A Year in MINIons- MINIon #2143

You know how some people really bug you?

Okay- not really…  This one goes to a MINIon who I met when I was first starting out and was going to almost every event possible.  I really can’t remember exactly which was our first event, but I know I’ve chatted with them at numerous events including Mickey & MINI and a couple Mini Meets…  “What is a Mini Meet?” you ask.  Before the “new MINI” or “BMW MINI” had come out Mini owners gathered annually to have fun.  Mini Meet East and Mini Meet West, once every 5 years they got together for Mini Meet East Meets West.  These still happen and after a rocky start, I think the “new MINI” owners have been accepted by most.  My first Mini Meet was in Alcoa, Tennessee and I had just bought my classic.  I was such a newbie, to the point where I had driven the Classic all the way and then (after asking “What’s that sound?”) realized that there was something broken and needed to be repaired.  I then made it to Mini Meet East Meets West in Winona, Minnesota.  Had a great time except for needing to scrounge for tools to do a quick repair, so Tink, my classic Mini, didn’t sound like it was going to rattle apart!  So besides repairing Minis, there are a bunch of other things that happen- a car show, an autocross, r/c car competition, classes on repairing your Mini, some drives, and the Funkana.  Yes, a “Funkana”-  imagine a race in which you have to do silly things along the way.  In the case of Winona, it was based on the Italian Job, and it had to do with liberating some gold bars, driving a course and depositing the gold bars.  Basically a silly bit of fun.  I lurked and took pictures.  After a few more long trips (and the purchase of a Roadster) I decided that Tink would be more of a local car for a while.