03/13/2005 Note: I was told that Millie's does not take credit cards, so be sure to be ready with cash money for breakfast..

Come on out for an early spring drive to Millie's Resturaunt in Delavan Wisconsin on Sunday March 20th.

WHERE: Starting at the Starbucks at the Village Square in Northbrook, ending in Wisconsin.

WHEN: Sunday March 20th. We will leave at about 9:30am

WHO: This ride is open to anyone

WHAT: We will be taking the slow twisty way out to Lake Delavan, and enjoying some of the scenery and back roads of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. After a stop for a late breakfast, we will continue on towards Lake Geneva for a loop through the famed Snake Road, and then home or exploring on your own.

This is a re-run of a ride we did a couple of years ago before we were officially a club. Hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer than last time, but you never can tell on our Spring Drives.

Bring along your best MINI Clothes, an FRS radio if you have one, and a smile. This will be a longer drive, so be prepared.

Wrapup: Nine MINI's braved the drizzle and crazy Lake Shore drive traffic to head down to the Auto Show. Cruising down in tight formation drew a fair amount of attention. Huge thanks to Knauz for providing a last minute handfull of free tickets to the show!!

We were not able to arrange a special event at the Auto Show this year, but for anyone interested in attending on their own, we will have a casual drive down Sheridan road and Lake Shore Drive to the Auto Show on Sunday Morning:

WHO: The drive is open to anyone

WHEN: Sunday February 13th.

WHERE: The Evanston Northwestern parking garage at the far south end of the campus. We will meet up and plan to leave at about 9:00 am

Come on out for a nice morning drive, even if you don't want to attend the Auto Show..

Post here if you are interested. Keep an eye on this post for updates during the week!

It is with regret that we announce there will be no pre-show Chicago Auto show event this year. MINIUSA tried to get us the same time slot as last year but the company running the Auto Show was not responsive to their requests. We'll certainly be trying again next year!

If there is enough interest we could however, meet at the show before opening on the first Sunday (2/13). Possibly even with a short drive downtown before hand. Comment below if you're interested.

A few weeks ago several of us got together and formed a team to participate at the Chicago Indoor Racing Team Endurance race on 2/27. If there are other club members interested in taking part in the race I'd urge you to get your team together (feel free to use the comments section here) and register as soon as you can.

For more info on Team Endurance Races check out the CIR here.

WRAPUP: We had about a half dozen members show up for the snowball fight. The worlds record was set at around 3000 people. There were several MINI convertibles on display from MINIUSA and local dealers. A fun time was had by all. Big thanks to Chris at MINIUSA for providing VIP parking for club members!!

Here is some information passed on to us from MINIUSA.:

MINI USA is co-sponsoring an event in Wauconda, Illinois this Saturday January 29th at 10 am.
A civic group is registered and attempting to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest snow ball fight.
MINI Banners and flags, and some cars will be everywhere all around. Chicago media will be in attendance.

Following that is a day long winter carnival on the lake. We will be participating.

Anyone looking for a Motoring Destination should come out. The snow ball throw will be at the park located across from the High School 510 North Main Street, Wauconda, Illinois.
Tell traffic security your with the MINI sponsors and bring your MINI front and Center to where the media are, providing there is enough room left.

The afternoon we will be located at Lindy's Landing on the Lake 300 block of Main st Wauconda, Illinois. MINIUSA will have a few dealers offering convertible ALWAYS OPEN top down test drives. Who knows, maybe we will sneak out on the lake for a little driving fun.

The registration form and more info can also be found Here.

Fresh off last Sunday's Go Kart Racing high, a few people expressed interest in participating in more Go Kart racing.

Chicago Indoor Racing hosts both Sprint leagues and Team Endurance Races.

It looks like it is too late for the winter sprint series, but there are a couple of dates open for Endurance racing (2-6 people, 200 laps, $300)

These are not official MINI club events, but if people are interested, feel free to post here