[Gothboy]

P R E S S R E L E A S E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2004

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LOCAL MINI DRIVERS SOUGHT FOR VANCOUVER’S FIRST EXCLUSIVE
MINI/Mini RALLY, TO BE HELD APRIL 4

–– Sponsored by the Vancouver MINI Cooper Club,
MINI/Mini rally expected to draw 40 to 60 competitors ––

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Building on the Mini’s rich rallying heritage -- including Paddy Hopkirk’s legendary first Monte Carlo Rallye win four decades ago in a Cooper S -- the Vancouver MINI Cooper Club and the West Coast Rally Association (WCRA) will stage Vancouver’s first exclusive MINI/Mini time-speed-distance (TSD) tarmac rally, April 4.

Expected to attract 40 to 60 cars, the inaugural Vancouver MINI Cooper Club Rally will take competitors through some of the more scenic parts of Greater Vancouver and the Lower Mainland under a format that stresses navigational skills over speed. Top prize, courtesy of title sponsor MINI Yaletown, will be $500 towards any New MINI upgrade through the country’s top MINI dealership.

The 250-kilometre half-day course focuses on teamwork between driver and navigator, and precision driving and navigation skills, says WCRA organizer Andrew Tilston, who added that recommended speeds marked in competitor’s route books are 10 per cent below the posted limits to make the event safer … and to avoid speeding tickets.

Instead of running flat-out, as in a performance rally, navigational events use the Time-Speed-Distance formula. In a TSD section, a particular average speed is listed and the teams must drive as close as possible to that speed. Checkpoints are placed at unknown locations in the TSD section and teams are penalized for passing them early or late. With one point being scored for every second early or late at each checkpoint the teams are striving to ‘zero’ each control by constantly monitoring their progress while still following the overall directions and going the right way. At the end of the day the team with the lowest overall score wins.

The WCRA will be hosting the event and will be drawing upon its own membership to run the event. “We’ll be providing everything during the rally including volunteers to run the checkpoints, scoring, and scrutineering of vehicles. We’ll also provide competitors with a TSD Rally Handbook beforehand as well as a drivers’ briefing before we let everyone loose on the day of the event,” explained Tilston. The handbook, along with the event regulations and entry form, are available online at www.vancouverminicooperclub.com.

Cost per entry (car, driver and navigator) for the VMCC Rally will be $50 for VMCC paid Members and $65 for non-Members, and includes t-shirts for the race team (driver and navigator), removable vinyl number plates, and eligibility for several levels of prizing.

Entry forms for the inaugural VMCC rally are available online at www.vancouverminicooperclub.com/news.asp.

Entry forms and fees must be received by March 19, 2004. Late entries will pay an additional $10.

“Both New MINIs and original Classic Minis are welcome to compete,” said VMCC Chair Rahoul Ghose. “A nice mix of both would suit this event perfectly.”

In addition to the competitor field, three media teams will be invited to compete in the event, in MINIs provided by MINI Yaletown. Any media interested in participating should contact Ghose via e-mail at editor@vancouverminicooperclub.com.

• For more on the VMCC and VMCC Rally, visit www.vancouverminicooperclub.com
• Info on the 1964 Monte Carlo, visit http://www.mini.com/rally-monte-carlo/
• For more on the WCRA and the B.C. rally scene, visit www.rallybc.com

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The Vancouver MINI Cooper Club -- officially known as the BC MINI Cooper Society -- is a non-profit organization offering new MINI owners the opportunity to share the MINI experience through club drives, meets and participation in existing car events throughout Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island. What started off as an online idea amongst fellow Vancouver New MINI enthusiasts in March 2002 has now developed into a growing and vibrant club, with Membership today totaling more than 100 drivers.

The West Coast Rally Association (WCRA) is a B.C. based non-profit society dedicated to promoting and supporting performance and navigational auto rallying in this province. It is a member club of Rally Pacific Motorsports (RPM), which is the regional governing body for the sport, and the Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS), which is the national body. WCRA has been organizing navigational and performance rallies throughout the province for several years. The membership covers a wide demographic, with men and women of all ages, and also includes a number of husband-and-wife and family teams.

-30-

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ENQUIRIES:

Vancouver MINI Cooper Club
editor@vancouverminicooperclub.com
www.vancouverminicooperclub.com

[LiddleD]

hey Gothboy, was it you who called me the other day? Or do you know who called me about the Mini Rally? I lost the number. Anyway, I can't make it, I'll be swamped with school around that time! Seems like school never ends.

[Gothboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by LiddleD

hey Gothboy, was it you who called me the other day? Or do you know who called me about the Mini Rally? I lost the number. Anyway, I can't make it, I'll be swamped with school around that time! Seems like school never ends.

Yup ... it was me ... sorry to hear you can't make it ... we have some great prizes up for grabs.

Goth

[VancouverGal]

Bumping -- this rally is happening this Sunday. Lots of media coverage. Should be lots of fun!

[milliethemini]

Quote: Originally Posted by VancouverGal

Bumping -- this rally is happening this Sunday. Lots of media coverage. Should be lots of fun!

Thanks for bumping the thread, I was just about to do the same!!! See you on Sunday

[Gothboy]

ONE MORE DAY ...

We are at 52 teams, 3 media teams and one sponsor team.

There are still a couple of spots left. Download your form at www.vancouverminicooperclub.com

You will also find faxing instructions on the website.

Cheers

Goth

[LiddleD]

so...wondering how it went. Anyone who went and catches this post, let us all who didn't get a chance to make it out know how it went!

[VancouverGal]

Quote: Originally Posted by LiddleD

so...wondering how it went. Anyone who went and catches this post, let us all who didn't get a chance to make it out know how it went!

LiddleD -- it was a GREAT day. There were nearly 60 MINI/Minis (yes there were classics, too!) out for the day. We even had several club members who couldn't compete come out with their cars -- so the parking lot at Earl's was completely full with MINI/Minis.

It was gorgeous weather, and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun. There was quite a bit of media there too -- City TV (Breakfast Television and CityPulse -- BT did something this morning, CityPulse will probably do something this evening); The Beat radio; Western Driver Magazine; the Province; and Fairchild Television (Chinese specialty channel) off the top of my head. There were lots of great prizes from MINI Yaletown and other sponsors, and draw prizes too.

I know that the VMCC website (vancouverminicooperclub.com) will be posting photos, results and stories soon. So keep checking there for the story and photos.

VancouverGal

[LiddleD]

that sounds awesome! I remember running errands that day and I must have seen a handful of Mini's each with their number tacked onto the side of the car. Just the thought really made me excited for everyone involved! Good to hear everyone had a good time!