I finally had a chance to post up photos from last weekend’s Mickey & MINI 4 event. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized I had my exposure setting on my camera all messed up so if some of the photos are a little light, that is why (sorry about that). I also included a weekend recap below to let you know what we did and hoping that you realize that, if you didn’t go this year, you just HAVE to go next year . Enjoy!

Even though Mickey and MINI 4 officially kicked off on Friday the 26th, there were quite a few of us that arrived a day early to beat the rush and get things ready for the MINIac invasion that was to come. A nice group of us went to dinner Thursday night at Trail’s End restaurant at Disney’s Fort Wilderness. The food was good and the conversation was even better. Disney fireworks topped the night off in splendid fashion.

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I’ve always wondered what it would be like to take my wife on a few hot laps at a track event. After watching this video, it could prove entertaining… Here, ex-F1 driver Riccardo Patrese takes his wife round Jerez circuit in a Honda Civic Type-R. Check out her reaction around the 2 minute mark .

First off, let me apologize for the delay in posting this up. From the moment I got back from Sebring, I have been swamped. The weekend was an absolute blast. We had quite a few MINIs attend this event. Seven of them were running in the Solo / Instructor run group, which made for a fun time. In this video you will see 2 of them. Scooter handled very nice all weekend (even during a short slide through the grass at the end of the video).

I was able to heat cycle my new Nitto NT01’s in preparation for Daytona at the end of October. They definitely changed how the gearing felt due to the taller tire. It will be very interesting to get them out on the Daytona banking where I’ll be able to stretch them out a bit. Hope you enjoy the video and stay off the grass!!!

If yesterday’s MINI commercial left you a little grossed out, this one may work better for you . Some pretty slick driving makes this a fun video to watch. Check it out and let me know what you think:

While a little disturbing, here is the latest MINI Clubman viral video ad. Check it out:

You have read about the ABF Drag MINI, well now check out the video from the recent Pinks All Out event in NJ. This is so cool!

This Saturday (8/9/08) from 10am - 4pm, ALTA will be having a garage sale in conjunction with a free BBQ and airshow. So if you are lucky enough to be in the area, make sure to stop by and say hi to our good friends at ALTA MINI Performance. They will be having some huge discounts on some cool products. Also, grab a tissue (you’ll need it, trust me) and watch this hysterical video commerical from the guys at ALTA:

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This was sent in last Monday, but better late than never. My appologies on the delay. Apparently MINI USA has set up a channel on YouTube where they will be posting viral ads for us all to enjoy:

As many of you know, Team Minspeed likes to get things done on the track. While most of us are happy running around the track in our daily drivers in non-competition-style HPDE sessions, a few of us want to take things to the next level and get the adrenaline rush that comes with actual “racing”. For those who are so inclined, some safety modifications must be made. Here is a video of Team Minspeed member, Greg “beaner” showing off his newly installed custom roll cage in his 2006 MINI Cooper S, “Earl”, which will be ready for competitive racing shortly!

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I think this is the best media coverage to date that I have seen for MINI Takes The States 2008. It was aired on Univision and shows quite a few of our MINIs. Even if you don’t understand Spanish, you get an idea of how much fun we had. Look closely and you will see some familiar faces, including Pedro Vidal, who raced in the La Carrera Panamericana of 2007 and our good friend Alex Fuentes (nice job on the interview Alex!). Enjoy!