MINI Thrills at Kings Street Wharf

Only the police pursuit cars, helicopters and gold bullion were missing from a very MINI Italian Job chase scene played out in the heart of Sydney today.

For the many visitors to MINI CHASE set at King Street Wharf, the thrill ride experience was a prelude to three further days of driving fantasy which reprise next Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

MINI CHASE is a four-day seat-of-the-pants skilled driving exhibition, open to the public, which delivers a tempting taste of MINI motoring in the fast lane.

Based loosely around a tribute to the whip-cracking, round-the-houses, dodging down detours and kerb-hopping antics of The Italian Job films, which starred MINI Cooper S cars in 1969 and 2002, MINI Chase today gave VIP visitors and MINI enthusiasts the opportunity to experience a MINI Cooper S at full noise in Darling Harbour.

To do this MINI took over the WHARF 8 passenger terminal, turning it into a fantasy-meets-reality street circuit.

Guests wore special MINI CHASE race suits, donned racing helmets and were strapped into the cars after a safety briefing.

A trio of high-performance MINI Cooper S hardtops with the potent 154 kW John Cooper Works Tuning Kit – similar to the Team MINI racer on track at Indy this weekend in the Team Australia Speed Comparison – were pressed into service.

MINI used highly-skilled professional drivers to chauffeur passengers around the circuit, but the driving was anything but chaste.

The guests were treated to a “Lap with the Gods of Driving” through the MINI CHASE course, which included a super-twisty slalom section, a blast through wall of sheer delight, and a crafty dodge through the switchback chicanes.

MINI CHASE brilliantly shows off MINI’s legendary go-kart handling, explosive off-the-line acceleration and cheeky city style. The course was designed to highlight MINI’s leech-like grip and pin-sharp steering, in a max revs, max fun setting.

Next weekend, MINI CHASE will once again be set up at the very fashionable and popular Bungalow 8 bar and restaurant within the King Street Wharf precinct, at the end of Wharf 8.

And although the trick driving will remain firmly in the hands of the gifted drivers, guests enthused by the MINI CHASE experience will be able to sign up for a test drive on the spot.

Source: MINI Press

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