The. Best. Test. Drive. Ever. Period.
The new MINI Coupé debuted this month, and along with it, MINI USA is running their annual Motortober events at dealerships across the country. However, that’s just the beginning. For one lucky MINI fan, they just might get to go on the ultimate test drive. All it takes is six words. Six words to describe your ultimate test drive. Go to your local dealer’s Motortober event, or head on over to Facebook and give them your six word test drive story. The winner doesn’t just get bragging rights, though. MINI is going to do their darnedest to make that ultimate test drive happen. My six words:
Bonneville
Salt
Flats
Bury
The
Needle
What are yours? Tell us about your ultimate test drive in the comments. (Full rules and prize info after the break)
Judging Criteria:
Creativity/Originality: 33%
Fit to Contest Theme: 33%
Practicality of Executing “Best Test Drive Ever”: 34%.
Grand Prize:
A trip for two to a destination of winner’s choice within the 48 Contiguous United States. Trip package (Trip package must not exceed $25,000) includes round-trip, coach-class air transportation for two from a major airport near winner’s home to a major airport near winner’s destination; two nights accommodations at a hotel determined by sponsor; and the opportunity to participate in winner’s Best Test Drive Ever experience. In addition to trip package sponsor will award winner a $10,000 check which may be applied to taxes. Winner must be available to travel between the dates of Nov 7, 2011and Nov 21, 2011 or prize will be forfeited. Tailor your submissions accordingly, folks.
<p>So I am not getting what the prize is here. Ring laps in one of the race-prepped coupés?</p>
<p>The prize is that they’ll attempt to make the winning, six-word “dream test drive” happen for whoever came up with it. For example, if they picked mine, they’d send me to Bonneville. When the contest was described to us at the Coupé press launch, it didn’t have to be a Coupé dream drive in order to win. The idea is that MINI will try to make that dream a reality.</p>
<p>Ah, ok, thanks. Guess mine is unlikely to happen. So your dream is to drive a MINI in a straight line on a barren plain? Cooper D, perhaps? Woo hoo.</p>
<p>Never said anything about a Coupé.</p>
<p>Neither did I. Do they even make a diesel coupé? But, realistically, you’d have to be driving a MINI/Mini, right? So a significantly constrained dream…</p>
<p>Looked at the rules…see below.</p>
<p>458
Italia
empty
track
Alonso
shotgun</p>
<p>WRC
Countryman
Snow
Road
Finland
Meeke</p>
<p>Just submitted mine:</p>
<p>PIKES
PEAK
SAVANNHA
RICKLI
SHOTGUN
DRAMAMINE</p>
<p>Rauno
Lessons,
‘Ring
Laps,
Red
Line.</p>
<p>Hardtop
Having
Fun
Boom
Dead
Squirrel </p>
<p>Full
JCW
Coupe
On
Fujimi
Kaido!</p>
<p>Looked at the rules: </p>
<p>Judging Criteria:
Creativity/Originality: 33%
Fit to Contest Theme: 33%
Practicality of Executing “Best Test Drive Ever”: 34%. </p>
<p>Grand Prize:
A trip for two to a destination of winner’s choice within the 48 Contiguous United States. Trip package (Trip package must not exceed $25,000) includes round-trip, coach-class air transportation for two from a major airport near winner’s home to a major airport near winner’s destination; two nights accommodations at a hotel determined by sponsor; and the opportunity to participate in winner’s Best Test Drive Ever experience. In addition to trip package sponsor will award winner a $10,000 check which may be applied to taxes. Winner must be available to travel between the dates of Nov 7, 2011and Nov 21, 2011 or prize will be forfeited. Tailor your submissions accordingly, folks.</p>
<p>WRC
Countryman
Race
Up
Pike’s
Peak</p>
<p>DRIVE
IT
LIKE
YOU
STOLE
IT</p>
<p>That means then if I win I can pick the definition and the location that I’m stealing it from.. right? </p>
<p>JCW
Coupe
Tail
Of
The
Dragon</p>
<p>Drive
Twenty
Four
Hours
of
Nürburgring</p>
<p>48 states. Booooooooo</p>
<p>Thought I would give them my route:</p>
<p>Pleasanton (to pick up the car at my favorite Bay Area Dealer, East Bay MINI)
Infineon (Raceway up in Sonoma)
Skyline (a.k.a., Highway 35, along the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains)
Nine (Highway 9, lots of great twisties to get to the Monterey Bay Area)
Laguna (as in Laguna Seca in Monterey)
Carmel (Carmel Valley Road, or just Carmel, a great place to end the drive)</p>
<p>Great roads and tracks. Gabe has driven many of these. It is also in my backyard, so no air travel, but I don’t care. I’d love to get the JCW Coupe on these two tracks, and I’m lucky that they are so close to each other, separated by some additional great roads.</p>
<p>I like that plan. But you forgot Thunderhill! Make it a long weekend test drive and hit all 3.</p>
<p>Three
Epic
Days
Thunderhill
Infineon
Laguna</p>
<p>I’ve driven all three multiple times in a MINI and I have to give the nod to Sears Point (aka Infineon) as the best track for the car. Maybe the best track of the 3, period. Massive elevation changes FTMFW!
</p>
<p>God that must be incredible in a MINI. That one has always eluded me.</p>
<p>It definitely works. The lack of any long straights and multiple tight turns (4, 7 and 11) keeps the MINI in the hunt against higher hp cars. You are basically always turning and almost always climbing or falling on that track, which is very good. Extremely satisfying to force a point by from an M car after turn 11 following an extended period of bumper-riding harassment. The Corkscrew is a great feature at Laguna, but otherwise the track gets old pretty fast, especially in a big run group. </p>
<p>And Sears is a really beautiful spot, especially in the spring when the hills are lusciously green. </p>
<p>Yes… it is the best track of the 3.</p>
<p>I just entered this:</p>
<p>Three
Epic
Days
Thunderhill
Infineon
Laguna</p>
<p>Got a nice clean feel to it. In the lower 48 and no airfare required for me, but guessing the cost of renting out the tracks for 3 days could blow through the $25k budget. Maybe if the Sears day was with a Jim Russell course and Laguna with Skip Barber. </p>
<p>MINI, are you listening? This could easily come in under $5k… I don’t even need a hotel room… Dinner in Napa and Monterey would be nice, though. JCW Coupé, please. Oh, and definitely not all-season run flats. R-compound rubber would be great. I’ve got a helmet, so no worries there. And can we talk about the photo ops you would have around the SF Bay area and on these amazing tracks!? </p>
<p>Let’s do this!</p>
<p>If you win I am gonna be pissed, unless I am invited as the co-pilot.</p>
<p>Heck, if they are doing one car, they might as well do two. Make mine a JCW Roadster prototype.</p>
<p>Great ideas all. Be sure to enter your 6-words at MINIUSA.COM/BestTestDrive, or on Twitter using the hashtag #MINIBestTestDrive.</p>
<p>My Six Words (Hemingway forever):</p>
<p>ReMotor
Cannonball
Run
NYC
To
Redondo</p>
<p>We could put this prize to a good use:</p>
<p>Quickest
Meals
On
Wheels
In
Chicago</p>
<p>with no chance of winning this ( In Canada anyway) this ones just for fun</p>
<p>Nur
Burg
Ring
You
And
Me</p>
<p>happy friday!</p>
<p>Italy
countryside</p>
<p><a href="http://www.canadagoose-trillium.com/" rel="nofollow">Canada Goose</a> <a href="http://www.canadagoose-trillium.com/" rel="nofollow">Canada Goose Sale</a> <a href="http://www.canadagoose-trillium.com/" rel="nofollow">Canada Goose Jackets</a> <a href="http://www.canadagoose-trillium.com/" rel="nofollow">Canada Goose Trillium</a> <a href="http://canadagoose-trillium.com/canada-goose-expedition-c-78.html" rel="nofollow">Canada Goose Expedition</a> <a href="http://canadagoose-trillium.com/canada-goose-vest-c-69.html" rel="nofollow">Canada Goose Vest</a>
</p>
<p>Should
Have
Kept
My
First
MINI</p>