Tag Archives: time

Get Ready For The Mini Corral At Leguna Seca!

We have set up a Mini Cooper Corral for the Grand-AM/Continental Championship races at Laguna Seca Sept 7-8-9, 2012 in Monterey California. RSR Motorsports will be running their R53 Mini Coopers in the ST Class. This will be the only time they will be competing on the west coast, so please join us to root them on. All MINI/Minis are welcome whether you belong to a club or not. The Continental Tire Championship race will be at 2:30PM on Saturday, prime time to enjoy the weekend. Your tickets including access to the Mini Corral can be purchased through Mazda Raceway at the following weblink:

https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/pack_planlist.htmI?l=EN&team=laguna&selID=87

This is a three (3) day pass and includes admission, grand stand seating, souvenir program and prime parking in the Mini Corral,

For any additional Mini specific information and updates please go to the Shasta Minis event page:

https://www.facebook.com/ShastaMinis#!/events/154103788060380/

or email me pooper@wildblue.net

Kudos To RGMW!

We all know that Mini’s never need repair, but if by a strange and off chance that your Mini hiccups, Miniology highly recommends the folks at RGMW (Ryan Gangemi Motor Works) in Auburn, Ca.

Reasonable rates, fast service, done right the first time.

Check them out:

(530) 305-2499
11905 Dry Creek Rd. #7
Auburn, Ca. 95602

imm2012

IMM 2012: world’s largest gathering of classic Mini enthusiasts is about to kick off

It was in 1959 that the Mini broke out onto the scene as a classless car, quickly took the world by storm and soon became a motoring icon admired by one generation after the next. Nowhere is the close bond between the classic Mini and its followers more apparent than at the International Mini Meeting (IMM).

The 36th edition of this traditional event is about to get under way, and still the classic Mini continues to transcend boundaries: this year marks the first time that the IMM is being held in Hungary. From 24 – 28 May 2012, fans of this compact British classic will descend on the resort of Balatonfüred on the northern shore of Lake Balaton.

The event’s hosts from MINI Club Hungary have put together a wide-ranging programme packed with thoughtful details, all organised with help and support from various quarters, including the MINI Clubs International Office. Two floating pedal-powered MINIs will be launched out onto Lake Balaton, for instance, while MINI wicker beach chairs will invite visitors to soak up the sun, and professionally restored classic Minis from the BMW Group Classic collection will be on show on the lakeshore alongside the brand’s current models.

Fans and drivers of today’s MINI have been equally welcome at the IMM events for years now.

The inaugural IMM took place in 1978 and has since evolved into the world’s largest gathering of classic Mini owners and friends. Some 4,000 of the brand’s fans, including representatives from over 200 MINI Clubs in countless countries, have registered for the IMM 2012. Enthusiasts from Portugal, Finland and Ireland are planning to drive there in their own Mini, and registrations have even been received from as far afield as Seattle in the US. For the day when everyone arrives, MINI Club Hungary has prepared a highly entertaining rally where the objective is not to be the fastest but to master the final stage before the journey’s end along a particularly picturesque stretch of road.

Bungalows and caravans provide accommodation for anyone attending the IMM, while the extensive campsite in Balatonfüred offers enough room for visitors to park their classic Mini and pitch their tent right next to it. The campsite grounds, furthermore, are the venue for numerous spectacular activities revolving around the classic Mini where the name of the game is sporting competition and having fun together. Plans include setting up a parts and accessories market, staging slalom races in the classic Mini, as well as a competition for the most stunning specimens from all model series, the classic Mini that is truest to the original, the oldest driver and the oldest car. Wedding bells will also be ringing amid the ranks of MINI enthusiasts when two members of the host MINI Club take their vows at the event arena before starting their new life together in true style at the wheel of a classic Mini – followed by a celebratory convoy of some 200 further examples of this British classic, whose drivers have registered in advance for the occasion.

Let it snow! MINI supports the Burton European Open for the second year. MINI presents its Creative Use of Space Award to the most creative snowboarders and shape crews.

From 25 February to 3 March 2012 the best snowboarders on the planet will meet up for the 13th time at the Burton European Open (BEO) in the Swiss resort of Laax. MINI has been a partner of the snowboard event, part of the Burton Global Open Series (BGOS), since the 2010/2011 season – something experienced pro rider and MINI fan Marko Grilc (28) from Slovenia is particularly happy about: “Creativity and the freedom to express yourself is what snowboarding is all about – and it’s the same for MINI. That’s why the two go so well together.” The four-times junior champion and winner of the Air & Style 2009 competition in Innsbruck can’t wait for the action to get underway in Laax: “This will be a home competition for me and the European snowboarding scene,” he adds.

Creative Use of Space Award with prize money of 65,000 US dollars.

For the second year running the riders will get the chance to take home MINI’s Creative Use of Space Award. MINI presents the award to the male and female riders who nail the most innovative and progressive tricks in the halfpipe and slopestyle competitions at BGOS Open events (Canadian Open, Burton European Open & US Open). And under a new scoring system, creative performances also boost the riders’ points totals in the BGOS standings. Each Creative Use of Space Award is endowed with 5,000 US dollars and the winners are earning additional 25 extra points to add to their totals. For finalists, this can mean moving up a place or more in the BGOS standings.

Creative Use of Space Award also presented to shape crews for the first time.

This year, the shape crews sculpting the slopestyle courses at each of the four event venues also enjoy recognition of their work. MINI pitches in to help the crews design an obstacle bearing the brand’s signature – and this is integrated into the slopestyle course as a set feature. A jury made up of snowboarding veterans, professionals and media experts will vote on the most creative course execution at the end of the BGOS season. So, as well as playing an active role in how the competitions unfold, the shape crews now also have the chance to earn 5,000 US dollars in prize money.

The MINI Creative Use of Space Award 2012 got off to a flying start at the Burton Canadian Open, which took place from 30 January to 5 February in Calgary. Next up are the Burton European Open in Laax and the Burton US Open (5 – 11 March) in Stratton. The BGOS female and male overall winners for 2011/2012 will each be presented with a MINI Countryman. MINI also supplies BGOS with the MINI Countryman for its competitor and VIP shuttle service.

Click on the following links to see the Creative Use of Space Award winners in action at the Canadian Open.

Halfpipe:

Slopestyle:

And, of course, photos! We love photos, whether its from BMW or MINI or YOU! So let us know if you got some to share and we’ll post them here just like these are, bam!

[Source: BMW Group AG, Munich/Laax, 20-Feb-2012]

Miniology TV: (vimeo) mirror of our recent podcast, the preview of Mini of Marin.

It’s here! It’s here! The newest episode of Miniology TV! This time we get an exclusive tour of the all-new Mini of Marin in Corte Madera! It’s a peek at the “peak” of perfection!

Miniology TV – Mini of Marin Sneak Peak from Miniology Podcasts on Vimeo.

Yes it’s time for another MTTS – Mini Takes The States!

Go Forth. Go West. Go MINI. MINI TAKES THE STATES 2012 Confirmed To Kick Off July 4, 2012

The biggest official MINI road rally is scheduled to take place again this summer. The bi-annual MINI Takes the States (MTTS) rally will kick off on the east coast Wednesday, July 4th and will make the cross-country trek to the Pacific Ocean concluding on Sunday, July 15th.

“MTTS is perhaps the brand’s greatest demonstration of our commitment to the MINI community,” Jim McDowell, VP of MINI USA told Miniology, “During MTTS, MINI USA acts on its promise to deliver a motoring experience unlike any other brand, engaging owners and their families and ensuring they enjoy their MINI to the fullest extent possible.”

As MINI celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year in the US, thousands of MINI owners and enthusiasts will join the cross-country rally, or a leg of it, dotting the horizon with a gleaming caravan of MINIs.

Along the way, MINI USA will provide its loyal owners and enthusiasts with genuine, once-in-a-lifetime motoring experiences.

The 2010 event included a run on the Bonneville Salt Flats and laps on the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in addition to other engaging daily activities.

MTTS 2012 route details and adventures are still being finalized; full details will be provided in the coming weeks.

Some of the stuff you can bet Miniology will be covering:

- Sneak peeks and early test drives of all-new MINI vehicles and technologies.

- Interviews with MINI executives and owners for unique feature stories
Autocross experiences demonstrating MINI’s performance and handling.

- Immersion in the festive, cheeky MINI culture and the lifestyle the brand offers interaction with the charity partner chosen to receive net proceeds from the registration fee.

Participant registration begins in April, but owners and enthusiasts can sign up now to receive updates at www.miniusa.com/mtts.

MINI United 2012 Preview: Friends. Festival. Racing.

Just a reminder to get your tickets now for MINI United 2012 (in France, yeah, does anyone wonder how Citroen, Peugeot, Renault, and smart are taking the news?)

The ticketmaster link is up so you can buy tickets now: http://bit.ly/MINIunitedGetTickets

From May 11th to 13th 2012, Le Castellet in France will become the dream destination of MINI fans worldwide. You can visit MINI’s social site, MINI Space for info, and the MINI YouTube channel posted a teaser video to show folks what to expect when MINI United 2012 kicks off..

You’ll be glad they include classics in there, indeed there are lots of them across the pond as well here in the states of course, but how many people are going to be shipping more than themselves overseas to attend a fair even of this magnitude? (Well okay, I suppose you could do it if you really wanted to and money wasn’t much of an object, heh, but if you were going to that much trouble you may as well just rent one eh?!)

Of course Miniology is the place to go for all the best coverage, we’ll keep you posted on all the MINI United goodness, and are working on getting live updates from people attending the shows and events, just like we did last time ( as I recall we and our sponsor MC2 Magazine were the only live Mini-oriented audio & video podcast to do this! )

We’ve always been about the people, the clubs, the fans, you know, enthusiasts, indeed this is the perfect event for us to partake in! Perhaps this year MINI/BMW will give us an all-access pass and set us up to cover the event properly.. (huh?) ..yeah they kind of dropped the ball last time, but you don’t need us to tell you about that ;-)

It’s not often enough we get to see Norm Nelson wearing those interesting hats and his smokin’ hot wife Jess (can I say that?) doing interviews. Now that’s just good television.  Yeah yeah, speaking of video, you wanted to see that preview video again, didn’t you? Well, here it is: