Less than a week old is a new social network for MINI owners called MOTORING CONNECTION. The website was started by Mark Vogler and can be found at motoringconnection.com.
The website lets your create a profile (with only one MINI, unfortunately), post photos and videos, create and join groups, add and respond to events, and view items for sale in the classifieds. There is a mobile version of the site, as well.
Edit: Library of Motoring has a profile there now. Friend us at motoringconnection.com/profile/libraryofmotoring.
In a somewhat vague article on MINI Motorsports, MINI announced a new racing series in Italy called MINI RUSHOUR. Rather than use MINI JCW CHALLENGE vehicles, the MINI RUSHOUR will use a modified MINI Cooper S.
Here are the ingredients: the MINI Cooper S, the famous go-kart feeling, performance and a specially developed racing kit plus low costs to make the races more accessible than ever. The riders will compete in two races on MINI darting for 60 minutes of pure competition.
This means that MINI United 2012 will include a race, as MINI RUSHOUR begins its six-race season at Circuit Paul Ricard during the festival.
2012 MINI RUSHOUR Schedule
 The 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season begins this week with the BMW Performance 200 at Daytona. The first of ten races in the series begins on Friday at 1:30pm ET. No live television coverage is available; most races will be shown on a delayed basis on SPEED. However, you can follow the races on your mobile phone at m.grand-am.com and season-long on the GRAND-AM Road Racing Facebook page.
Again this year, MINI is represented by RSR Motorsports who will compete with three MINIs and a Honda. Visit the RSR Motorsports website and North American Motoring forum.
Here is the RSR Motorsports lineup for Daytona:
| 195 |
RSR Motorsports |
Chris Puskar, Charlotte, N.C.
Randy Smalley, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Owen Trinkler, Nashville, Tenn. |
MINI Cooper S |
Cruise America, Thor Motorcoach |
| 196 |
RSR Motorsports |
Ron Farmer, Houston, Texas
Jason Hart, Flower Mound, Texas |
MINI Cooper S |
USLED, Cruise America, Thor Motorcoach |
| 197 |
RSR Motorsports |
Chris Puskar, Charlotte, N.C.
Randy Smalley, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Owen Trinkler, Nashville, Tenn. |
Honda Civic Si |
Cruise America, Thor Motorcoach, USLED Carbotech |
| 198 |
RSR Motorsports |
Corey Fergus, Powell, Ohio
Kyle Gimple, Minden, Nev. |
MINI Cooper S |
Cruise America, Thor Motorcoach, Flying J |
GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge 2012
| Date |
Race |
Racetrack |
Location |
| 1/27 |
BMW Performance 200 at Daytona |
Daytona International Speedway |
Daytona Beach, FL |
| 3/30 |
Barber Motorsports Park |
Barber Motorsports Park |
Birmingham, AL |
| 4/27 |
Homestead-Miami Speedway |
Homestead-Miami Speedway |
Homestead, FL |
| 5/11 |
New Jersey Motorsports Park |
New Jersey Motorsports Park |
Millville, NJ |
| 6/8 |
Mid-Ohio |
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course |
Lexington, OH |
| 6/22 |
Road America |
Road America |
Elkhart Lake, WI |
| 6/29 |
Continental Tire 150 |
Watkins Glen International – Long Course |
Watkins Glen, NY |
| 7/27 |
Super Weekend at The Brickyard |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Indianapolis, IN |
| 9/7 |
Continental Tire Sports Car Festival |
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca |
Salinas, CA |
| 9/28 |
Lime Rock Park |
Lime Rock Park |
Lakeville, CT |
The Library of Motoring will be at the race and will bring you inside information and photos. In the meantime, see our photos from Daytona from 2011.
In the new MINI MotoringGear 2012 catalog, MINI offers a new vehicle: the MINI Folding Bike. Available in matte black with a neon yellow bell and chain, the bike can hold up to 231.5 lbs. The retail price is $543.
From the catalog description:
You love conquering the world in your MINI. See a new road and four wheels won’t get you there? It’s time to pull out your MINI Folding Bike. Built for exploring the city, your MINI Folding Bike is the ultimate in flexible transportation. No alley is too exotic; there isn’t a nook or cranny you can’t squeeze through. Take your adventurous lifestyle to the street with your MINI Folding Bike and enjoy limitless freedom.
The MINI Folding Bike is like a MINI on two wheels: the ideal combination of style, design, and innovation. One of the highlights: the lightweight aluminum frame with its matte black finish and silver MINI wordmark on the crossbar. It’s light weight of just 24 pounds, eight-speed shift system and 20-inch wheels make this bike both agile and fast – in short, an ideal vehicle for the city. The Teflon®-coated chain protects against soiling and reduces wear, and, just like the bell, it comes in an eye-catching neon yellow. The comfortable gel saddle ensures that you’d rather be on your bike than off it.
And now for the best feature: the bike can be folded within seconds, thanks to hinges on the crossbar and handlebar stem. The pedals fold down effortlessly, and lowering the saddle is just as easy. The transport bag fitted under the saddle enables you to carry the folding bike in style or store it in the boot of your MINI. It’s the new way to Park and Ride!
The MINI part number is 80 91 2 211 854.
ShopMINIUSA.com: MINI FOLDING BIKE
RSR Motorsports has been representing MINI for many years in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Series. So it was surprising to learn that the team run by Randy Smalley just added a Honda Civic Si to the lineup.
On Wednesday, RSR Motorsports will take delivery of their new Honda Civic SI, just two days before the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The Honda will join RSR’s three MINI Coopers in the ST class, carrying sponsorship from Cruise America, Thor Motor Coach and USLED.
Owen Trinkler will be making his 80th start in the series when Friday’s race gets underway. He’ll be driving the No. 197 RSR Motorsports Honda with Chris Puskar. Trinkler made his series debut in a Honda, and got his first series win in the marque, as well.
“The Honda will be a good car for Daytona,” Trinkler says. “It’s a bit of a change for the team, and we’ll implement some things we’ve done with the MINIs to see how well it translates. Our engineers have been looking at this car for a while, and it’s a perfect addition for us.”
Owen Trinkler’s former driving partner Sarah Cattaneo has moved on to the BMW 128i of Mitchum Motorsports. But several other drivers are returning including Smalley, Trinkler, Puskar, Ron Farmer, and Jason Hart. Farmer and Hart have had an entire season together in the MINI No. 196 and could be a surprise team in 2012.
Here is the RSR Motorsports lineup for Daytona:
| 195 |
RSR Motorsports |
Chris Puskar, Charlotte, N.C.
Randy Smalley, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Owen Trinkler, Nashville, Tenn. |
MINI Cooper S |
Cruise America, Thor Motorcoach |
| 196 |
RSR Motorsports |
Ron Farmer, Houston, Texas
Jason Hart, Flower Mound, Texas |
MINI Cooper S |
USLED, Cruise America, Thor Motorcoach |
| 197 |
RSR Motorsports |
Chris Puskar, Charlotte, N.C.
Randy Smalley, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Owen Trinkler, Nashville, Tenn. |
Honda Civic Si |
Cruise America, Thor Motorcoach, USLED Carbotech |
| 198 |
RSR Motorsports |
Corey Fergus, Powell, Ohio
Kyle Gimple, Minden, Nev. |
MINI Cooper S |
Cruise America, Thor Motorcoach, Flying J |
Read the entire press release RSR Motorsports Adds a Honda Civic to the Daytona Lineup.
The new MINI MotoringGear 2012 catalog is now available at your local MINI dealer.
A LIFE LESS ORDINARY.
MINI MOTORINGGEAR 2012.
The larger 75 page, square-backed catalog for 2012 is now available.
Some new items shown include the “Beat the Street” collection for men and women, the MINI Folding Bike, John Cooper Works “Extreme Racing” items, digital flip clock, Black Jack watch, mousepads, and keychains. For the kids are Rubber Wristbands, “Be MINI” Baby Set and Baby Socks, and a new Cooper S Junior Convertible pedal car.
The MINI USA catalog number is MG-11-11-50M.
The first rally of the 2012 WRC season has concluded with MINI WRC cars taking positions 2, 7, 10, and 20. See our posted results from Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and Day 5.
The final positions for the four MINIs:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
2. Dani Sordo MINI + 2:45.5
7. Pierre Campana MINI + 8:31.4
10. Armindo Araujo Araujo MINI + 16:16.6
20. Paulo Nobre Palmeirinha + 38:59.7
Drivers’ Championship Standings after Rallye Monte-Carlo
| Pos |
Driver |
Total |
| 1. |
Sebastien Loeb |
28 |
| 2. |
Dani Sordo |
18 |
| 3. |
Petter Solberg |
15 |
| 4. |
Mikko Hirvonen |
14 |
| 5. |
Evgeny Novikov |
11 |
| 6. |
Francois Delecour |
8 |
| 7. |
Pierre Campana |
6 |
| 8. |
Ott Tanak |
4 |
| 9. |
Armindo Araujo |
2 |
| 10. |
Martin Prokop |
1 |
Manufacturers’ Championship Standings after Rallye Monte-Carlo
| Pos |
Team |
Total |
| 1. |
Citroen Total World Rally Team |
37 |
| 2. |
MINI WRC Team |
26 |
| 3. |
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team |
16 |
| 4. |
Ford World Rally Team |
15 |
| 5. |
Armindo Araujo World Rally Team |
4 |
| 6. |
Palmeirinha Rally |
2 |
Articles
World Rally Championship Results: Rally Monte-Carlo Day Results
MINI Motorsport: “We Scored an Impressive Result”
MINI Motorsport: Strong Season Start for the MINI WRC Team
Dani Sordo website: Excelente inicio de temporada para Dani Sordo [Translation to English]
Pierre Campana website: Pierre Campana Impresses MINI WRC Team with Monte Carlo Performance
Armindo Araujo Facebook Page: Wall
Paulo Nobre Palmeirinha Rally website: WRC: Palmeirinha termina Rally de Monte Carlo e pontua como equipe [Translated to English]
AUTOSPORT.com: Sebastien Loeb claims sixth Monte Carlo Rally victory
Motorsport.com: Mini Claims Second Step On Podium In Monte Carlo
Photos
MINI Motorsport: Facebook gallery – Rally Monte Carlo 2012
Fãs Armindo Araujo: Facebook gallery.
Rallye Monte-Carlo website: Highlights Galleries
Dani Sordo came close to adding his name to the list of greats who won the Rallye Monte-Carlo but came up short this year. Sordo put his MINI John Cooper Works WRC into second place early in the rally and held that position at the end of each day. Sebastien Loeb won the race for Citroën by a convincing margin.
The final standings after 18 stages and 5 days:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 4:32:39.9
2. Dani Sordo Mini + 2:45.5
3. Petter Solberg Ford + 3:14.2
4. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen + 4:06.8
5. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford + 6:03.4
6. Francois Delecour M-Sport Ford + 7:47.9
7. Pierre Campana Mini + 8:31.4
8. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 10:34.7
9. Martin Prokop Czech Ford + 16:10.7
10. Armindo Araujo Araujo Mini + 16:16.6
...
20. Paulo Nobre Palmeirinha + 38:59.7
[Results source: AUTOSPORT.com]
The standings remained similar to the beginning of the day, although Petter Solberg pulled closer to Dani Sordo, who is still holding second place behind Sebastien Loeb. Pierre Campana stayed in seventh and Armindo Araujo remained in the top ten. One short stage remains for Sunday.
Here are the results after 17 stages and Day 4:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 4:29:12.1
2. Dani Sordo Mini + 2:41.6
3. Petter Solberg Ford + 3:00.7
4. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen + 4:05.6
5. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford + 6:00.8
6. Francois Delecour M-Sport Ford + 6:55.7
7. Pierre Campana Mini + 8:21.3
8. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 10:27.2
9. Martin Prokop Czech Ford + 16:06.3
10. Armindo Araujo Araujo Mini + 16:09.2
[Results source: AUTOSPORT.com]
Day 3 saw few changes in Monte Carlo. Most of the top drivers held their positions. Dani Sordo put a little distance on Petter Solberg for a better hold on second place. Pierre Campana is still in seventh. Private MINI driver Armindo Araujo moved into the top ten.
Here are the results after 13 stages and Day 3:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 3:31:25.2
2. Dani Sordo Mini + 2:12.4
3. Petter Solberg Ford + 3:22.2
4. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen + 3:43.0
5. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford + 4:28.2
6. Francois Delecour M-Sport Ford + 6:39.1
7. Pierre Campana Mini + 7:45.1
8. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 8:44.8
9. P-G Andersson Proton + 13:20.8
10. Armindo Araujo Araujo Mini + 14:40.7
[Results source: AUTOSPORT.com]
|
|
