You Ready for a Pic a nic Boo Boo?

The Beginnning of the Yogi & Boo Boo's Great Adventure....

We joined up at the Lowes parking lot in Winston-Salem from many miles around to create an adventure called Yogi & Boo Boo's Great Adventure...yes it was the day of the Pic-a- nic in the mountains and fun with some cool people driving MINIs.

Grand AM MINI !!!

There were two MINIs on the track yesterday. Here is a picture of one of them. This was a long race that ended well into the night but it was a fun one!! I have attached a link to a very non-professional video I made with my digital camera yesterday. This video will give you a feel for how the cars sounded as they go by. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7195356497834331408

My Loaner 2007 MINI...

Here is my 2007 MINI loaner car number 42 from flow MINI. I have been driving this one for a few days as my MINI is in the shop getting the OEM custom Digital Power Sound Module installed. http://www.motoringfile.com/index.php?s=dpsm
I can't wait for my 660 watts of power although I doubt my system will see the 128 db rating. I will tell you more about it in a future post. There is a 30 hour break-in required!
Meanwhile I am driving this R56 MINI with paddle shifters. As you can see I have given this one a bath before coming to VIR to view the Grand Am race as I always want my ride to look good. As they say, "It is better to look Good, than to feel Good." Actually I prefer both....

Grand Am Racing at VIR Yesterday!

The Number 69 Mazda RX8. http://www.speedsourceinc.com/
Our friend Jose Armengol from Miami was in town and we made the annual visit to VIR to see him race.
http://www.mondialforwarding.com/index.cfm?template=news
I think this year is the first year in several years that the race was held in the dry. Man we need the rain but it was a very nice day.
Not a bad picture huh? I took this one with my Sony digital from the edge of the s turns. I have many close ups of this car but I really liked this one. Here is a report from the race last night:
Mazda struggled through an uncharacteristically difficult day and an 18th place finish by the No. 69 Mondial Forwarding/SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 was the manufacturer's best showing of the race, but even that came with a silver lining. The result, which came only after a mid-race front suspension repair, was good enough for lead driver Jose Armengol to take third place in the ST drivers championship with 262 points. Armengol was capably supported Saturday by co-drivers and former Grand-Am KONI Challenge ST Champions David Haskell and Sylvain Tremblay.

My MINI in front of Graylyn...

A closing shot for the day. My car with Grayln in the distance. Off to the right you can see a few of the Ferraris present. There were some Bentleys in the white tent and some really nice British cars off to the left. I was surprised just how many Alfa Romeos were there. Many nice cars....This was a fun day. Quite hot for late September. Thankfully Amy Helton and company from Hanover Park Winery was there and let us cool off at their tent with a nice glass of North Carolina Chardonnay. Ah life is good.
http://www.hanoverparkwines.com/

Lambo Pipes!!

There are exhaust systems and then there are LARGE exhaust systems. The back of this Lamborghni has a serious set of pipes. Of course I have another picture of the price list for this car...can you say $282,000 including a $3000.00 gas guzzler tax? But it gets 17 MPG on the highway! There were many cars on the lawn at this event but this tent was particularly cool. There were several yellow Lamborghinis, all new, and man they were nice. I heard Steve's Sport Auto is moving from Summerfield, NC to Greensboro. I actually like the rural location he is in right now but I hear the new Lamborghini dealership is going to be a two story building on Wendover Avenue. Cool.
http://www.sportauto.cc/

Our line-up on the lawn.....

There were a few cars over my shoulder as I took this shot but I liked this one the best of all the ones I took. We had quite a line of cars and I believe we had the highest turn-out of any of the marques on the lawn last Sunday. You can almost see Twister way down at the end of this line...oh yeah... if you click on the picture you can zoom in on my new club badge on my grill...

MINIs on the way to the Concours....

A long line of MINIs on the way to the Concours de Graylyn.
http://www.concoursdegraylyn.com/
I took this shot out of my sunroof while motoring doen the road. At this point we had two lanes full of MINIs going through town. We started in Winston-Salem and went out west to Yadkinville. We twisted our way back through the scenic views of East Bend and even a Vineyard. Soon we were back in Winston-Salem at Graylyn.

My Brake Light will now Pulse!

The view just before the replacement of my third brake light led array. The board is installed....man those wires are tiny!! Thanks to Go MINI Go...awesome customer service and super fast shipping. High marks from me. http://www.gominigo.com/

Ah the Music....

Just a quick shot of my Milltek exhaust tips before I fire up for another MINI adventure....
http://www.millteksport.com/

My Milltek Serial Number....

A UK exhaust for my UK made car. I should mention that I really like this exhaust. It is very close to stock for the MINI S but it talks when you put your foot down. I can feel the power difference as the dyno says a nine HP gain comes after you add this piece. I believe it.
Thanks to my neighbor Jim Smith at The Exhaust Center in Eden for the install. His work is top shelf.

Milltek Installation!

Busy Weekend. Here is my new Milltek exhaust at 8 AM last Saturday on the rack about an hour after pulling into the shop.
I want to mention that I bought the exhaust at Outmotoring from Aaron Cornaby. http://www.outmotoring.com/pages.php?pageid=4
I met him in person at MOTD this year. His price was the best on the web for this exhaust. His customer service was exactly what I expect. Prompt e-mail, prompt shipping, an e-mailed tracking number, and an arrival spot on. Thanks Aaron!! 10 out of 10 from me.

MINI Karaoke....

A recent picture of the MINI line outside Van and Jennifer's house. Inside the house was rocking with karaoke from all the drivers and riders...just another example of how MINI owners and the members of the Tar Heel MINI Club know how to have fun.
http://www.tarheelminis.org/

Marketing using a MINI.....

A friend sent this picture to me. The marketing guys at FHM magazine had fun with this paint scheme. I can't imagine driving this girl around in traffic....

New Mod Report!

OK so I have a new mod under the hood!! And it does rock! If you click on the image and drill down to the real deal you will see my JCW cold air intake (CAI) which I purchased from a really cool place http://www.minspeed.net/

You should call Pete for your MINI part needs. He is down in Florida, a really nice guy who wants to live in North Carolina, and best of all he has great prices, fast shipping, and he packs his orders like a pro. Anyone who knows me will say I am picky as #### about my toys...Pete will not disappoint. Give him a try.

As far as the modification! I travelled to Flow MINI to get this item installed. Why? To get the factory warranty! And they do great work. The guy who did it was Ryan Draughn and he does fine work.

Now my car is pretty much stealth sounding until 4,000 RPMs, then the flap opens and the supercharger screams. Love the power baybee. 'Nuff said.

One of My Favorite Houses...

On the way back down to Carolina from DC I stopped by a favorite place. http://www.monticello.org/

Thomas Jefferson's house. My saying is "That man was an alien..." He was so cool and so far ahead of his time. I love his house and the story of his lifestyle..I never tire of hanging out at this place. I am ready for the dome tour next time. Maybe one day I can be a volunteer tour guide...

It won't be long until I have another report on this stop for you. Several of us MINI owners are plotting a nice future trip in the area....

I have tons of pictures of the gardens and the area. The wine with his name is great and I now have several bottles in my cellar....yes, life is good....

Hey I Spotted Your 2007 MINI in DC....

As I am spending my last day in DC I see this new MINI parked on the mall. OK so I can't help myself...I took the picture.

And no the catering company truck parked in the background cannot have free ads on my blog...Heheh.....

My Travels to DC

Just got back from a several day trip to Washington, DC. Great town! After several times of being there I actually had time to explore on this trip!

9999 and Counting....

Hmm...time for the 10 K service and a tire rotation. This car is getting better by the day....9999 trouble-free miles and free dealer service is due. Ahhh...Steve over at Flow just took care of the oil change, cabin filter change, and windshield wiper blade changes. My second oil change at this point, my MINI is purring again and still smells like new.