What is the ideal MINI to drive from Munich to Nurburgring? While a Countryman or Clubman would be more comfortable, we couldn’t pass up a chance to grab the keys to a 2022 manual JCW hatch.

The A8 and A3 autobahn was wide open and often unrestricted which allowed us to stretch the JCW’s legs a bit. We got up to an indicated 241 kph which is about 150 mph before I felt the car began to become unstable. You can’t overcome the shape of the MINI as it turns out. But for those curious the car was pulling strong until I backed off at 241.

We were still miles away from the center of the Ring when we first saw crowds and realized we were actually driving next the madness that is the N24 crowd. Abs by madness I mean full German living rooms with campfires in the middle and absolutely drunken revelry – at 2 pm.

The MINI camp is made up of tents and cargo containers with a healthy dose of glamping. The location is also within sight of the famous castle abs the long back straight of the Nurburgring.

Next up the race. Saturday will see a number of support races with the most notable being the M Legends races. And then the actual N24 starts at 4 pm local time or 10 EST.