Category Archives: Site Information

Merry Christmas 2007

Boy have things been crazy for me lately. I have been helping to relocate our data center at work and, needless to say, been working some nutty hours and have had no time to post on MINI happenings. Sure glad Christmas is almost here and I finally have a chance to spend some quiet time with friends and family. I hope you are able to find the time as well to spend some time with those you care about. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Santa is good to you ;). Once the relocation is complete, I should be back posting as normal (should be after the new year). Until then – stay safe and happy motoring!

Where’s Pedro?

So what gives? Was this a 1 year exercise in blogging? Some 1 year experiment? The site turns one and the guy behind the scenes is not heard from again! Well….. not exactly… First of all, a special thanks to those who checked in with me to see if I was ok. Makes me feel like there are people who actually read this stuff :). I actually have been sick in bed and not doing much of anything online. What started as flu-like symptoms quickly turned into one BAD reaction to some antibiotic and my stomach has never been the same. The BRAT diet is getting old, but those last 10 pounds I needed to lose after my summer vacation…. well – those are pretty much gone (NOTE: I do NOT recommend this as a weight loss strategy!). Guess that just means I will go faster next month at Sebring ;).

Peeking in my inbox and feeling totally overwhelmed at the 1000+ e-mails waiting to be sifted (yes, contrary to John C. Dvorak, I get a lot of SPAM) , I see that I have missed quite a bit of MINI news and happenings from around the web in the last week or so. As I sift through it all, I will post some of my favorites even though it may not be “breaking news”, but the idea is to have fun with all the cool things out there. I will leave you with something cool that I did happen to find today in my inbox though… Looks like MINIUSA programmed some cool keywords into MINIUSA.com that activates some cool “hidden” features. Go over to www.miniusa.com and in the keyword search box type in one of the following 4 words/phrases:

“Reverse”, “Take It For a Spin”, “Under the Hood”, and “MINImize”.

Hope that keeps you entertained until I get a chance to catch up :). Till later… Keep Motoring!

MotoringFun.com Turns One!

Wow! I have been so busy lately that I almost missed this! I finally had a chance to sit down and relax for the first time in a while and looked at the date. In addition to reflecting on the tragedy of 9/11, I realized that one year ago today, I embarked on a new online journey that would introduce me to some of the coolest people I know – you! 🙂 What started as a collection of cool MINI-related video links and photos, has evolved into mixture of everything MINI. It has even become an online meeting place for MINI/Mini owners from all over the world to sit around and chat in realtime about there day and their MINIs/Minis. Through MotoringFun.com, I have gotten to know some great friends who I have yet to even meet. To those who have stuck by this year and watched things evolve, thank you! To the sponsors who support the site, thank you! Without your help, the site would not be what it is today. I look forward to another exciting year coming up. More cool MINI events to attend and track days to participate in – stay tuned, the best is yet to come :).

Pedro
Motoring Admin

More Track Time

As I told you in my last post, I was out at Moroso Motorsports Park this past weekend cheering on some MINIs from our local group (Sunshine MINIs) during an HPDE (High Performance Driver Education) event. There were not enough slots for me to run with them, but I did manage top get out there for some 90+mph “parade” laps :). I took a bunch of pictures and video, but my favorite has to be this shot:

MINI Getting Porsche Point By

If you click on the photo links below you will also notice I created a new Track Time gallery for track photos to be posted. So if you have any cool photos of your Mini on the track, send them in to site.gallery01 @ motoringfun.com. I will also try to post some video shortly once I get it off the camera.

Next up – Sebring (May 19-20) with PBOC (and then with Phil Wicks in June!). You may have noticed I created a Track Day Countdown in the upper left hand corner. For all those coming to Sebring this month, that one is for you!

[ Track Time Photo Gallery ]
[ Moroso Photos ]

MC2 Partnership With MotoringFun.com

We are pleased to announce that MC2 Magazine has partnered up with MotoringFun.com to bring you even more Mini goodness for your enjoyment. Starting tomorrow, MC2 Magazine will come on board as an official content contributor to MotoringFun.com and will be providing Mini news and stories on a regular basis.

MC2 Mini Magazine
MC2 Mini Magazine

For those new to the Mini world, or those who have not heard of MC2 Magazine, MC2 (MC Squared ñ as the title should be read) was launched in December, 2005 and is the independent American magazine for all Mini owners. The name was chosen to stand for the two models of MINI, as well as the new and classic Minis, indicating that all facets of the MINI/Mini world would be covered.

MC2 Mini Magazine

The magazine is already in its 7th issue and has proven to be a valuable source of Mini information and entertainment. If you do not currently subscribe to MC2 Magazine, we highly recommend it. We are excited to have MC2 on board and hope you check back here often to get your Mini fix!

[ MC2 Magazine ]
[ Subscribe To MC2 ]

New Sponsor Product Spotlight Section

I am happy to announce a new addition to MotoringFun.com – Sponsor Product Spotlights. I would like to direct your attention to the left sidebar, under the category listings. Here you will find a special product that some of our sponsors want you to know about. We want to thank all of our sponsors – without them, MotoringFun.com would not exist. Take a moment and click on the Product Spotlight to go to the sponsor’s website for more information on that particular product. Make sure you tell them MotoringFun.com sent you!

New MotoringFun.com Sponsor

A big thanks to our newest sponsor РALTA MINI Performance. The ALTA Performance Group has been a pioneer in the performance aftermarket since its inception more than 10 years ago. Using the finest materials and labor found in the United States, customers are assured that ALTA̫ stands for quality and value. ALTA customer service, sales and technical staff is always available to help with questions. From live instant chat messaging on the website, to e-mail or phone, ALTA takes pride in the level of customer service that is provided that is simply not found elsewhere in the aftermarket today.

Please support our sponsors by clicking on their links and letting them know you appreciate their support of MotoringFun.com!

Motoring Fun’s Newest Contributor – James Day

This week, MotoringFun.com will turn 4 months old! Thanks to all of you who have e-mailed with your support and to all who have joined in the daily chat in the chat room. When I launched the site, I had an idea of where I wanted to take it, but also kept an open mind to let it evolve as needed. MINI Cooper photos and videos were just the start, followed by a MINI Cooper chat room. The photo gallery was launched and members (you) are encouraged to send in photos for your member gallery. Hopefully you have enjoyed the posts that have been put up thus far and you will continue to do so as the site grows.

Speaking of posts, you may notice a new name under some of the posts going forward. It is with great pleasure that I welcome James Day as the newest Motoring Fun contributor. James is one of the best people I know at digging up fun MINI tidbits and news and I think you are going to love what he brings to the table. Take a moment and welcome James in the comments section!

Happy New Year From MotoringFun.com

Here’s wishing you and yours a very happy 2007. It is hard to believe that I have only had this site up for a little less than 3 months. The response I have gotten from many of you has been overwhelming. Thank you, thank you, thank you for welcoming MotoringFun.com into your browser. For those who have stopped by the Motoring Fun chat room – you really make the site special. It is great to meet new and familiar faces in there and chat about MINI stuff and life in general. If you haven’t done so – send in your pics for the member gallery.

So how are you going to start off 2007? I kicked off 2007 by ordering some new wheels and max performance tires :). Decided on going with the Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212 tires and A&L Racing 387 wheels by Enkei from EdgeRacing.com. Will have more details soon in a later post once I get them. Between the wheels/tires and the new JCW exhaust and JCW airbox that will be installed this month, 2007 is shaping up to be quite the performance enhancement year for my MINI :).

Have fun and stay safe out there!

MotoringFun.com Swag Shop Now Open

Just in time for holiday shopping – the MotoringFun.com Swag Shop is now open. From shirts to hoodees to clocks to hats – there is something for every MINI lover available for purchase. There are even some of the limited edition Motoring Fun MINI Club shirts left for sale – so get yours now before they are retired! Special thanks once again to COOPERation for his talented design abilities!

MotoringFun.com Swag MotoringFun.com Swag

[ MotoringFun.com Swag Shop ]