UPCOMING EVENTS

 

Dates in RED are MMPEAPSHA Club Events

Dates in BLUE are other local events (and we're invited)

Dates in GREEN are other events of Mini/MINI interest

 

December, '05.....Due to the Holidays, there is no December Meeting

 

January, '06.......Still working on this one folks.....

 

January ???, '06.....MMEW '09 Planning Meeting & Breakfast at The Square Peg Diner.

 

February 11th (Sat.), '06, 8:30AM - ????.....Valentine's Day Breakfast.....Bring Your Sweetie To The Meeting at The Square Peg Diner.  More details later.

 

March and the rest of 2006....Lots of fun Meetings and Events in the planning stages......

 

See you all after the holidays!

 

 

E = MC2

 

(Enjoyment equals Mini Cooper times MINI Cooper)

 

By Nuala Galbari

 

The success of the new MINI in the U.S., has spawned Mini Clubs all over the country.  One has only to look on the website - new clubs are continually popping up everywhere, membership is growing steadily and events are drawing people and Minis in record numbers.  In addition, U.S. enthusiasts can now subscribe to their own, independent magazine, MC2 (which stands for the two MINI models, as well as the new and classic Minis).  Unlike the British Mini magazines, this periodical covers all bases.  You can subscribe to MC2 by contacting CarGraphics Inc., 4640 Chico Way, Bremerton, WA, 98312 or subscribe online at northamericanmotoring.com.

 

International events are also attracting Mini owners and enthusiasts from around the globe.  One recent example of such a gathering was the Mini United event held during October this year in Misano, Italy.  The event featured a Mini Challenge World Final held at the Misano Racetrack, a car show, music and entertainment, slalom, a Mini international display and other events.  One to three drivers were selected from each competing country.  As North American drivers were also invited, Mini International discussed the challenges faced by North American entrants in terms of getting their cars to Misano, renting Minis in or near the site of the event, lodging, planning an extended trip to Europe and so on.  Mini and Mini USA selected drivers that had competed their Minis in professional-level race series, such as the Grand Am Cup, NASA and SCCA.  20-25 drivers competed in MINI race cars with 210 hp JCW kits installed.  Initially, organizers had hoped that about 2,000 would attend the event, however an astonishing 6,000 or more Mini owners attended from over 40 countries during the three-day event.  This must surely constitute one of the most exciting Mini gatherings to date.

 

As Mini owners, we must confess to enjoying slightly lower-key events (although the prospect of Misano was thrilling): motoring afternoons with a group of friends from our local club, driving at a rather gentler pace with picnic baskets in the back of our Minis and perhaps younger members of the family or the pooch coming along for the ride; frequent stops for photographs along scenic routes; returning late in the afternoon for a gathering at a cozy restaurant - that sort of thing.  However, one can dream of the ideal Mini event, perhaps one specifically tailored to our interests.  For example, an afternoon at a stately residence with tea and sandwiches on the lawn with a Quartet playing Mozart, our Minis happily parked on the cool, shaded grasses.  Or the rousing sounds of the bagpipes at a Scottish Festival, and Minis going home with bumper stickers noting such amusing messages as, Up Yer Kilt, after the Mini owners have had their fill of Scottish delicacies, highland games and sheep dog trials, not to mention a generous portion of highland dancing. Or even a visit to a local winery with the desired wine tour and tasting, followed by a visit to the stables, a ride in a carriage, and enjoying a game of Polocrosse in the afternoon.  Lovely stuff, indeed.  The possibilities are endless for Mini enthusiasts and it seems the little cars are very welcome and bring so many smiles to faces - both young and old - wherever they go.

 

While cogitating upon such pleasantries, we considered how, had we the time and the financial resources, it would be fun to plan the dream trip, in our case - to bring our Mini from say, New York to London to partake in a London to Brighton run, or similar event, and enjoy a luxury vacation at the same time.  But we were not thinking of your normal freight carrier in this instance.  We were thinking about the excitement of taking ourselves and a Mini across the Atlantic on a Boeing 747 and returning on the Queen Mary 2.  First Class all the way. 

 

How would one plan such a trip and what would it cost?

 

Our team is working on the project and will reveal all in the next issue of The Oily, when you will meet Chuffy (a 1961 Mk. 1 Mini) and Chesapeake (a 2002 MINI Cooper).

 

Chuffy will travel on a Boeing 747 from New York's JFK to London's Heathrow Airport.  Chesapeake will travel from Port Newark to Southampton aboard the QM2.  Our findings will not be for the faint-hearted or for the under-funded.

 

Until then, Merry Christmas and Merry Coopering!