The Lyon Waugh group (that owns MINI of Peabody as well as a BMW, Lamborghini and other dealerships) invited owners to join them at New Hampshire Speedway – I went up as a spectator and met Jason, Joe, Richard also spectating, as well as Steve, David and Ivan all spending time on the track … there were loads of MINIs there (I’d guess 30+) as well as a smaller number of BMWs (maybe 10) and a single Lamborghini!
The Boston BMWCCA were providing support and as well as time on track and instruction, they set up their standard Advanced Driving Skills day events of skid pad, lane changes, etc (see here when GPMINI attended ADSS) … I headed over to see the fun, but there wasn’t any! So I returned to the track, and watched MINIs take turn 3 for a while:
After lunch with the Old Guys MINI Club, we headed over to the ADSS area where the “auto cross track” had been laid out with cones … this is much more my level of fun, with no helmets and zero risk of hurting yourself or the car (worst case scenario is scuffed paint from the cones, and worn tires!). Jason, driving his brand new R56, complained it was nothing like his old R50 MINI, but had fun through the afternoon “auto cross whoring” with everyone else’s MINIs (including GPMINI, Steves R56, Davids R53 …); Richard, David and I also drove the auto cross, Joe drove GPMINI, and Steve rested:
A great fun day, made so by my MINI friends more than by the events … it’s hard to spectate at NHIS, and after maybe 8 drives of the auto cross track, it was time to head home!
M&I / GBMINI 
Odd, I had heard that this new mini could be pushed even harder? No pics of Ian on the auto cross? Is it me or just the general design of the bum, it looks higher in that area than the R53?
It’s hard to take pics of me, while I’m driving 🙂
Yah, just wondered if someone else may have.
Thanks for taking pictures, and letting me drive the GP!