Canuck hero Croxall claimed the World Championship ranking in a tight and heated battle for ice cross downhill dominance on the most challenging and exciting track of the 2012 season.

Fastest to the bottom in tonight’s finals and winner of the Quebec City stop is Finland’s Arttu Pihlainen, marking the fourth time he’s won in Quebec. In the closest rivalry of the season, only 40 points separated Croxall and Pihlainen from the championship title in a heart-stopping race culminating in an explosive ending amidst the deafening roars of more than 100,000 fans in the heart of Old Quebec.

As Red Bull Crashed Ice World Champion, Croxall wins exclusive use of a MINI for three years. MINI, a keen promoter of young talent, is once again the official automotive partner of Red Bull Crashed Ice.

“This event is fast, fun, and high energy,” said Adam Shaver, Director, MINI Canada. “It’s a perfect fit for the MINI brand. We’re happy to be here for our second year, and proud to not only recognize the Rookie of the Year, but to honour the World Champion with a MINI. If Croxall gets a thrill from navigating a course with dynamic handling and tight cornering, as his results at Red Bull Crashed Ice would indicate, then he’s going to love driving a MINI.”

Croxall earned the title of Red Bull Crashed Ice World Champion after accumulating a total of 3,000 points along the season’s four stops – Saint Paul (US), Valkenburg (NED), Are (SWE), and tonight in Quebec City. “After placing second overall two years in a row, I knew I had to dig deep and train every day no matter what if I wanted to win, and lifting that World Championship trophy is absolutely worth it,” said the Canadian champ who plans on taking a few weeks off to start training for 2013.

Pihlainen came in a very close second amassing 2,960 points and Kyle’s younger brother Scott Croxall (Mississauga, ON) placed third in the World Championship with 2,300 points at the season’s close.

Representing the ladies, fearless female Fannie Desforges from Fournier, Ontario earned bragging rights as the women’s division champion against the top 16 mighty women. “I feel incredible right now, there are no words to describe it. I finished fifth last year, but I was having a flawless night tonight so I just tried to stay on my feet,” said Desforges. “Hopefully the sport will continue to keep expanding.”

The top finishers in each division skate away with not only bragging rights, but took home a share of the prize purse totalling $16,410.

MINI Rookie Award
To foster up-and-coming athletes, the MINI Rookie Award returned this year to honour the best of Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship newcomers. Ross Thompson of Kamloops, BC came through the finish line as the newcomer to the World Championship with the best finish, winning the MINI Rookie of the Year Award. “I’m honoured to be the MINI Rookie of the Year winner this year,” said Thompson. “I accomplished my goal of finishing in the top 32 which I set out to do.”

A Crash Course on the Urban Ice Track
Quebec City is a classic stop on the Red Bull Crashed Ice circuit – recognized as featuring the longest, fastest, and toughest track of the entire World Championship series. This year’s course started with a bang, as the rounded start ramp launched the riders to intense speeds on Côte de la Montagne, where they then faced tricky jumps and obstacles, like a step up, a roller coaster of dizzying peaks and valleys, a bridge, and a tornado of twists throughout the urban ice course.

Running 584 meters long, averaging 4.5 meters wide, with a 60-metre vertical and 180° turns and 50° incline, the course heralded new obstacles to showcase the skaters’ strength, speed, and technique. Starting at the Château Frontenac, this year’s ice track also required serious strategy, as racers encountered more passing opportunities before reaching the finish line by the Saint Lawrence River at Place de Paris.

The Quest to Qualify
This year, more than 10,000 Canadians registered for the chance to compete at one of 13 qualifying events across the country. From there, a random lottery selected 200 men and 20 women per qualifying city to tackle individual speed trials on a challenging flat-surface obstacle course filled with jumps, dives, and turns. To narrow the crop of athletes down to 100 men and 20 women, top participants from each qualifier who demonstrated the best skating skill, agility, speed, and strength earned a spot at the main event in Quebec City.

About the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship
A combination of hockey, boardercross, and downhill skiing, Red Bull Crashed Ice sets a thrilling stage for intrepid male and female amateur and pro hockey players from around the globe. No flat surfaces here – instead, daring racers hurtle down a 584-metre long ice track coiling through the city’s stunning landscape while battling massive jumps, gaping drops, hairpin turns and each other to the icy, epic finish.

Each stop of the 2012 World Championship featured shoot-outs for national and international athletes. The fastest 64 Canadian and 64 international athletes from each Shoot-Out advanced to the Elimination Round. These ice mavericks were then seeded into brackets of four, as the two skaters from each bracket with the highest speeds advanced to the Finals on Saturday, March 17th.

Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship Ranking 2012:
1. Kyle Croxall (CAN/3000 points)
2. Arttu Pihlainen (FIN/2960 points)
3. Scott Croxall (CAN/2300 points)
4. Adam Horst (CAN/2190 points)
5. Paavo Klintrup (FIN/ 1660 points)

World Championship points were up for grabs at each of the four stops of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship: 1,000 points all the way down to 0.5 points were collected for athletes who placed first to 100th. Whoever finishes the season with the most points after the four races is crowned the 2012 Red Bull Crashed Ice World Champion.

BMW Group in Canada
BMW Group Canada, based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW AG and is responsible for the distribution of BMW luxury performance automobiles, Sports Activity Vehicles, Motorcycles, and MINI. BMW Group Financial Services Canada is a division of BMW Group Canada and offers retail financing and leasing programs and protection products on new and pre-owned BMW and MINI automobiles, as well as retail financing for new and pre-owned BMW Motorcycles. A total network of 44 BMW automobile retail centres, 20 BMW motorcycle retailers, and 29 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.

[Source: BMW Group Canada/MINI, RICHMOND HILL, March 19, 2012]

The new MINI Roadster is here to conquer all the lands your adventure-hungry heart desires.

Director Peter Berg took “Another Day. Another Adventure.” on-location in Istanbul to create this cliffhanger. Watch now.

Here’s the original cliffhanger (a bit more precarious?) from The 1969 Italian Job with Michael Caine..

Of course, there’s the solutions and even Charlie himself quotes it..

The problem with the MINI roadster precariously balanced is the same as the bus. The drive part is the half of the vehicle which is dangling in the air. The MINI roadster being FWD and the bus RWD. How do you move the vehicle then, hmm.. very carefully.. LOL!

Well, take a look:

Driven & Mini Coupe from UrbanDaddy on Vimeo.

Urban Daddy describes the experience as thus, “We’ve been watching MINI pretty closely since we launched DRIVEN. Something about the marque—maybe the combo of a rich heritage, a modern design and a scrappy bravado—suits us. So when we got the opportunity to take a look at their new Coupe before it hit the streets, we politely and quickly agreed. And we brought a camera along… We picked up the brand-new lightning blue Cooper S two-seater and put it through the paces of a typically daunting day in the life of DRIVEN in New York City: a stop at the tailor, some breakfast, a shave on the LES and plenty of time to just zip around town. Zip is the right word. This car—loaded with a Gertag six-speed transmission, a MacPherson suspension and a 181-horsepower turbocharged engine—sort of feels like a souped-up go-kart, and New York is the perfect track. Just know that when you hit 50 mph, the rear spoiler automatically raises and dares you to go faster. So we did…”

[Source: Urban Daddy/Driven, Jan 11 2012]

Urban Daddy:
UrbanDaddy is a free exclusive email magazine (for men, duh!) devoted to keeping you in the know. And yeah, they have an app for that.

Driven:
Sometimes seeing is believing, so we bring you Test Drive, a series of DRIVEN original videos where we take beautiful cars and film them doing beautiful things in beautiful places.

Everything in the store revolves around the pure experience of our favorite British brand.

During a traditional ceremony, four Queens Guards handed the key of the lifestyle shop to the Director of BMW Group The Netherlands Jan-Christiaan Koenders and the Director MINI Netherlands Chris Collet, who allegedy are pictured in the photo to the left. I wonder if they celebrated afterwards by going to one of Amsterdam’s popular cafe shops?

This Saturday the store opens to the public, no words if the smokin’ hot guards will still be there or not, but rumor has it more stores are planned globally, the Dutch Brand Store is a pilot for the rest of the world.

We’ve never seen Queens guards that look like this, and don’t know if they’ll be participating in the change of guard ceremonies at the palace or what-not, but then again they are much more pleasant to look at than the usual stuffy old men in big black fluffy hats that we are used to seeing.

Three cheers for MINI, Amsterdam and old blighty!

[Source: BMW Group, December 19, 2011 in Amsterdam]

After an amazing year in 2011, MINI is again the official partner of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2012, and invites fans to join us Jan. 12-14 as the events kick off in Saint Paul, Minnesota to see for themselves who will be crowned the world’s strongest, fastest ice cross downhill racer in the U.S.

On a man-made ice track made for head-to-head battle, the 100 toughest, fastest ice cross downhill racers from around the world will go head-to-head, racing up to 40 miles an hour down steep ice canals dotted with jumps, rollers, obstacles, banked corners and hairpin bends – until the first two cross the finish line and advance to the next round. This bracketed madness will continue until the final chapter when the four remaining competitors race to the bottom to crown the champ. All of this takes place against the backdrop of the strikingly iconic Cathedral of Saint Paul with thousands of spectators bearing witness.

MINI USA will host a contest on its Facebook page, and one winner will receive a trip for themselves and a guest to see the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship action in Saint Paul, including two VIP Access Only Passes to the event, hotel and roundtrip airfare (within the U.S.). Please go to www.facebook.com/MINIUSA for more details.

MINI will partner with Red Bull to host fans throughout the World Championship series, and admission is free to all spectators. In Saint Paul, MINI will have some of its newest vehicles on display, the MINI Countryman ALL4 for snow lovers, and the MINI Roadster for those who are looking forward to top-down driving season.

“We all have an itch to hit and go fast, and Red Bull Crashed Ice feeds that desire like nothing else,” said 2011 champion Arttu Pihlainen of Finland. “Each race attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators packed into a breathtakingly cold and action packed scenario, and I can’t wait for the first U.S. stop this year.”

The U.S. will host seven qualifiers through December with the best moving on to take on the icy gauntlet in Saint Paul in January. From the competitors in Saint Paul, a Team USA squad will be selected to travel to three additional global stops. The athletes come from a variety of disciplines – hockey, downhill skiing, speed skating, boardercross, and others – with grit, skate skills and toughness as mandatory barometers of success.

The Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2012 calendar is as follows:

Saint Paul, MN (USA) January 12-14
Valkenburg (NED) February 2-4
Aare (SWE) February 16-18
Quebec City (CAN) March 15-17

Points are up for grabs at each of the four stops of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship: The winner collects 1,000 points and competitors all the way down to 100th (0.5 point) can collect valuable points. Whoever finishes the season with the most points after the four races is crowned champion.

At the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship, MINI will also be demonstrating its innate commitment to supporting outstanding new talent. In 2012, the company will again present the Rookie Award at each of the four World Championship events. The award is reserved for the best newcomer of the year and will reward the top-placed of all athletes venturing onto the ice cross downhill track for the first time in the new season.

For more information on Red Bull Crashed Ice, the qualifiers and global stops, please visit www.redbullcrashedice.com

[Source: MINI, Woodcliff Lake, NJ – December 9, 2011]

Here’s a few pics courtesy of our friends in Woodcliff Lake, NJ (at the home base of BMW and MINI in the U.S.A.)

We think the astronauts may secretly be some of Miniology’s own space cadets, though we’re not sure who..

Marketing Campaign Launches In Manhattan With A Rocket And Astronauts

• MINI USA announces the newest family member, the MINI Coupe, with a larger-than-life stunt in New York City
• 30-foot rocket, with the all-new MINI Coupe attached, has been constructed in New York City’s Meatpacking district
• Display can be viewed from October 27 through November 1, 2011

Known for its fun, engaging and cheeky marketing campaigns, MINI USA is launching its newest vehicle, the MINI Coupe, with the help of a 30-foot rocket, some astronauts and a presence in the New York City Village Halloween Parade. The tag line for the MINI Coupe, “Hold On.” is the inspiration for the New York City activities, and speaks to the vehicle’s performance, along with it sporty and exhilarating nature.

“What better way to launch the fastest MINI yet than attach it to a rocket, in the greatest city during one of MINI’s favorite holidays,” said Tom Salkowsky, Manager – MINI USA Marketing. “The all-new MINI Coupe is all about performance that forces you to Hold On!”

The rocket will be on display Thursday, October 27 through Tuesday, November 1, 2011; and is located at 14th Street and 9th Avenue in New York City’s trendy Meatpacking district. In addition to the rocket, there will be four brand ambassadors dressed in space suits greeting pedestrians and passing out MINI-branded space (freeze-dried) ice cream, Coupe “Prepare for Launch” buttons and additional vehicle information.

NYC Village Halloween Parade, Monday October 31

The iconic Village Halloween Parade, which anticipates 80,000 participants, will take place just a few blocks away from the rocket display. MINI USA will have two MINI Coupe vehicles in the parade, accompanied by the above-mentioned astronauts and MINI team members to hand out goodies (MINI ‘space’ ice cream and buttons) to some of the 2 million spectators. The parade will follow a route on 6th Avenue, from 7:00 PM – 10:30 PM, and run from Spring Street to 16th Street.

[Source: BMW Group PressClub USA / MINI, Woodcliff Lake, NJ– October 27, 2011]

[Source: BMW Group/MINI UK, London, 9/28/2011]

England long jump champion J.J. Jegede succeeds in attempt to clear three MINI London 2012 Edition models.

England long jump champion and London 2012 hopeful J.J. Jegede today succeeded in his attempt to jump over the roofs of three cars at the launch of the MINI London 2012 Edition Models.

This world-first took place at Potter’s Field, London. The three MINIs when lined up measured approximately six metres in length, a successful jump by a world-class athlete in optimum conditions is seven to eight metres, so Jegede, with no safety-net and under pressure to perform in extraordinary circumstances had very little margin for error.

In order to give Jegede the correct elevation for the jump, the run-up track and sand pit were raised to the height of the MINI’s roofs on specially-constructed structures positioned either side of the vehicles. Both track and pit were built to competition standard to ensure the best conditions for the attempt.

J.J. Jegede said: “When you watch athletics on TV it’s hard to really understand just how far professional athletes can jump. I’ve always wanted to demonstrate my ability in a fun way, so I jumped at the chance to perform an Evel Knievel-style display. [pun, ha!] It is my ultimate dream to compete at London 2012. I spend much of my spare time working with young people to get them involved in sport too, but I certainly advise any budding athletes not to try this one at home.” [as if people had 3 MINIs and an olympic longjump in their backyard.. but sure, yeah we'll go with the bit of caution I'm sure the lawyers are happy with that quip!]

British Olympian Steve Backley, who hosted the proceedings, added: “This has been a fantastic celebration of world-class talent, an extraordinary feat and a special treat for the fans. Having performed on the world stage myself I know how nerve-wracking it feels before a big performance, but in these extraordinary conditions I can’t imagine what J.J. was feeling.”

MINI UK [yes, and BMW too..] is proud to be an official partner to Team GB and the ParalympicsGB Team on their journey to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Acting as the biggest fan for both teams, MINI hopes its support will help to inspire extraordinary performances.

The event provided the first look at the new London 2012 special, limited edition models to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games. There will be just 2,012 of these special edition models built, and will come in the Union Jack themed colours of red, white and blue. All models boast a white roof featuring the iconic London 2012 Olympic Games logo. The exterior features a distinctive Union Jack single sport stripe and the side scuttles also bear the London 2012 Olympic Games logo.

Inside, the most striking feature is the London skyline, beautifully etched across the width of the dashboard. Silhouetting some of London’s most iconic landmarks, including Tower Bridge, Battersea Power Station and the London Eye, the dashboard also displays the words “London 1 of 2012”. The headrests complement the theme with Union Jack piping and a London 2012 logo is stitched on the inner edge of both front seats.

[ Source: BMW AG, Munich, 19th September 2011.]

Motorsport, yachting and winter sports stars enjoy relaxed atmosphere at the 178th Munich Oktoberfest.

Kris Meeke guest of BMW Group’s “Wies’n-Sport-Stammtisch”

Munich is once again celebrating its annual Oktoberfest. Various stars representing a diverse range of sports on Monday visited the BMW Group’s “Wies’n-Sport-Stammtisch” at the world’s largest and best-known public festival.

Stars from the motorsport, yachting and winter sports disciplines joined invited media guests to review the current sporting year, and preview the upcoming 2011/12 winter sports season.

At the fun-filled ‘Wies’n-Ausflug’, motorsport’s various genres were represented by MINI WRC Team rally driver Kris Meeke (GBR), BMW DTM drivers Andy Priaulx (GBR) and Augusto Farfus (BRA), BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt and BMW Motorrad Superbike rider Troy Corser (AUS). Sailing ace Markus Wieser was joined during this unique Oktoberfest experience by BMW Sport Ambassadors Katarina Witt (Figure Skating), Georg Hackl (Luge), Manuel Machata and Christoph Langen (both Bobsleigh), as well as Ice Hockey legend Erich Kühnhackl.

In the afternoon, the ‘Wies’n-Rundgang’ walkabout was on the agenda. At the ‘Hau-den-Lukas’ and ‘Autoscooter’, BMW’s guests had the opportunity of testing their skills in a ‘sporting’ manner, with the highlight of the Oktoberfest contests being the traditional crossbow shoot. Finally it was time to relax with extremely tasty delicacies accompanied by cold refreshments at the ‘Wies’n-Stammtisch’ in the “Armbrustschützenzelt”.

“Of course I have heard a lot about the Oktoberfest in the past, but this was actually the first time for me to visit it”, said MINI WRC Team driver Kris Meeke. “It is really impressive and I had a lot of fun together with the other drivers Andy, Augusto and Troy. But I have to admit that I am looking forward to wearing a race suit again instead of these short leather trousers.”

“After being here last year, this was my second visit to the Oktoberfest and it is really something special”, commented BMW works driver Augusto Farfus. “It reminds me a little bit of the carnival back home in Brazil with a lot of people coming here and having a lot of fun. Like the carnival, the Oktoberfest is something unique. It was a really interesting day and I enjoyed it very much.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the Wies’n”, said reigning Bobsleigh World Champion and overall World Cup winner Manuel Machata. “We had a lot of fun. The discussions with the motorsport stars were great. I also have petrol in my blood, and compete in races myself from time to time. Equally, they are extremely interested in our sport, with the common bond being that we need adrenaline and always go to the limit.”

Well sheesh, we find a blurb about one of our MINI WRC drivers having a blast at Oktoberfest, and call it “news” heh. We can’t wait till we see our WRC teams back on the circuit or test tracks again soon. Miniology will be there with our continuous, almost-live coverage of the events!