Tag: mtts2012

Woofcast #430: Closing out MTTS 2012

Todd and db are joined by Axel from bigblogg.motoring and minispace.com to close out MINI Takes the States 2012!

Photo courtesy Eileen Dugan

Todd and I were joined by our friend Axel from Bigblogg.motoring and MINI Space for this recap of MINI Takes the States 2012. The remaining interviews, our collective thoughts about the JCW Roadster and outgoing MotoringFile long term Countryman and a few of our favorite things from MINI Takes the States.

So completes our MTTS coverage for 2012. Regular service shall resume next week with Woofcast 431, looking ahead to our 7th (holy crap!) anniversary August 1st.

Woofcast 430:

Download | WRR @ iTunes | 34.2MB | 1:12:54 | Show Notes

WRR Army Water Pistol Attack

Jim McDowell. Head Motorer & MINI USA Chief. He’s a swell guy. I mean, he drove from New Jersey to LA in a convertible along with the rest of us. Got everyone to sign his MINI that will probably go on display at MINIUSA HQ. And he is a bit of a prankster.

During the first few days of MINI Takes the States, out of nowhere there was a cold and wet sensation felt by many of the attendees. It wasn’t rain or a leaky roof, it was Jim sneakily squirting people with a water pistol. If you were hit, you looked around to see him giggling to himself as he moved on to his next victim.

A brilliant idea was hatched to retaliate! We would weaponize the WRR Army for a surprise attack in Chicago during the rise and shine meeting. Little did we know that another faction was also doing the same thing. When that was found out, we combined forces and formulated a plan. Continue reading “WRR Army Water Pistol Attack”

JCW GP and Countryman on the move

During MTTS2012, we got to spend time with both the JCW GP display car and the JCW Countryman Pre-production car. Todd even drove the JCW Countryman and will telling us all about it very soon. In the meantime, here are some photos of them on the road between New Mexico and Arizona.

In case you missed them, all of my MTTS photos can be found in this collection on Flickr.

MTTS 2012: My Experience

You already read about the first half of the journey. Now that it is over, here is the rest.

You learn a lot spending 6-9 hours a day in a MINI. You learn new terms like Elephant Race. You learn that a JCW Roadster with the top down will not keep up with a 1 //M. You learn that a Countryman makes a pretty ok truck.

You also get an idea of the scope and size of the United States. Sure, you know the US produces most of the world’s corn, but until you drive across Iowa and Nebraska, you don’t really get it just how much corn it really is. I80 from Nebraska to Colorado isn’t as bad as everyone says the first time around. In fact, it’s quite majestic. And, in Arizona, it’s not always a dry heat.

There is also the people. This car that we all love so much is nothing without it’s owners. Besides being a crazy bunch, we are also some of the greatest people I’ve ever had the chance to meet, hang out with, race with, take photos of and with and everything else you can think of.

For example, after driving on The Dragon, everyone was asking about how epic I thought the road was. If I’m honest, it’s an ok road. But, I’ve not driven it during MINIs on The Dragon, which I would imagine is about the same as going to Vegas when it’s not AMVIV. Sure the road is great, but it’s the people that make it an unforgettable experience. Continue reading “MTTS 2012: My Experience”

MTTS 2012 #1

The first of our interviews that happened during MTTS 2012 is ready for your enjoyment! For those of you that were able to join us, you know what an epic trip this was. For the rest of you, sit back and enjoy what we still have coming for you in audio and photos, plus a little bit of video. It starts here from MINIUSA HQ in New Jersey.

MTTS 2012:

Download | WRR @ iTunes | Show Notes