MTTS Update: MINIUSA ‘You-ifying’ MTTS
After quite a bit of feedback from attendees at both MTTS Miami and Boston, MINIUSA will be making a few minor changes to the Chicago and LA events.
They are still working on LA, but for Chicago, the Sunday events will be trimmed down at Road America. The early word is that the party will head back down to the Chicago area mid day on Sunday for a wrap up and a pleasant surprise at our good friends Ridemakerz. That will still allow plenty of time Sunday morning for you to get some seat time in the Factory JCW MINI at Road America! In addition, for those Chicago-landers who couldn’t make it up to Road America, this will, potentially, allow another local opportunity to get in on the fun.
You already knew about the Factory JCW MINIs being available to drive, right? MINIUSA felt bad that Rauno was not going to make all 4 MTTS venue’s, so Chicago and LA will have a limited number of these special MINIs available to you to drive. Win win in my book.
All the exact details are still in development, and of course subject to change, so keep an eye on the MTTS blog for official updates as they happen, which of course we will be posting the minute all of the details come down the pipe.
Related: MTTS Coverage at Motoringfile
I think this is a much needed move in part of MINIUSA. Here in Miami, the events at Homestead Speedway were not enough to fill 8-9 hours and much less keep people motivated to stick around. The mid-afternoon rain on Saturday threatened to brake up the event and a lot of people left right after that (But we still had a fairly good amount of cars for the track parade lap). The overwhelming heat and humidity did not help things either (Memo to MINIUSA: Do not schedule major outdoor events in the dead of the summer months). The food at the booth was very iffy and overpriced, too.
Personally, the highlights to me were the AutoX test drives and the GoKarts. However, you have to be 18 years or older and sign a waiver before you can participate on either activity.
Also for next MTTS it would be helpful if MINIUSA releases for info regarding dates well ahead of the events. For example, for those of us that would have loved to join the Flyin’ Finn roadtrip we need to notify our employers about vacation time well in advance. This may not be an issue for retired folks or people that are business owners, but for the rest of us having advance notice will enable us to participate in roadtrip portions of the event.
Right before the Homestead Parade Lap a lot of people were caught by surprise when it was announced right before the activity that the minimum age requirement to gain access to the track in your vehicle is 21 years old! Some younger folks and families with children were not allowed to enter the track because no one took the time to give everyone the heads up! Not very nice!
A co-worker of mine that did the Miami to Savannah caravan drive commented to me that, and I quote: “MINIUSA needs to learn how to organize better roadtrip caravan drives and they should either provide radios so if people get lost or split up they know where to go next. Also they should have an assigned vehicle at the front and back of the caravan to make it consistent.” He said he (and some other people) had to drive on the interstate at 95MPH for 1 hour to be able to catch up with the folks well ahead of them (I believe they had gotten lost at some point heading to Savannah).
Last, for the Friday “Meet and Greet” party + movie, a lot of people did not know they had to bring lawn chairs to Bi-centennial park in Miami for the movie. Earlier that day I had checked my email so I knew to bring the chairs for me and my wife. But those folks that did not check their mailboxes earlier that Friday, had to either sit on the grass to watch the movie or left early. Again another instance where the “Need to know basis” approach at informing people about what is going on does not work at all.
This is some of the constructive criticism about MTTS, at least here in Miami. We all agree that we had a blast of a time, but there is clearly substantial room for improvement.
Cool! I might get in on more of the action, AND I might actually get my goodie bag.
Great to hear. I may actually be able to make a couple of events now 🙂
I’m booking my flight right now! I need a ride, because my MINI will have to stay behind in Germany.
Good constuctive comments C4! My beef was that I wanted to join in the Rally as it passed through my region but MINI never published, as promised, the specific daily routes beforehand. By the time I finally learned the route from a Rally participant who’d seen my query on NAM, there really wasn’t time to adjust my work schedule so I just had to let go of the notion of participating in some small way with this year’s event. 🙁
So thats why their was a gap between Boston and Chicago…to rethink;)
I am going to be driving back and forth from Chicago to road america to Milwaukee to road america then now back to chicago mid day. Thats the plan.
I guess we will be traveling I-94 quite a bit.
Hubertus, if you are coming to MTTS LA/Pasadena The Ballard’s hacienda is open to ya. I’ll even pick you up at LAX. We are a mere 5-10 minutes from the Rose Bowl.
C4… I think you have a lot of valid points but some leave me shaking my head, like…
1. you said this…(Memo to MINIUSA: Do not schedule major outdoor events in the dead of the summer months) Huh? Is June considered dead of summer in Boston or Florida? Being from SoCal maybe that’s true.
2. “had to drive 95mph for 1 hour…….” Had to?
I think having a leader and a clean up driver, like we do on our runs when SCMM
does one here in SoCal, should just be what is expected on any rallye, run. That it didn’t happen at MTTS seems really poorly planned.
I hope they get it right for LA/Pasadena. Maybe, since Rauno can’t make it, Patrick Barron Hopkirk could or some other fabulous driver like Ari Vatanen? I’m thinking stinker for LA.
RB, to be fair to C4, June in SoCal and June in Florida are two completely different things. You have not experienced smothering, unbearable, infuriating heat and humidity until you’ve experienced south Florida from June through August. Every time you walk out of your front door it’s literally like walking into a wall made of sauna’s, California’s comfortable dry heat isn’t comparable in any way whatsoever.
Well there ya go… I now know. Thanks. I did pick up my 1st MCS, back in 2003, in Naples Florida in August and it was stifling for sure.
Mozza and RB. Thank you. People have no idea how hot and humid this place really is until they get to experience it first hand. We wish we had the nice California summer down here but we don’t. Hence my suggestion for MINIUSA to avoid the hot summer months for any major events that include Florida. Just ask DB the “fun” of enduring hours of never ending sweat coming out of your body like the Niagara.
I was telling DB that I can’t wait to get out of Florida someday. I much rather live at the top of a mountain than to endure this swap climate.
>RB, to be fair to C4, June in SoCal and June in Florida are two completely different things. You have not experienced smothering, unbearable, infuriating heat and humidity until you’ve experienced south Florida from June through August
I will second, third, fourth and fifth that! Don’t take a towel, take a sponge.
I was such a relief to land in SoCal again with it’s dry 105 degree temps.
C4, interesting. I can’t wait to get out of SoCal. It’s become much more humid here in my 62 years. Nothing like Florida for sure but it has changed.
Well I hope they get the kinks out of MTTS by the time they get here. Don’t understand why no track time out at California Speedway or up at Willow?
Hope you all had a great 4th!
I’m bummed by the changes… Its now more driving and more expense with hotels. Bad planning on MINIUSA’s part to suggest a change it 3 weeks out… but at least its SOME notice. I guess we’ll have to wait for official word to consider changes in hotel etc, but I really wish they would have done this sooner.
Either way, Detroit Tuned will be there 🙂
I guess anyway its done, I will have a great time and I sure like talking to the people at MINIUSA.