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Save some Money on your MINI. These HOT items really move.
13 03 2012
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MINI Thunder III was AWESOME
28 02 2012
We arrived in Willows, CA early in the afternoon Saturday. The weather was a great, a nice change from the drizzle that was hitting the Mini Mania facility in the foothills a couple hours behind us. There were already MINIs in the parking lot of the hotel lined up like rockettes. After we checked in, we headed up to Thunderhill Raceway.
When we passed the gates at Thunderhill there were already MINIs in the lot, and more slowly trickling in. Eager participants for tomorrows event, The Mini Thunder 3, were arriving to pre-register, have some dinner, and do a little pseudo gambling afterwards when the casino night started.
MINIs were scattered across the parking lot. There were a few hardcore MINI guys that looked like they had been there all day driving and wrenching on their own cars in lieu of a pit crew. They must have brought everything they needed with them packed tetris-style in the boot of their MINI’s. Our hats are off to these types of MINI enthusiasts. The RV with a trailer & MINI combo was a common sight. Some of the RV’s are outfitted like mobile command units with a trailer in tow packed full of go fast goodies.
We setup our table and put out a few items as well as our donation to the gambling prize pool. As soon as people were done eating the dinner Thunderhill Grill prepared for us, the casino tables showed up, and the Thunderbucks came into play. The sound of hoots, hollers, chips being paid out, and jubilance signaled that dinner was over. We had lots of questions to answer, as MINI folk have inquiring minds when it comes to replacing parts or upgrading to performance parts on their pride & joy. The Sprintbooster that we brought with us was quickly purchased. (thanks Jerome w/ the green ALL4) Next time, we’ll bring more with us.
We also took with us a very hard to find MINI JCW jacket that we held a drawing for during the festivities. It was oogled and talked about for a while. A woman there said they had ordered the same jacket from MINI of SF and they were STILL waiting on it to show up. “Is that an XL?” she asked, “oh my god it is” she exclaimed, “I’m going to enter to WIN this”.
We held the drawing later that evening. There was eager anticipation from everyone in the room curious to see who would win the JCW jacket that evening. Linda J. from Bend, Oregon was picked to be the lucky winner.
A big congratulations to you from everyone at Mini Mania Linda!!
We arrived early Sunday morning at Thunderhill Raceway, We didn’t want to miss anything. We walked the whole race lot before anyone got called to pre-grid and was able to take some great photos. We haven’t seen so MINIs side by side in a long time. They were EVERYWHERE! It was a veritable MINI takeover!.
There were MINI snouts and MINI boots peeking around every corner as far as the eye could see. We saw a limited number of non-MINIs present.. and we’re sure the owners took a second glance around wondering if they were in the right place. When the MINIs did get called to pre-grid they swarmed and lined up at the track entrance like happy angry hornets.
There were some real talented drivers at the MINI Thunder 3. We got to watch some great driving skills being exercised. We only wish we had more Mini’s on the track. =)
We would like to thank Norm for inviting us out again this year.
We had a blast.. again!
We cant wait until next year!
- Mini Mania
See more great photos on my MINI Thunder III Photo Album on G+
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WIN 500 for your MINI during the Daytona 500
22 02 2012
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NEW! Save BIG! MINI Thunder 3 & Borla Exhaust Riddle for 15% Off
15 02 2012If this message does not display correctly, view it here
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Shop Online | Borla Exhaust Sale | New Products | Soapbox Derby | Riddle of the Week | NCA 2012
Mini Thunder III – 2/19/2012 There will be three run groups (Beginners, Intermediates, Advanced). The schedule should be very close to what was done last year with 5ea 20 minutes track sessions (perhaps 6), followed by Mini Thunder classroom sessions. These will alternate throughout the day. There will be instructors, and all the SCCA safety workers and equipment. The track opens at 7:00AM and Mini Thunder will start with registration, check in, breakfast, “All Hands” Meeting, car tech, empty cars, check wheels and tires, etc. First cars will go out on track at 8:30AM. |
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Keep motoring with ©2010 – Mini Mania Inc. – 870 Gold Flat Road Nevada City, CA 95959 USA |
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Rear View Interior Mirror Cover Various R55/56/57 Cooper & S.
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MINI USA Water Pump Recall
16 01 2012 In perhaps the largest recall ever announced, MINI USA is recalling every Cooper S and JCW model sold from 2007 to 2011. The recall effects almost all 2007 – 2011 R55, R56, R57 and R60 models with the turbocharged Cooper S engine. For a full list of the cars affected and the specifics behind the problem…
The Issue
The issue involves the electric auxiliary water pump on models that are equipped with the N14 turbo engine. The auxiliary pump is controlled electronically by an engine control unit. After switching off the engine, the electric auxiliary water pump conducts heat away from the turbocharger.
Under certain conditions, the pump’s electronic circuit board can malfunction. The malfunction can occur as a result of certain design features in combination with high operating temperatures.
If the water pump can fails, there’s a slight chance that the circuit board can overheat. And in an extreme case, overheating of the circuit board can lead to smoldering of the water pump. If smoldering occurs, this may also lead to an engine compartment or vehicle fire.
Models Affected
Here’s the full list of Cooper S models affected:
2007-11 / Cooper S (Dec 2006 – Oct 2010)
2008-11 / Cooper S Clubman (Dec 2007 – Oct 2010)
2009-11 / Cooper S Convertible (Dec 2008 – Oct 2010)
2009-11 / John Cooper Works (JCW) (Jun 2008 – Oct 2010)
2009-11 / John Cooper Works (JCW) Clubman (Jun 2008 – Oct 2010)
2009-11 / John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible (Apr 2009 – Oct 2010)
2011 / Cooper S Countryman (Nov 2010 – Jan 2011)
How can you tell if this is happening to your MINI? The first tip-off will be a plastic burning smell, or burning and/or smoke from the front of the vehicle may be noticed.
What Should I Do While I Wait for MINI to Notify me of a Fix?
First you can continue to drive your car. However MINI recommends parking your vehicle outdoors until repairs have been performed. Those who own affected cars will receive a letter asking them to have this service performed by their authorized MINI dealer, do so as soon as possible.
What’s Next?
At this point MINI is fixing all cars in its inventory and will be announcing a formal recall shortly. Any new or pre-owned MINI in dealers inventory will be held until the recall can be completed, but customer cars are not yet being held and the recall repair will not be happening until the service bulletin is released.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the cars after 12 engine fires had been reported including five that destroyed the cars entirely. In eight of the 12 cases, the fires occurred when the cars were parked and turned off.
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Nevada City Adventure 2011!
16 06 2011Story and photography by: John Burnett
NEVADA CITY, California – In 1850 pioneers travelled thousands of miles in covered wagons to discover gold in this small mountain town. On June 11th, 2011 people travelled in their MINI Coopers and Classic Minis from all over the west coast, not to find their fortune, but to attend Mini Mania’s 11th annual Nevada City Adventure. This year’s participants found no gold, but there was no shortage of chrome in these foothills!
The scene was set on the six acre Mini Mania compound in the foothills surrounded by majestic pines, blue skies and spring-like weather throughout the day. The first to roll in was Rick Williamson, driving a green classic VTEC converted Mini with a surfboard on top. By 10:00am the parking lot was nearly full, with MINI Coopers on the right, and classic Minis filling up the left, close to one hundred cars total!. The Bob Woods Trio treated ev
eryone to live music on the lawn. Mini owners mingled, enjoying ice cream from Lazy Dog and savory hotdogs from the folks at Top Dog, while others tested their Bocce skills out on the new Bocce Ball court. The more relaxed folks set up their folding chairs in the shade of the pines and just took in all the sights.
Vendors for this year included Show Car Detailing (www.showcardetailing.com/) with Richard Lin showing folks how to properly detail their car. Measuring Mini power by way of their twin Dynapack Chassis Dynamometers was Driving Ambition (http://www.dri
vingambition.us). The sound of Minis maxing rpm’s was part of the background music accompanying the event throughout the day.
By far the most unusual Classic Mini of the event was a bright yellow beast powered by a Ford Cosworth engine and owned by Bill Brooks!
The day was peppered with raffle prizes and giveaways, the highlight was the People’s Choice Awards, where participants voted for their favorite Minis in various categories.
People’s Choice Award Winners are as follows:
- Classic – Best Overall – Rick Williamson
- Classic – Cleanest – Carl Hoard
- Classic – Most Stuff – Brian Howe
- Classic – Paint Graphics – Josh Trundle
- MINI – Best Overall – Randy Stevens
- MINI – Best Graphics – Helen Boss
- MINI – Cleanest – Terri and Gary Morgan
- MINI – Most Stuff – Tony Obando
The day’s activities concluded with a tour of Nevada County that lead participants up scenic Highway 20 and down a windy side road through towering pine trees to the little charming town of Washington, where everyone took a moment to stretch their legs and enjoy the scenery along the beautiful Yuba river. On the way back, the tour stopped at a scenic overlook on Highway 20 and lined up for a panoramic photography shoot. Everyone had a great time!
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Mini Mania is in MC2
13 05 2011Recently Mini Mania went to Hallet Raceway.
It turns out Team Mini Mania was showcased in the
magazine all about everything Mini… MC2.
>>>Read the Article in MC2 or just >>>Click HERE>>>
Congratulations Guys!!
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