MINI Partners with Burton, Red Bull For Winter Sports Sponsorships
For the snow and ice set, MINI has announced partnerships with Burton and Red Bull for two winter sports competition series for 2011. The first, with Burton, is an international snowboarding competition series called the Burton Global Open Series (BGOS). From the press release, “As the presenting sponsor, MINI will play a key role in the BGOS, starting with the Burton European Open (BEO) next month in Laax, Switzerland. Along with a variety of other onsite activities, MINI will provide athlete and VIP shuttle services at the BEO in the new MINI Countryman”
Events are as follows:
European Open: January 8-15, 2011, Laax, Switzerland
Canadian Open: February 1-6, 2011, Canada Olympic Park, Calgary
US Open: March 7-13, 2011, Stratton Mountain Resort, USA
The second sponsor partnership is a continuation of MINI’s relationship with Red Bull, here sponsoring the Crashed Ice series, where “groups of four athletes on ice skates plunge down an ice cross downhill track some five metres wide and peppered with bumps, jumps and banked turns. This innovative and – in every sense – cool winter sports events comprises four events. The races take place on an artificial ice cross downhill track specially created for each event and extending to around 350 metres in length.”
Events as follows:
Red Bull Crashed Ice Germany: 15 January 2011, Munich
Red Bull Crashed Netherlands: 5 February 2011, Valkenburg
Red Bull Crashed Ice Russia: 26 February 2011, Moscow
Red Bull Crashed Ice Canada: 19 March 2011, Quebec
So if a bit of MINI-sponsored winter sports spectacle is your cup of hot cocoa, motor over to the event nearest you.
<p>So how about some additional safety goodies with all the winter fun stuff? Unfortunately, MINI did not make the 2011 National Insurance Safety Institute’s list of safest cars in its class. (The nod went to Ford) MINI can’t just look good and be fun to drive: I want MINI to put its money where its mouth is, and make an incredible car that is as famous for its safety as it is for its charm and good looks. No matter how smart we may think we are to have bought a MINI, there’s a lot of stupid out there on the roads that we have to contend with. The snow just compounds the stupidity.</p>
<p>Seriously?! Hasn’t MINI proved itself that in every iteration of the “new” MINI that the cars are ridiculously safe? (I know from personal experience that the cars hold up to a 45 mph rear impact with no intrusion into the trunk.) What makes you think that the Countryman would be any different and need ADDITIONAL safety goodies on top of what it already has?</p>
<p>besides, looking at the IIHS website, I can’t seem to find any evidence that the Countryman was even tested. Rather difficult to pass judgement on a car’s safety attributes with no empirical data to back up a conclusion…wouldn’t you say?</p>
<p>if we are to believe their ADVERTISING the new mini countryman is right at home on the ice — anyone else see the snow globes with mini’s inside? facebook page has those + the boxes of cereal mini’s.
all ADVERTISING aside I looked and could not find video of any sort of ice tests on the countryman … hmmm …..</p>
<p>whoops here’s the fb photo link
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MINIUSA?v=photos" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.facebook.com/MINIUSA?v=photos</a></p>
<blockquote>if we are to believe their ADVERTISING the new mini countryman is right at home on the ice</blockquote>
<p>I drove a Countryman All4 last night here in Minneapolis over all manner of snow, slush and packed slippery nonsense. Even without proper snow tires, it was incredibly capable. I could essentially drive it with impunity — as though there were no snow and ice on the roads at all. It was fantastic. Details in a coming post.</p>
<p>Not sure where the American love affair with awd came from. I have driven a few dedicated 4×4 over the years in some really nasty weather. However I have driven fwd and rwd in every conceivable type of winter weather with no issues. I think the major problem with the love affair is that people look at their awd vehicles and consider them to be the end of all needed technology for winter driving. The base face is that a little driver skill and properly winter equipped vehicle will be better 99% of the time. I cannot begin to count the number of times I have driven past accidents and slide outs in my MINI where I get to see all matter of 4×4 and awd vehicles in trouble. As a matter of fact my R53 has been the only vehicle that has made it in on some exceptionally nasty days to work when the rest of the company hides at home.</p>