After being called to the stage to tell the incredible story about my car's journey to Zandvoort, MINI and the attendees at MINI United gave me a wonderful surprise on Saturday night...
We had the pleasure of spending time with the UK representatives of MC2 (MC Squared) Magazine (www.mc2magazine.com) , Rob and Neil. Great "chaps" to hang out with and possibly the most humorous fellows at MINI United. Despite having a HUGE amount of work to do in covering the event and enduring sleep deprivation they managed to have a very good time.
Photos courtesy of Niko Koot "nikoot" on Flickr.com
On the Zandvoort Circuit on 23 June 2007 during the MINI United Festival. The Los Angeles MINI on the historic racetrack!
Here is a video of my first crack at the Circuit Zandvoort on Friday, 22 June 2007. This lap was faster than the lap shown above but the white pace car ahead of me was still keeping things pretty tame. You can hear me letting off the power quite a bit just to keep the mandatory spacing behind the pace car. Still, the John Cooper Motorsport 225 HPD kit sounds right at home.
As a MINI enthusiast I couldn't be more pleased to be surrounded by some of the people that make the MINI what it is today. From left to right: Rauno Aaltonen, winner of the 1967 Rally Monte Carlo, Gert Hildebrand, Head of Design for MINI, me, Dr. Kay Segler, MINI worldwide managing director, and my sister Jennifer (also a MINI Cooper S driver).
I'll have much more to post about MINI United, but I thought I'd post a picture of a very special moment. If you've scrolled down through my blog you've noticed that I not only have a full JCW conversion, I also have the 225 HP Cooper Motorsport High Performance Derivative engine upgrade that was formerly available from John Cooper Motorsport. In the picture above I'm at my car with Michael Cooper, the son of John Cooper and principal of Cooper Motorsport (now a part of the BMW family).
It was a huge honor to have Mike Cooper take a picture with my car. He even noted the Ducati sticker on the rear and stated that he used to ride Ducatis! As the Mastercard advertisement states: Priceless!
I'm chatting about my car with Jim McDowell, Vice President of MINI USA (above). An exceptional individual and very nice guy as well. He and the MINI USA executives have an enthusiasm for the MINI brand as deep as the owners' own enthusiasm. I think we're in good hands back in the good 'ol US of A!
Jennifer and I also had the chance to meet Gert Hildebrand, chief designer for MINI and the main force behind the R56 MINI. Truely a nice gentleman with a constant smile on his face. Not just a car designer but a great enthusiast as well.
Sights and Sounds of MINI United 2007
The videos below were taken in the car corral/trackside/MINI Challenge garage area.
Sunday MINI Challenge Race and the Race Garage
Inside the MINI Urban Style Tour Double-Decker Bus on the upper level enjoying the tunes as MINI United 2007 winds down.
Does anyone know the name of the artist and the song title of the music playing on the Urban Style Tour bus?
Here are a few pictures of JCW MCS on the waterfront in Amsterdam near the Centraal Station Railway Station and in front of the Muziekgebouw aan het Ij (Ij River Music Hall)
Driving along the streets of Amsterdam sure is a big change from Wilshire Boulevard...
MINI on an Amsterdam Street in front of the "Nieuw Amerika" (New America) Parking Garage.
Good Eats and Cool Vibes
On our opening night in Amsterdam we took a canal cruise through the center of the city. We then had dinner at a restaurant named "11." A really "hip" hangout and the kind of place that you might expect to find in Amsterdam or Berlin. Truly a feast for all the senses... the music, the colors, the food, and the people. Check out the restaurant's website for more info: 11 Restaurant Amsterdam
Jennifer and I picked up the MINI today. There was no way to get the car released in-time to get to Oxford but it felt really great be back in my own vehicle. I was able to drive the car off the pallet. Unfortunately the battery was too low to start the car, but a quick bump start got the engine going. The car was very low on fuel... so low that the service engine light was on... but after running the car for a bit we filled up at a local Shell station.
It was surreal to be in my car which is more at home on the roads of L.A. actually navigating around the streets of Amsterdam. We drove the A4 freeway and A10 to the Moevenpick Hotel in the center of the city. After unloading and checking in I met some of the MINI corporate staff and then went back down to the garage to clean the car after the rain ended. Jennifer took a credit card and cleaned the shipper's markings off the front windshield and we both wiped the grime off the car. The car then shined like the day I picked her up from Transhine Detailing in Whittier, California and I then came upstairs to write this quick report.
Made it to the Netherlands on-time and ahead of the car. Turns out that there was no way to get the car released yesterday so I called off the plan to get to Oxford and stayed overnight in a hotel next to Schiphol. I just got off the phone with the shipping company and they have confirmed that the car has arrived with all the necessary paperwork. We are trying to get the car out quickly and hopefully direct from Schiphol instead of waiting to have the car delivered to the shipper's Rotterdam office. I'll have to pay some customs duties and I hope I'm not in for another $/€ shock....
In the meantime I anxiously await further instructions with the knowledge that I'm actually physically really close to the car. It hasn't been that way for quite awhile!
Just got off the phone with the shipper in Rotterdam. The MINI is actually not in Holland yet (gasp!). After nearly having a heart attack about this latest news it turns out that the car will be in Holland the same day that I arrive. There is still a chance that we can get the car the same day. I'm hopeful because I'm planning on being in Calais, France that evening in order to catch the Eurotunnel to the UK early the next morning to visit the Oxford MINI plant. If I don't get to the factory on 21 June I won't make it at all since the factory won't be allowing visitors until the autumn due to the beginning of MINI Clubman production.
The MINI should be well on its way to Amsterdam by plane. With a scheduled arrival of 13 June, the approximately 7 hour flight should be just a little bit faster than the shipping by sea option. :)
The car should be clear of customs on 16 June and then will be stored in a warehouse at the port of Rotterdam and await my arrival.
It will be strange seeing my car so far from home... but I'm looking forward to driving the MINI after not having it around since mid-May.
Today was crunch day in the MINI's journey to Holland. The car is in a warehouse at the New Jersey docks awaiting permission (customs clearance) for the trip overseas. Things hit a snag as I was informed that the documentation needed to be in NJ ASAP. I was on the horn quite a bit with my vehicle's lien holder and thought that the matter was sorted....wrong.
Mail sent to the incorrect address, critical papers not in the packet, the DMV now involved... yikes!
There is now the slimmest of hopes about getting my car to MINI United in-time.
After a long stressful day I really needed to get away for a little bit. Luckily my buddy Mike had the same idea after his day at work so we decided to get on the bikes and ride. Just what I needed...
Yesterday the MINI was dropped off for shipment. Sounds like a simple event but I had a lot of anxiety not only about having the MINI in someone else's care on so long a trip but also because the logistics and paperwork trail is piling up. I've been on a hugely steep learning curve while learning about the trade of international shipping since the time frame for making MINI United is very short. So short that I cannot just ship out of Long Beach, California and make it in time. I need to ship the car by lorry/truck enclosed to NYC and then load the car on the boat for the relatively short 8-12 day voyage. With customs on either end taking an addition 5-10 days and the overland trip to NYC of 5 days my car should be in Holland just ahead of MINI United. Fingers crossed...
At the very last moment I had trouble securing auto coverage while in Europe on a short term basis based on the fact that my car is classed as a "high performance sports car." The decision came down to: 1. ship to the port in NY and hope that all the paperwork gets approved 2. cancel the shipment and kiss goodbye any hope of making it to Amsterdam with the car. I chose to risk having to drive the car home from NY in the hopes that insurance would be forthcoming. I had to wait overnight uncomfortably while I awaited a response from the UK about the insurance.
I'm happy to report that I was approved this morning and the MINI is on its way! I still have a few hurdles to clear before I can say that the mission is accomplished but things are looking good right now.
At least I know that Kevin (below), an original Mini Cooper enthusiast/owner and employee of the shipping company will take good care of my car as it begins its travels overland to NYC.
With time running really short I decided to have my good friend Bill at Transhine give the MINI a thorough detail (exterior, interior, engine) prior to shipping the car to Rotterdam. With Mother's Day weekend plans I just wouldn't have the time to get the car ready on my own and I definitely would have had to cut corners. Bill and his crew did a great job getting the car ready and the paint is silky smooth. I only hope that when I get the car at Rotterdam that the car will be in this good a condition...
I received my shipping booking form. Reality is starting to set in. I'm taking my car on a nearly half-way around the world adventure and I've got a ton of loose ends to tie up. The costs and the anxiety of the potential pitfalls of this adventure do weigh on me quite a bit. I just keep thinking about tooling around Europe in my car and I smile though...
I have thought about "renting" my rear passenger side windows to sponsors to off-set the cost. I'll probably visit one candidate today, contact another via e-mail, and talk to another on Monday. Hopefully I can make this trip a little less expensive. Heck, the racers do it all the time!
I haven't posted in quite awhile since I was in Europe for the past two weeks. While in the Netherlands I discussed with my sister plans to attend MINI United later in June. I had reserved a spots in the US group attending the event on the morning of my departure for Europe. My sister asked me why I didn't send my MINI to Holland... a crazy idea but one that grew on me during the succeeding days. Why not? Have my California car on the track at Zandvoort, Holland near my birthplace on my birthday, go to the Nuerburgring, and generally make a huge roadtrip around Europe. Truly the makings of a memorable trip if I can pull it off.
Well... I'm back in the US and I am scrambling to get the paperwork in order so that my car can be on a boat ASAP. Looks like I will need to ship overland to NYC first to ensure that my car makes it on-time to Amsterdam. So much to do and so little time!
Tonight I filled out a booking form for the shipping company. Tomorrow I'm off seeking a bit of sponsorship and arranging for overseas car insurance.
