If anyone out there is itching to get out on the track, there is an event at GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, Michigan being put on by the Honda S2000 Club that is welcoming any MINIs who are interested. They have generously offered to let us in for the S2KC rate of $135!

Please check out my post on MCO if you are interested by clicking HERE. Hope to see you there!

Block off your calendar now. We will be having a drive on October 25th in the Northern Suburbs.

The details are still being worked out, but the drive will culminate at Perfect Power where we'll discuss general car maintenance, aftermarket mods, racing, and have a Q&A session.

Stay tuned for more information.

I'm happy to announce that the Chicago MINI Motoring Club is sponsoring a screening of the original Italian Job October 7th scheduled for 7pm at the Wheaton Grand Theater.

All those interested in the Chicago MINI Motoring Club and the original Italian Job are welcome! The event will be free for all Chicago MINI Club members (be sure to bring your membership card!) and will cost $5 for all non-members.

We'll have the theater all to ourselves and concessions will be served! Hope to see everyone there!

It looks like the South Bend Tire Rack tour and auto cross has been pushed back from the 4th of October to the 19th. It also looks like that change may allow the actual auto cross to take place. Good news for those who wanted to do the track event, bad news for those who can't make the 19th.

Please keep in mind that this is not a Chicago MINI Motoring Club event and you'll need to contact Jeff (who is planning the event) for more information.

Just wanted to give everyone an updated on what took place at the meeting lastnight. I talked briefly about the MINI world and then fielded questions about everthing from the Chicago MINI Club to the car itself. Quite a few of the BMW folks there also had MINI's and a handful of others were considering getting them. It's really amazing to see how popular this car is with the BMW faithful.

It was also nice to meet such great people who are into their cars as much if not more than we are. I think that the Windy City BMWCCA will be a great asset to the Chicago MINI Motoring Club in the future especially as we discuss co-hosting events.

Thanks to everyone who came out lastnight!

From Kumho PR:

FONTANA, CA?The Kumho Tire Challenge will be at the IKEA store in Schaumburg, IL, from October 14-17. The event teaches consumers how tires can make a difference in the way a car performs by giving them the opportunity to drive MINI Coopers equipped with different wheels and tires.

The event will be staged in the parking lot of the IKEA store (located at 1800 E. McConnor Parkway). Participants will drive the cars through an autocross course on the lot.
The Kumho Tire Challenge is a national tour that was launched by KUMHO Tire USA in July of 2003 as a means to educate tire dealers and consumers about how different tires affect the performance and handling of a car.
??Unfortunately, most people don?t give much thought to their tires,? said Rick Brennan, high performance brand manager for KUMHO Tire USA. ?They know they?re round, they?re black, they?re rubber and you have to put air in them.

?But when you give someone a bit of information and then put him behind the wheel of a car and turn him loose on an autocross course, he?ll quickly learn that tires play a huge role in how a car performs,? noted Brennan. ?After going through this exercise, most people are amazed to learn that there can be such a difference between tires, and they?re also usually surprised to learn just how well the tires perform.?

Kumho uses three MINI Coopers for the Kumho Tire Challenge. The cars are equipped with automatic transmissions and a variety of aftermarket performance products, and each car is equipped with a different Kumho tire. ?We use MINI Coopers for our Challenge program because the MINI is one of the best-handling cars in the world, which makes it the perfect vehicle to showcase the performance of our tires,? added Brennan. ?And the MINI is a people magnet. The cars attract attention wherever they go.?

The Kumho Tire Challenge at IKEA will run rain or shine and will be open on a first-come-first-serve basis to the general public on the following dates and times:

• Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 15, 11 .m. to 7 p.m.
• Thursday, October 16, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Friday, October 17, Noon to 7 p.m.