehaviour from 2024 which cast a shadow over our plans.

bmw day

Adding to that - The odds we faced this year were:

1. We were supposed to do a different route to end up at the Saldanha Airfield where a top-end racing event was going to be held. This was planned in May of this year already.

About 2 weeks before the Saldanha event was to take place, we were told that due to some misbehaving and other offences by a very few (not related in any way to us), the Saldanha Municipality retracted their event permission and forced the event cancelation - so this left us with no end-spot for our Annual drive, and city applications take a minimum of 60 days to process.

2. With that the Killarney Motor Racing Complex (where we met last year, and were able to host 280 Beemers) , told us they wouldn't be allowing us this year on our usual Sunday morning, as they had a pending complaint for noise pollution from a resident who lives a kilometre or two from the track, and they did not want to risk having another complaint added to their open file.

3. Then we had an issue where, a week before our drive, another idiot in his orange brown M4 decided to spin his car just in front of the fuel pumps at the Engen Garage. This incident caused a deep concern to the management of this fuel station and it was reported to all authorities. Making it, yet again, difficult for us to get permission to ask/use that facility. https://youtu.be/pKwp16rqle8?si=xwJBSerRekq7-Wav

With the Saldanha cancelation we had found an option for the end point in Wellington, but again, complaints were brought forward from a few weeks ago about spinning and over-revving at the front of the resort, not related to us) which brought out law enforcement.

4. Then on the Friday night, a bus caught alight inside the tunnel we usually drive through, (not related to us) forcing the tunnel to be closed for a few days, making the way to Worcester not an option for us anymore.

Despite these challenges we still find thrilled people wanting to participate and would not like to see it cancelled. Some up country guys plan from January for this event which is held every October or November. They plan road trips, accommodation bookings etc with their families and make it a holiday trip to the Western Cape.

There are literally thousands of meet up spots in and around Cape Town but any of them would be a risk if the public cannot behave themselves.

With all these challenges and time running out, I met with the garage owner. Put down a plan and asked for permission for a gathering at his premises, and told him we won't be inviting that idiot to join us.

Some rules were given by the garage management for us to comply with in order to make something happen.
1 - We were only allowed a limited number of vehicles.
2 - The meet up spot would not be advertised openly
3 - A spot away from the pumps and general public parking would be made available for us.
4 - Law enforcement would be on site to assist with any misbehaviour on the day.
5 -We would be there for no longer than 1 hour.
This would be a sort of test run to monitor behaviour of the participants.

Late Saturday afternoon before the Sunday, we had authorisation to use part of the truckstop at the Engen N1 to accommodate the 80 cars which would be out of way for the trucks and general public.

We met up 8am at the Engen Winelands, with everybody chilled, having our regular koesisters , chatting laughing, kids running around, people getting snacks for the road before leaving at around 9am.
It worked out really well with not one complaint, misbehaving concerns and frustration.

With the Tunnel being closed and the DuToits Kloof pass traffic update showing us heavy delays, we decided to do a shorter route to Riebeeck Kasteel (I still can't believe some Capetonians do not know where Riebeeck Kasteel is lol) .
But this route would allow us to show the guys from out of town a different scenic route, a different dorpie from the regular sights, and they appreciated it.
The drive was calm, smooth and enjoyed by all who attended.

So this leaves us with 1 box ticked for our Tunnel Run plans going forward in order not to sit with another situation that we experienced this year.

We had around 10 outside visitors from E30s to M4s which came to Cape Town especially for the Tunnel Run and we couldn't leave them with no drive.

Looking ahead, we hope that the behaviour of some consider the effects that they have on the general public that always attend the SABeemerTunnelRun, and have been doing so since it first started in 2014.
In order to get it back to the regular event that we all know the SABeemerTunnelRun to be, we need discipline, we need simple things like respect, and assistance in order for city officials to recognize our passion and allow us this feature once a year for an hour or so that it can be enjoyed by everybody.

I have got a few of requests from long-standing participants to close this event off with various regulations, but for me the signature of the SABeemerTunnelRun was always open to all BMW drivers to enjoy a good car on a good road with good people.

Unfortunately some with a lack of self-respect from unresponsible idiots messes it up for others fellow BMW drivers.

Should you wish to join us for next year – send an email to shiraz@sabeemer.co.za.

Thanks to Wheelworx Zaki and his team for assisting me in the morning.
Thanks to the BMW Car Club f Cape Town for leading the pack.
Thanks to Tariq CHIP Moosa who always makes the trip and joins us.
Thanks to METESH from Kimberly, EMMANUEL and THABO from Jozi, Mr Twoboys from 3Rivers.
Thanks also to ZAA AUTOSPAA and his F80 guys that drove their M4s from Jhb.
Thanks to Mr Kara and his Bio-Tech team for assisting us the entire weekend.

CHECK OUT CHIP MOOSA'S VIDEO OF THE TRIP

https://youtu.be/YFBumLWRpzo?si=kAgmn11kLTUhjwQf

bmw sabeemer