I'm pleased to announce that the Chicago MINI Motoring Club will be partnering with MINIUSA to bring you a sneak peak at the upcoming Chicago Auto Show and a new limited edition MINI which debuts at the show.

We've been invited to come in to the show early Sunday Feburary 8th tentatively scheduled for 9:00 am. We will listen to a short presentation from MINIUSA as well as get the opportunity for a close-up view of a new limited edition MINI, “recapturing and honoring a series of victories that helped make the marque legendary.” After the presentation we will be allowed to get an early start on the rest of the show which isn't open to the public until 10am that morning.

Light refreshments will be provided however there's preliminary talk of going out to breakfast before then somewhere downtown (details to come)

At this point It looks as if we will have at least 80 spots to fill so each member is welcome to bring one guest to the show. Please email Steve at steve@chicagominiclub.com with the subject “Chicago Auto Pre-Show”.

At this point we haven't confirmed pricing but at most it will be $10 per person (free for children under 12).

Watch this space for details in the coming days and don't forget to reserve your spot.

Note:
Spectators are free to come and cheer on the karters as they compete. There is a viewing area on the second floor that overlooks the track. There is no charge just to come in and hang out. After the Grand Prix series is over, spend time with other CMMC members and relive the excitement!

Chicago Indoor Racing Karting ?
Scheduled for Sunday February 1st at 9:00am

After some consideration in regards to date and time we've finally pinned down all the details of this event. It'll take place at the newly opened Chicago Indoor Racing Facility in Buffalo Grove on Sunday, Feb 1st at 9am. ?We?ll be renting out the larger of the two tracks for the first 30 members that RSVP. ?Individual costs haven?t been finalized yet but they should be about $40 for an hour. ?That should give everyone about 20 minutes of racing ? more than enough from my experience. ?

For those that haven?t raced yet at the track it?s an absolute blast. ?It?s a very professional facility and only those over 18 can race with a valid drivers license. ?Further, you?re required to wear a full drivers suit and helmet (all provided as part of the price). ?It?s so real and so fun you?ll even be a little sore afterwards! ?All in all it?s a great experience that is truly addicting.

It?ll also be a great way to hone your skills for the upcoming autocross season!

Mini Mania will be providing some giveaways for this event.

Please email Steve Rosenblum at steve@chicagominiclub.com if you are interested in joining us.

Update: All 30 spots are currently filled. If you are interested in participating, send an e-mail to get on the waiting list in case anyone bows out of the action. For those that are on the list please email Steve Rosenblum at steve@chicagominiclub.com for directions on how to proceed.

We are hard at work planning an Indoor Go Kart racing event for the end of January, and we are still working on details.

We are looking at doing a 3-race Grand Prix series with the top finishers running championship race.

Cost for participation is $40.

Due to limited availability, we are currently narrowed down to two time slots..

Saturday evening 1/31/03

or

Early Sunday Morning 2/1/03.

We would get a discount for Sunday (probably $10 – $15 or so) if we are done before the standard opening time of 10:00 am. This means we would probably have to start by about 8:00am.

For those who are interested in attending, please post which of the times you would prefer. I think we will need firm commitments from 25-30 people to make this a go.

We will hopefully have our date and time nailed down this weekend.

MINIUSA is highlighting some great ways to (A) get together with other MINI owners and (B) help out your local community.

And the coolest part… they're utilizing a photo that was taken by a Chicago MINI Motoring Club member this past spring and digitally enhanced by your's truly. You can check out a larger version here. In fact you can even download this image as a desktop wallpaper in the wallpaper section of www.bridger.us/mini in a variety of sizes. And if you still can't get enough you can see the entire set of photos from this even here (keep in mind this was suppose to a “spring” event!)

You can check out the MINIUSA “Make a Difference” website here.

I am inviting everyone to a Holiday Lights Drive in the Lincolnwood Towers area on Friday December 12th.

This is an unstructured event where everyone can drive around on their own in the area bounded by Carpenter (Niles Center), Pratt, Cicero, and Devon to admire the show of lights from 7pm to 8pm.
Give a small beep and wave as you pass all the other MINIs cruising around the area at the same time.

We will meet up afterwards at Sanders Restaurant at the corner of Touhy and Carpenter at 8:00

This is not an official CMMC event, but I hope to see a bunch of you out there..

We'll be meeting at Hackneys on Lake Ave. Sunday, Nov 23rd, 6pm to around 9 for dinner, drinks, and good times. It seems like we never have a good opportunity to all just sit and chat – now's our time!

Please RSVP on this post or to Ron at ron@chicagominiclub.com.

Hope to see everyone there!

Update

We'll also be raffling off an official MINI remote controlled car after the dinner as well! The remote MINI will be courtesy of Knauz MINI and is a $110 value – perfect as a nice little gift to yourself for the holidays!

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