Happy Birthday CMMC !!!

The Chicago MINI Motoring Club has just recently completed its second full year as an offical club!!

We have done a bunch of fun events over the past two years, and have plans for many more. Our membership card numbers are over 175, and new members keep rolling in every week. We have a number of offers for Club Membership Discounts on MINI related items (check out the links on the right hand column of our web page). This is a fantastic way to offset your club membership dues and help support MINI related businesses.

I want to thank everyone for participating at club events, on this web page, and in our Club forums.

I know I am still having just as much fun doing this as when I first got my MINI.

Here is a link to our First offical Club event back in July 2003.

Member discount – Lycan Customs

Here is a new CMMC member discount offer from Michael Dotson, owner of Lycan Customs located in Algonquin, IL

We are fairly new to the Chicago area freshly transplanted from Los Angeles,CA. My family has been
customizing cars since 1939. We would like to say HI and the members of your club by offering 35% discount on parts and labor for club members. And for those members who show serious effort into to fixing up their vehicles for shows we do have good working relationship with a large number of manufacturers we deal with to offer partial and full sponsorships. ( Limited amount of course).
We offer lifetime warranty on our work and full factory warranty on all parts we sell. We can offer your members to following :: Audio, Video,
Navigation/GPS, Custom Interiors, Exterior paint, artwork, mobile computing, Satellite
Radio & Television, Advanced Security, Performance Tuning, and Custom wheels.

Check out their new Website at www.lycancustoms.net

Autobahn July 24th

UPDATE: 07/19/2005 We are leaving a bit earlier than previously planned. If you would like to meet up outside my place in Skokie at 6:00am, or meet us along the way down, send me an e-mail and let me know. (If you have already contacted me I will get info out to you soon).

Sugestions to bring for spectating: FRS radio tuned to channel 1 subchannel 1 for the drive down, drinks, healthy snacks to stay hydrated and alert, sunscreen, bugspray, hat, foldup chair, Chicago MINI Motoring Clothes and a smile!!

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UPDATE: 07/13/2005 We only have a few people who are heading out to watch, so we will be heading out early to get to Autobahn at the same time as the drivers. We will most likely be leaving the north suburbs at around 6:30-ish.

Please post here, or e-mail steve@chicagominiclub.com if you are interested in joining us!!

The Chicago MINI Motoring Club will be out Spectating at the Phil Wicks Driving Academy in Joliet on Sunday July 24th.

There will be a $10 gate fee for spectators, and Phill has extended an invitation to MINI Club members to take a few touring laps of the South Track at controlled speeds (in a lead/follow situation) during the class lunch break.

Details are still in the works, but we are planning a small group drive down to Joliet. Post here if you are interested in hanging out at a cool new track and cheering on our fellow MINI (and other brand) drivers!!

Smart Cars Invade Chicago

I just received this email today and thought it may be of interest to those CMMC members who just can't get enough of small cars:

After viewing details, we wanted to get in touch with you & members directly regarding the unique opportunity to participate with the Target Smart Cars. We're excited to bring the exclusive branded ForTwo vehicles into Chicago this 4th of July! We'd love to extend members from Chicago MINI Club the chance to drive a Smart Car for in this single event date on America's Birthday. Ideal candidates possess an enthusiastic attitude to interact with the public and have small vehicle driving experience.

Continue reading

Phil Wicks Driving Academy Joliet July 23-24

Here is some information from Phil Wicks about his upcoming driving school on Saturday and Sunday July 23rd and 24th..

The Phil Wicks Driving Academy will be at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet IL on July 23 and 24. The full curriculum will be offered — Performance Basic (Novice), Performance Advanced (Intermediate), and Expert. We will be on the North course on Saturday and the longer South course on Sunday. The South course is rarely made
available to track day events.

Registration information is available at www.wicksdrivingacademy.com or www.minidriving.com

Sign up now to ensure a spot at a great course. For more information, please visit the website or feel free to call 615-354-5576 or
314-330-6449.

This has got to be the best performance mod to make your MINI drive faster and smoother!! I suspect this class will fill up fast, so get your registration in soon.

Don't forget, your Chicago MINI Motoring Club membership gets you a $25 a day discount at the Phil Wicks Driving Academy

Kings Island Wrap-up

Six cars from the Chicago area drove down together to Indianapolis where we met up with another six cars from the Minnesota Club. An additional 3 Chicago Club members caught us at lunch time and along the way. We ran an impressive 15 car high speed caravan down to the Cincinnati area.

There was a Friday night pre-event meetup at Skyline Chili, which by all reports was a big success

Over 100 MINIs converged on Kings Island Amusement Park in Mason Ohio on Saturday morning, June 16th. We were presented with VIP passes, and treated to a Continental breakfast in front of the Italian Job Roller coaster before the park oopened. We are able to line up to be the first ones on the ride when the park officially opened. A picnic style dinner was also provided as well as a chance to take one more exclusive ride on the Italian Job Coaster after the park closed at 11pm.

My family and I had a great time both at the park, and meeting and hanging out with so many other MINI owners. I was even able to have my car put on display in the entrance at the front of the park

All in all, a great weekend. I hope PKI puts together another event next year!!