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We have tried to keep our events as a mix of local runs and joint meets with other clubs (L2B, National Cooper day) and have found this works well to cater for most peoples needs.

I do think apathy has hit more this year though with people being more selective on how they spend their weekends & cash.

We love runs large and small and shall keep the club flag flying for MINI as long as posible!:D
 
I think its most of the things that people have said.

Cost - add up a tank of fuel to get there, one to get back, a hotel room, a bar bill, food and you're hitting £300 for a night and a day out. Put that into the grand scheme of things is a fair chunk of cash that most people think twice about spending on a MINI run.

Got the T-shirt - been there, done that! Have done most of the big ones now, and I know which are my favourites and which I'd rather spend the money on if I am going to do a MINI event. But if its the same place over and over you tend to think well thats the one I'll not do this year, if the venue isn't anything that special then you think I'd rather have a weekend away somewhere nice for the same cash. I do appreciate that these runs take a lot of organising, and they have shown me some of the most amazing places such as Ireland, Scotland, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland, most of the country infact. The social is now just as important to me.

Then there are all the other things, the MINI isn't as special as it was, its very main stream, people move on but the events don't seem to have done that. Its just the same old same old, a few new people come along, it becomes too much of an effort, there are more idiot drivers who are more worried about how good they look on video and people think why take the risk of having idiots like this cost me my car, things like that.

I don't think runs will ever die, as look at the classic mini, they still do it, but they do it the way they have learnt to do it, and make it last. But I think that as there are increasing fuel prices, younger owners with smaller budgets runs need to change, camping like on South Downs, making a weekend of it, making it a social more than a race around country lanes on mass. In fact South Downs for me was fantastic as it covered all those things.
 
Joogle... the Irish Job is on in September if you're serious about a run in Ireland :p;)
Cheers for the pointer Nylo - would love to take you up on that but as I have pointed out to Mick in another thread the other scourge of the MINI scene (Work...) is upsetting my September plans at the mo :rolleyes:
 
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I've done at least 4 runs since Jan 1st, and will probably do Malverns this weekend and 1 or 2 more.... but this is far less than i have done in previous years through work taking up time, lots of other commitments, costs, car breakages etc. Numerous reasons and usually a different one for each of those I have missed so its difficult to say really.

I know that DBrally are looking to cut thier runs from big all day event to smaller half day ones, and make quality count rather than just covering miles of the same sort of thing.... it one way to get costs down and retain interest. Many MINI owners have sooooo many other commitments as we do sensible jobs or have kids or houses that need looking after (the dreaded grass always needs to be cut ;) )

So who know how things will pan out, but I think it'll all be ok
 
Malverns run can't be far if you have been looking at the cotswolds... the malverns is this Sunday and always a really good one!
 
For me, as it's always been, TIME.

2 jobs now that have me working most weekends - when the majority of big runs happen. Mix that in with family stuff and the hourglass just runs out.

Unfortunately the mid-week runs seemed to have died out. However if anyone fancies a blast around the North Downs of a mid-week evening I did map out and run the Surrey Jungle Run towards the end of last summer - great roads and just over an hours driving if all goes well. Then enough time for a glass of pop!

Tim
 
I can't seem to find enough local runs this year, which is a shame.

As Tim said, the mid-week run seems to have died. With my job I have very little spare time, so have to be careful I don't spend it all with my MINI, which is easy to do! :)
 
Apathy as already mentioned here seems an issue in lots of clubs/forums. Money and time are the other 2 I reckon., The last 2 are certainly mine. Even the herts run (which was ssooo much fun) was 100 miles roughly plus getting there n back , lunch etc turned it into a fifty quid day and that was on my own, usually we take the kids too which makes it even worse. I like a run and would love to do more, I prefer Shows atm because they have a big social element to them and sometimes it is choosing between the 2, We have to take family into it to as our kids dont mind shows too much but at 13 arent that ken o being rammed in the back of a MINI for hours on end (cos they're not driving :D ). This year we've done 3 runs and 3 shows plus a couple of trips to the ace, with a few more shows yet to come. And dont forget we still like to mod the cars from time to time as well !, Flipping 'eck i'll stop now i'm frightening myself :)
 
We were lucky with this years Lakes Tour - it was the busiest since 1997! Lets hope 2009 is as good
But Lakes it one of those that takes it heritage from the classic runs, you camp, you have varying events that people can take part on, they can turn up for some of it or all of it, this type of event is the way all runs and events should be if they are to last IMO;)

Take a look at some of the bigger runs, numbers are down, the social attached to them too costly, gone are the days of people staying in a hotel for two nights to get hammered unless its something different rather than a repeat of years before.
 
Take a look at some of the bigger runs, numbers are down, the social attached to them too costly, gone are the days of people staying in a hotel for two nights to get hammered unless its something different rather than a repeat of years before.
You've just described Cotswolds 2008. Those that did do both nights had a great time, but it was certainly a more subdued affair than last year. :(

The Cotswolds weekend has just cost me roughly £300 and that is sure to increase on future runs. :(
 
You've just described Cotswolds 2008. Those that did do both nights had a great time, but it was certainly a more subdued affair than last year. :(

The Cotswolds weekend has just cost me roughly £300 and that is sure to increase on future runs. :(
£300 is a lot of cash for a weekend, and I'm sure we'd have spent more to do that weekend:eek:

Petrol - 3 tanks full, £180
Hotel - 2 nights £160
Beers - £120
Food - £100
Total - £560

Sounds like the run was awesome this year though, so a bit gutted I missed it, but just couldn't justify that kind of cash for a couple of nights in Northampton when I can go over to Ireland or somewhere else for that money for a weekend:(

If it had been a camping weekend then I'd have probably done it as cost would have been a bit better then.

Petrol - £180
Camping - £20
Beers - £50
Food - £60
Total - £310

And I'm sure that it could be cut back even more on the camping front if needed.
 
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