Thought this was pretty cool! Check it out:

A few friends of mine made the trip over to MINI United 2009. I am still waiting to see some of their pics but fellow Sunshine MINIs member, mk1coopers, who is over there posted some pretty sweet photos that I think are worth a look at. Check out the link below for more!

MINI United 2009 Thread @ SSM

Like other dealers around the world, Vista MINI will be hosting a 50th anniversary bash to celebrate the Mini’s 50th anniversary. A full car show and BBQ is planned and a fun time will be had by all. If you will be in the South Florida area on May 31st, make sure to stop by and say hi. A big thanks to all the hard working people at Vista MINI for putting this event on! Click the banner for all the info!

Another great track weekend is in the books. As usual, a fun time was had by all. The weekend started off at a fast pace with the MINIs laying down some fast laps. A few Porsche drivers came over to the MINI garage to examine more closely why they were getting passed by these little cool cars. I am happy to report everyone finished the weekend safe and sound, even though the grass at the speedway is a little shorter after some of the lawn mowing that took place;). Here is a video from one of my sessions. It starts off slow, but gets going pretty good… Enjoy!

Big thanks to the various messages you all have sent in regarding my my last post. Things are settling down a bit now and it is time to try to get back to “normal” (whatever that is!). I plan to do just that by getting back to the track this weekend . April 25-26, PBOC will be hosting another track weekend at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. If you are in the area, stop by and say hi!

I talked a long time friend of mine into bringing out his brand new G37 to see what it could do. It is fun to watch the excitement as someone gets ready for their first track day. As usual I will have video and photos . Stay tuned!

Here is an “official” MINI press release for today, April 1st, 2009:

MINI USA looks set to take a world lead in fuel efficiency with the announcement today (April 1) of a revolutionary magnetic propulsion system that will extend the range of its MINI E to several hundred, possibly even thousands of miles, on a single overnight charge of electricity.

Drawing on the same Magnetic Tow Technology (MTT) which was announced by BMW in the UK today, MINI USA has developed its own unique Propulsion / Repulsion 0401 (PR0401) System that is just one short step away from perpetual motion in an automobile.

MINI’s PR 0401 System uses a series of magnets situated in the MINI E’s moving and fixed parts of each of its four wheel hubs to both pull and push the wheels in the desired direction, exploiting the magnets’ natural tendency to attract and repel. Not only does this system allow the MINI PR to travel extraordinary distances for just a few cents, it produces virtually no noise as the electric motor can be switched off once the car is moving.

Read the rest of this entry »

You may have seen these floating around the interwebs lately. The new round of MINI ads featuring the new MINI Cabrio. Put together by the good folks at Plantage Berlin , these commercials are pretty amusing. What is shown below is the showroom reel that includes all of the latest ads that dealers will be playing in their showrooms. Enjoy!

Well it finally happened! After reading hundreds of stories over the years about MINIs having the worst luck with windshield damage, it finally happened to me. I was driving down the highway last weekend and POW! I almost had to change my shorts due to the loud sound of the impact. What I can only imagine to be a rock, nailed my windshield and put a nice quarter-sized starburst on it. Just great!

Luckily in Florida, there is zero deductible for windshield repairs or replacements so at least I had that going for me. I just was worried about breaking the factory seal and all that stuff… sigh. After talking to other MINIacs who have gone through this before, I was put at ease after learning the process is really not that big of a deal. Safelite Windshield Repair came highly recommended and, luckily, they were on the list of approved contractors so I placed the call and they were out yesterday. The technician was nice enough to let me snap pictures throughout the process and talked me through each step as he saw I was interested in how windshield replacement is done.

Read the rest of this entry »

I just got back from a day at the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway where I got to see the 3 RSR Motorsports MINIs put on quite an impressive showing! The three RSR MINIs finished 7th, 12th and 17th in a full field of 30 cars. Randy Pobst, who you might remember took my MINI out for a spin at Daytona, finished 1st in the Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si. It is important to note that fuel mileage played a part in the MINIs final results. The yellow 198 RSR MINI driven by Burrows/Hopwood was running 4th when they had to pit for fuel, which placed them at the very back of the field when they returned to the track under caution. Within 20 minutes, the #198 had made its way through the field in amazing fashion back up to 7th!! It reminded me of an old Herbie movie watching the MINI race through the field. What a great show!

After the race, Randy and the team were great hosts to the MINIacs who showed up to cheer them on. They made time to answer our questions and give us a run down of how the MINIs were handling throughout the race (which obviously they were handling pretty well). It turns out the MINIs may be allowed to run an extra gallon of fuel in the future, which would have helped them stay out longer today and probably finish in the top 3. The RSR pinball machine was also running, providing entertainment for all ages.

I have TONS of photos and video to sort through and should be posting them soon, so check back shortly!

The three (yes I said THREE) RSR MINIs will be coming down south to my neck of the woods next week for the Grand-Am Koni Challenge at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. I plan to go down and cheer the team on. The RSR team has really made some dramatic improvements and I can’t wait to see them be competitive at one of my favorite tracks. I plan on taking photos and video while I am down there so keep an eye out for those.

On another note, the South Florida MINI Track Junkies (hmmm… I just made that up, but I like the sound of that!) will be heading back to Homestead for another fun-filled track weekend April 25-26th. If you are in the area or can make it down to participate, I HIGHLY recommend it. Single day registration is $275 and it will be a BLAST! If you just want to come down and hang with us, please do. We have gotten a reputation around the garage area as one of THE most fun groups at the track. Hope to see you there!

[ RSR Motorsports ]