MINIs at the Glen

April 17th 2016 was a great day for many reasons, the weather was great, not a cloud in the sky. It was Opening Day 2016 at Watkins Glen International Raceway and the track was freshly paved; MINIs at The Glen 2016 was revving up ready to take laps on the new billiard table smooth surface. The MINI Clubs in Buffalo, Rochester and Carlisle brought together last year under the Mini Mafia name, had what we thought was a great turnout in 2015. 103 Coopers turned out for Opening Day and as 2015 went on, the Mini Mafia added more clubs to the family. Clubs in Canada, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia and others stretching as far south as Alabama came on board to get the word out about the event. The Mini Mafia had gone from being a local family to controlling much of the Eastern Seaboard. Not unlike the real Mafia, the bosses of all the clubs communicate behind the scenes to make sure the word gets out on events, both to pump

up attendance and to make the participating Motorers happy. Often, as in the case with Opening Day at the Glen they give back to the community through charitable contributions. WGI doesn’t make a dime out of the entrance fees for Opening Day. The fee of $25 per carload for three laps is very affordable and if you want more laps, you can pay $50 for 9. You really can’t refuse the deal, especially with all the proceeds going to local charities; it’s a winner all around. The track gets publicity about the upcoming events, the clubs get a lot of exposure and the Motorers all have a blast. It’s a great thing to do on a Sunday afternoon and most of all it helps families throughout the area. This year the contributions were tied in with Feeding America, the same charity that was associated with MINI USA’s ‘Track to Track’ event MINI Takes The States. Torrey Ridge Winery, home of Redneck Red, accidentally chosen last year, but officially chosen this year as the rendezvous for the clubs before cruising their way to the