Yesterday saw the first chance mini clubs and some members of the media have had to drive the new MINI. Of course MINI2 also had to be there, and it was our first drive of a right hand drive MINI Cooper, as well as our first drive of the base model MINI One. Along with key members of the MINI team in the UK, notable names on the guest list included Basil Wales, Paddy Hopkirk and Mike Cooper, who arrived in his own John Cooper Works MINI Cooper with a distinctive FUN number plate.

The day began with coffee and a safety briefing from one of the excellent Palmer Sport representatives, Trevor Houghton-Berry also took the opportunity to introduce the team, and welcome everyone to the event. The morning group were then split into two groups so everyone could have a fair chance at each course. The first course for our group was the ‘normal’, or easy circuit. After this we would face the ‘handling circuit”, followed by the timed slalom test.

After a demonstration from one of the instructors I took to the track in a MINI Cooper. Unlike the test car driven in Italy, this Cooper was not equipped with the Sports Plus suspension or larger alloy wheels, so I was keen to see how this car handled. The simple answer is very well indeed. Having a right hand drive and a nice wide track installed a lot of confidence that was lacking when driving round the hillside in Italy. Pushing the car harder as the laps progressed, revving the engine up to 7,000 RPM and around 90mph the car gripped the track with a great sense of composure. With the wheels at each corner and a great driving position you really felt in control, and the car just begged to be driven harder and harder, and as you pushed harder, your grin just got bigger and bigger.

After several laps of this circuit, it was all aboard the mini bus to our next stop, the ‘handling course’. This time, helmets were to be worn for certain. It was clear from the demonstration lap that this was going to be more the kind of test the MINI was begging for, in second gear for the great majority of the course, the track twisted one way, then another, with a series of s-bends and hairpins. For the first outing I drove a Silver Cooper, this time with the Chili pack and Sports Plus suspension. What a hoot! I cannot imagine another car of this size being anywhere near as responsive and just plain fun on a course like this. In Italy it was hard to notice much difference between when ASC was switched on or off, here you could really tell. I must say I found it more fun with it off, but I can see just what an asset it could be in certain driving situations.

Having completed several screeching laps in the Cooper I went back out on the course in a MINI One. This was my first time behind the wheel of the MINI base model, and with different damper settings and lack of a rear anti-roll bar, I was wondering how well it would hold up on this pretty challenging course. It actually held up very well indeed. Although quite obviously lacking in power when compared to the Cooper, the difference was not as great as I expected, and the handling, although not quite as firm or stable as the Cooper was still very good, and probably every bit as fun. For those of you who have opted for a One over the Cooper, don’t worry, you’re still buying a lot of grins for your money.

Last, but by no means least was the timed slalom test, and this is where the MINI One did itself proud. The fastest time of the morning was set by a driver in the One, which helps to demonstrate on a low speed test just how close the cars are. For our group the heavens decided to open for a small downpour just as the session began. As you can imagine this made weaving in and out of cones with your foot on the throttle, then turning back sharp and doing it all again all the more exciting. As ever, the instructors were excellent, and everyone had a whale of a time. As our extended session went on everyone joined in leaping in and out of the cars, eager to give them another thrash up and down the stretch or tarmac. Several handbrake turns were pulled and MINI’s were spinning all over as the rules went out of the window and everyone just enjoyed playing with the hard pressed One and Cooper.

Following lunch Paddy Hopkirk was awarded a MINI Cooper to celebrate his role as an Ambassador for MINI, then people slowly made their way out to the car park then home. For me the lasting impression of this event will be the smiles. It seemed everyone at the event had a smashing time, and the MINI certainly won the hearts of several classic Mini fans.