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Author Topic: MTTS-Chicago (Sheboygan?)  (Read 157 times)
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maacodale
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« on: July 23, 2008, 12:24:00 PM »
I'm heading up to Road America Thursday to help out with the ride & drive part of MTTS like I did on Boston. I got a last minute call from Jon at NASA-Mid Atlantic that they were short handed for the event. The cool thing for this event is Sunday the JCW cars get to be test driven. They call it a test drive, but both Boston and Miami had spots you could really leg it out a bit. I'm looking forward to that, simply because when things are slow with "customers" WE get to play with the cars! Talk about a perk!

Like last time, I'll get a good amount of pics!

OH, to add some excitement, there is a SCCA Regional road race going on at the actual Road America race track. That should provide a good diversion.

I'll give ya a wrap up and comparison to Boston when I get back. Seems like a fair amount of people were unhappy with the event at Boston.
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Dale Blankenship
Poquoson, VA
07 Mellow YellowCooper S
Of course son thinks it's his!
accentz
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« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2008, 06:22:14 AM »
I've got an SCCA license. I'll come with you if they'll let me run the JCW in the SCCA Regional !!!!
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Roy

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maacodale
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« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2008, 11:24:15 PM »
I'll have to check on that. knowing SCCA I wouldn't hold your breath.

First of all, Road America is AWESOME! Sheboygan, Wisconsin, not so much so. They literally rolled up the side walks about 30 minutes ago. We set up the test drive area at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex inside the Road America track. We have about 20 new MINI's. Clubmans, Clubman S's, and MINI's of all types. Buncha new JCW cars too! They get driven tomorrow. I drove oe today and there is a TON of difference between my MCS and a JCW car. I am SO jealous now!

Got to watch some nice GT1 cars and a few T1 cars practice and a whole lotta little open wheel cars. They all look alike to me. Then some ugly little cars got on track and I lost interest. Someone said they were something called a Miata. Anyone heard of 'em?

I hear there are something like 900 people registered tomorrow, I just know every one of them will take at least one test drive. OH, we get a lap of Road America in our cars at the end of the day Saturday. I get to lead one of the groups. Wonder how they feel about passing?

I'll give ya'll an update tomorrow. 
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Dale Blankenship
Poquoson, VA
07 Mellow YellowCooper S
Of course son thinks it's his!
maacodale
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« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2008, 09:23:42 PM »
Got home Monday evening. Man Chicago land is a looong way away. Never did get an actual count of total Mini/MINIs at Road America, but there were a ton. Very few until about 3PM. Seems the rally from Chicago 100+ miles south took forever to get through downtown. Most of what I saw was the MINIcross. Basically, you show up and run MINI USA's cars through the course we set up. It was on part of the Briggs & Stratton Motorsports complex. They had everything there from Coopers, MCS, and Clubman's (ClubMEN?) Not to mention 7 or 8 Cooper Works cars and one full on JCW MCS. That one was a blast to drive. The highlight was a lap around Road America. Jon Felton from NASA, his helper Chris Eades from Richmond and myself were to be pace cars for the event. We each got to drive a Cooper Works car around the track. Mine was mellow yellow of course! We were supposed to lead 15 or 20 cars at a time. Unfortunately, it was a land rush and ALL the cars were let onto the track at the same time with us mingled in. We had no control at all. Fortunately, they all stayed in line, most of the time. They did slow up in some areas allowing them to get some decent speed through the twisties. I gotta admit, the Works car I drove did get pushed pretty good and responded very well and predictably. There were probably 15 vendors, 5 times the number of vendors at Boston. MINI FINI has a cool camping trailre they pull behind their MINI. Their trailer hitch of very well engineered. Way Motorsports was there as was Whalen with their shift knobs and stuff. 

After working the event in Boston and Road America, I have a new appreciation of putting an event on the size of MTTS stops. They tweaked the event after Miami, and again after Boston. I can only imagine that LA will be great. MINI is flying Jon Felton out there to help run the MINIcross. He's gonna have to that one without me though! Dangit!

After MINI United on the other side of the pond next year, I can't wait to see what they have in store in 2010!

Pictures will follow as soon as I can get caught up and upload the pics.
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Dale Blankenship
Poquoson, VA
07 Mellow YellowCooper S
Of course son thinks it's his!
maacodale
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« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2008, 10:56:22 PM »
WOW! Between long road trip and trying to get caught up at work, I'm one tired puppy. MTTS Chicago was a blast. Actually, Sheboygan was a blast, I swear I saw them rolling up the sidewalks about 9:30. Nice place though. Wouldn't wanna be there in winter! The event site Road America was great. We had a great view of on of the straights and a sweeper. Man those GT-1 and world challenge cars can go! Just across lake Winnebago is Osh Kosh, the big fly-In starts August 1. Some of the planes were flying in and practicing. Mostly WWII single engines planes. A B 17 or 25 would have been awesome though.

Here are my pics, they are about half event pics and half getting to and from pics. WOuold I do it again, Heck Yea! Oh, and my buddy Jon Felton got to do all 4, including the Miami event at Homestead and heads out today for the LA event. Lucky Bum! Glad he let me tag along for the two events! For the record, a group called RA Performance does the logistics if organizing. A fella named Andy Frezza is one organizing SOB. And there's this other guy who just happened win a Trans-Am race at Road America is also a RA Performance employee. A guy named Stu Hayner. He was an absolute blast. And another guy, Ron (don't remember his last name) was also great to work with/for.

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=239766427/a=93516196_93516196/t_=93516196
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Dale Blankenship
Poquoson, VA
07 Mellow YellowCooper S
Of course son thinks it's his!
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« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2008, 12:39:05 AM »
Geez, you were really right around the corner.  With so much to do at the air show, it's hard for me to get away and do anything other than that.  I'm still here until Saturday, August 2nd.  You gotta love 12,000+ airplanes at one location!   118

Yes, the drive is quite long.  My best time driving was back in 2001.  I drove from Newport News to Milwaukee in 15 hours.  That's 1,050 miles of driving!  Alas, I have not been able to break that record, and I'm not planning on doing so.  If I drive up here again, it's the usual two-day trip.
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'02 MCS, Silver/Gray, GReddy A/F & Boost gauges, Koni Stage 3 Kit susp kit, Alta solid casters, Alta f/r endlinks, Hotchkis r u/l ctrl arms, R Dynamics f strut brace, Cobalt r strut brace, skid plate, BBS RK rims, Kicker spkrs/amp
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