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“All 1071 Cooper Ss are welcome and they will be given pride of place in a dedicated parking area by the main arena,” says event organiser Tony Salter.

There will also be a display of Cooper S models through the years from the earliest to the very latest MINI Cooper S.

Another annual Beaulieu attraction will be the rare collection of club members’ ex-Works and Special Tuning cars and coachbuilt classics from the likes of Radford and Wood & Pickett.

This another event I heard alot about by other members of Surrey new mini (SNM) and on my recent trip to Germany from motoring journalist Martyn Collins.

Like any other MINI event it was long drive to get there so it was another early start to get to Beaulieu Motor museum and it wouldn’t be a boring one as long the way I spotted another JCW the same colour as mine and I will leave you think exactly what happened with two JCW on empty dual carriageway…

I did say its wasn’t a boring drive up as spotted two classic Mini Cooper S – one red and one blue which were in racing and rally spec. I gave my thumbs as we lined up together than I roared past them both to cut the air in front of them and to clear the path ahead.

I got to the meet point at the service but went on the wrong side so I was service maintenance side with no path to drive to link up with everyone. So I called in and headed directly to Beaulieu and waited for everyone to arrive so I could nip into the convoy like I was always there.

With me making the entrance staff laugh for a while the familiar MINIs and faces turned as skittles that are SNM arrived in convoy. I got my club stand pass off Neil and headed in with the convoy on the gravel path to the pitch on the grass for our MINIs to reside as we went around the grounds.

This is would be the first time I would meet Bert which is Ian’s classic MINI and who is our admin of Surrey New Mini the home of the most UK MINIs who have graced the most magazines, TV screens and international known. Bert is a fine example of a classic Mini with its red paint with white stripes and under bonnet is a 1275 cc MPI engine, which was produced from 1996 to 2000. It was the last few classic Minis to be built before the reintroduction of the new MINI with the R50 in 2001. Ian says ‘After owning a red Mini as my first car, I longed to own another again. I found Bert, and I knew I had to have him – he’s not just a car to me, and everybody that meets him loves him!’ You will meet Bert again shortly in a forthcoming post or might have seen him recently taking centre stage at an established automotive event called Goodwood: Festival Of Speed. Their something about any Mini that puts a smile on your face… All together with my little brother we headed out in pack of SNM members to check out the other clubs. There were a few interesting classic with the owners unique twist on them which made a nice change from all the immaculate tucked away examples which only come out during the show season. I think this one is ready for the winter warfare If your up a gangster look, feast your eyes on this chopped roof Mini with Flat Beat Eric at the wheel The ridiculous Mini Moke which is a silly concept in the UK but you cant help but love it plus there is seating for four Here are some regular tasty examples of classic minis We moved into the tented section where the show and shines were ranging from classic to modern MINIs. As much as I love a perfect example of an immaculate car that still looks like in its original state when it left the factory. There is a point where this automotive examples are not DRIVEN and when I mean they aren’t driven they are lucky to see the light from the garages they reside from the 8 months of hibernation.This is a real shame and travesty to petrol heads as seeing a classic Mini always puts a smile on my face and its the reason why Jay Kay lead singer of Jamiroquai drives his collection of exotics all the time as he gets the enjoyment and so can onlookers to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deKJRU6Zh0U I personally brought my JCW to enjoy the POWER and to DRIVE IT HARD!!! I tracked mine a few times and gone through 3 sets of tyres, full set of discs and pads. I have chip stones on the front end and side of my JCW but all these marks add character that this machine that is driven and taken to its owner and car limit yet my JCW still draws a crowd at shows and intrigue from people seeing and hearing me coming on the streets. After some chit chat amongst ourselves we headed over to see my favourite automotive creation which I had seen on TV. Your probably wondering what I am on about but it will all make sense when I say the show included a tall loud man obsessed with POWEERRRR, another guy who is slow and has no sense of direction and little guy from Birmingham has white teeth and loves his Porsches. If you haven’t guessed what show I am taking about then you need to re-evaluate your life as you should know I am on about TOP GEAR!!! All of TOP GEAR wacky creations from all the seasons where on show from the reasonable price car to the infamous Toybota which crossed the English channel into France. Here is Top Gear’s personal take on an old person car James May’s Caravan Airship The Jezza’s V12 Jaguar sports train the TGV12 The Mercedes S Cottage The Legendary Indestructible Toyota Hilux The first reasonable priced car Reliant Robin Space Shuttle The snowbine harvester which destroyed a small town in Norway The convoy of British motors to India It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t see the lap time leader board and The STIG The 24 hour Britcar which all 3 presenters piloted from the exploits of the biofuel production The Winter Olympics sking classic Mini The 007 lotus esprit submarine The Top Gear’s amphibious cars The 3 wise man cars who went to meet the baby Jesus Oh no its the Top Gear Rozzers Fancy a lift? The epitome of the future of automotive industry distilled into the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust which was fully tested by Autocar

Need not worry petrol heads when you become slow with old age here is Top Gears answer Time for some famous UK mini which have graced our TV screens for generations to adore and smile at and which formed the basis of my childhood laughter and my passion for anything with a steering wheel and a gas pedal. The loveable Brum, Mr Bean’s classic Mini and Del boy’s reliant robin On a short note I pestered my parents sooo much to buy a car like BRUM and I wanted him as my first car (I smiled for a while when I saw that car so many found childhood memories came back). Then we all moved on to the Beaulieu’s motor museum its crown jewels which houses collection of over 250 automobiles and motorcycles telling the story of motoring on the roads of Britain from the dawn of motoring to the present day, the award winning National Motor Museum appeals to all age groups. From World Land Speed Record Breakers including Campbell’s famous Bluebird to film favourites such as the magical flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. There are alot of ground breaking automotive legends housed here so I will allow you to enjoy the pictures. Who are you Sir? Bond, James Bond was there to show off his collection of motors which would see Q happy as they weren’t wrecked Personally my favourite Bond is Pierce Brosnan given his look and the way he carried himself and the best shake and not shirred moment for me was the car chase in Tomorrow Never Dies car with BMW 7 series. Next up was the magical world of automotive history on a four seater kart which showed you how automotive industry developed through the ages. Lets say its good if your about 5 and I wish I had a gas pedal to make it go faster lol Everyton Seena’s F1 Honda with Manual gearbox Woke up in a Bugatti After all the automotive goodness we head to the Beaulieu estate and explored it grounds Yes I know this a MINI website so don’t worry about the lack of Minis but I am petrol head at the heart of it all. We departed and jumped onto the magnetic rail which was the slowest thing I have ever been on but it was at the end of the day so meh. It was another great day out with the SNM Club plus there was Ice cream so I was a happy chappy. Next Blog Post: Cholmondeley – Pageant Of Power

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Here are some fun facts:

2009: the event broke the world record for the longest convoy of Minis with a Guinness verified total of 1450 cars.

2010: The event celebrated its 25th anniversary

The Event is believed to be the largest one make car show in the world attracting over 2,500 Minis both classic and modern

Now back to business, having just finished my own organised MINI Run the MIR Run the following Sunday I would be joining the Largest MINI event on the calendar. I have personally always wanted to do this run and I wouldn’t be in bad company with my 2nd family Surrey New MINI.

Just before the event or any MINI Madness I gave my JCW the weekly check over. Having finished the MIR Run I was shocked to see the level of oil left so I topped the oil level with Castrol’s finest 0-30w oil.

MINI Shrewsbury offered to fit my GP2 front under tray for free but might want to ask why I was getting the front under-tray??

I had been doing personally doing alot of reading and research into the GP2 before its release then following up all the information from owners and when I drove one after my local dealership phoned me to ask if I wanted a test drive. One thing I noted was how planted it felt and I went about seeing how it did it but for argument’s sake least but the coilovers to the side and look at the aero on the GP2. MINI clearly state the GP2 reduced lift at the rear axle by 90 per cent because of the aero package (roof spoiler, rear diffuser and underside panelling).

Alot of people have wondered why MINI didn’t inter cooler even this a track orientated vehicle but the front under tray is a clever bit of kit as it as aerodynamic shield underneath reducing drag by the slits which let out hot air out of the engine bay while the NACA ducts suck in cold air creating a vacuum thus cooling the engine further with the benefit of the front end being sucked to the floor at the same time (ground effect).

Not bad for a £58 part?? Given a bigger inter cooler costs £500

My tyres were on their way out and so I brought some Continental Sport Contact 5s after my exploits in Germany testing them on Continentals test facilities. Once I got them fitted I was astonished by the extra grip in the wet and dry and the fact I could take corners much faster with them allowing me to fully put down the power at any given moment.

JCW all prepared for the journey it was time get down to cleaning her, out came the snowfoam and pressure washer all top off with a layer of Reload.

I set off on my 2 and half hour journey to Croydon, London to my hotel and to meet up with Surrey New MINI (SNM). It was grinning whilst I set off to do the L2B run knowing my JCW is being part of the biggest and longest running MINI event over the world. I sat back in my JCW Recaros with Harmon Kardon system playing out the white roof radio podcast. It was genuinely nice driving down this time as traffic was low and the weather was perfect  #RayBansMoments

I planned on meeting up with Christine at a service station so we could convoy down to the hotel together and also we could have our usual giggles over the walkie talkies. We parked up at the hallmark hotel which was opposite our meet point in the morning. I put my cameras on charger and headed down to meet up the SNM gang over the road in Pizza Hut.

There was some new faces at the table with Harry aka Nortonski. He is another young JCW owner in the club who genuinely thought was some old guy given he talked to me on the forums.

With any SNM gathering there is plenty laughs, giggles and stories to listen for us all but god was the service was beyond a joke in this pizza hut with them giving us the wrong orders on the starters, running of food we ordered, 45 minute wait, drinks, main course and final nail in the coffin the incorrect bill.

All feed we retired to our hotel rooms for some Zzzzz as it would be an early start to go pick up our L2B run items from Crystal Palace. I loved the fact my room overlooked my JCW and before I knew it the day came with an early start at 5 in the morning to get ready.

I am not drunk but I parked like this to avoid getting door dings and then a van comes along and parks next to you *face palm*

The usual suspects were ready and waiting – Neil, Sarah, Dan and Christine with the rest of the team. We decided to take a few MINIs down to collect L2B Goody bag whilst the others got breakfast or enjoyed the extra lie in. I had to keep an eye on Dan and his craftiness as he has been after some official MINI sun blinds.

We headed out in convoy down the streets of Croydon to Crystal Palace for the starting point of the L2B RUN to where I would meet two of my Instagram followers Mike aka Twelve_75 and Charlotte who both own classics.

I picked up my run pack which includes a Run Plaque, Run Sticker, Run T-Shirt and Official Program. I have been waiting sooo long to get that plaque as its something I wanted my JCW to wear with pride and I brought some flags to have for momentum sake.

Mike came down to meet and introduced him to some of SNM and pointed down to our MINIs all parked up all in a line. Mike was a nice guy with a near on perfect example of a classic mini and you could see still he had passion for minis all this time which made me happy knowing it doesn’t fade away.

We swapped some stories for a while and then pointed out where Charlotte and her mini was. I couldn’t wait to see Charlotte’s mini as it was fully decked out in the golf livery and even the interior was in the infamous light blue and orange colour scheme as well, not bad for a first car!!!

I spoke with Charlotte for a while and she was telling me about her mini and the other IG followers she met and how this was her first mini.

We head back out to my clubs meet point for breakfast and catch up with everyone who would be joining our convoy for the run. We were twenty plus MINIs strong and I was greeted by the elegant Carina who had never met before whilst I enjoying my breakfast. The first words she said to me were ‘ I have been told your quite the MINI fanatic?’ I laughed and replied ‘I am more of a MINI Lunatic to be fair’

I showed Carina around the JCW and told her all the stuff that had been done to it and took for a quick spin around the park lot as we waited to see how my JCW sounded and to enjoy the bucket Recaro seats.

She then proceeded to show me her Cooper S with the JCW power kit aka ‘Alfie’ and it was nice meeting some my age who shares the same passion and does all the nick picky things like I do e.g. parking away from any other car, having rules for passenger in your MINI and that your MINI is more than a machine but an extension of you and your personality.

We saw the L2B convoy rolling by so we decided to add our new MINIs to ranks of classics. The roads of Crystal palace and Croydon were skittles which all the minis taking up all roads as far as you could see and your rear view didn’t look shabby either. Once we hit the motorway we left the classics behind and connected back to one another with the radios crackling with chatter of our mini owners on the same channel.

I saw the signs for Brighton and a smug grin came on to my face as it still didn’t dawn upon me that I am doing this event given the amount of times I haven’t thought about it or heard about it. Being a car enthusiasts ever since I could remember and as a child I carried around this booklet of cars and when I spotted them I would tick them off and rattle off specifications and technical details if anyone spoke about any car. I guess we don’t really change much…

We stopped at a service station to get everyone back together again given the traffic that ensued which gave us chance to admire the classics and new MINIs together. I don’t think there has been a time when we arrived to any car park without causing everyone to stop and stare.

There were some tasty classic all lined up at the service station.

We hit the road again and followed the signs to Brighton well I mean signs but it was more like follow in the mini ahead lol

It was the most amazing sight that I could see MINIs as far as the eye could see over the horizon

I love how someone who made the signs for L2B run has a sense of humour

I met a familiar face behind in Cooper S Roadster it was Ashley from the MINI Store that I visited last year during the Olympics.

We were finally there in Brighton and were heading down Madeira drive and it was like Moses has parted the sea with minis and MINIs all lined up the seafront.

We parked up and watched the continuous follow of classic and New MINIs drive by us. It was just pure car porn as we walked all the seafront of Brighton.

There was awesome stand of TV show themed minis

 We later hit the show and shine stand

I have always wondered with show and shine show that the majority of these cars are not driven which defeats the point of our a CAR its meant to be DRIVEN!!! Thank god that L2B says that you have to do the run and you’re not allowed to transport it there and that’s how it should be.

I am going shut up for a while and show you all the pictures from the event

Talking about photos one of SNM member is a keen photographer when I say keen photographer, I am probably under rating her alot as she is truly talented and absolute enjoy to be around. I am talking about the Samieeeeeee who has her own website and Facebook page of all her work.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MiniMadnesss

Website: http://www.minimadnesss.co.uk/

She is a proud owner of an R50 MINI One aka Stripes and classic mini aka Winnie P.

Can anyone guess what this mini is???

The 1962 Ogle SX1000 based on a Mini with the first cars were built by grafting glass fibre body to a customer supplied Mini. The conversion costed £550 plus the customer supplied base car. Later in 1962, complete cars became available with the 997 cc Cooper version costing £1176. Any of the Mini engines could be specified up to the Mini Cooper S unit which topped out at 110 mph (180 km/h). It is thought that 66 were made.

The day came to a close and it was an amazing time being apart of this historic event. I headed back to Birmingham with my JCW wearing the L2B plaque with a sense of pride. My JCW still wears that plaque but it sits on my back window so you can admire my derrière as I pass you ; )

This is dedicated to my best friend’s dad who passed away from Cancer on 02/09/13

RIP Mr Douglas

Next Blog Post: Beaulieu – National MINI Cooper Day

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The post London to Brighton Run 2013 appeared first on JCW Adventures.

Whilst they were out hooning on the rear wheel drive BMWs my half of the group was learning about how continental develops a tyre from the compound to the thread pattern and all the research and development that goes into the process.

I asked the question – What if I or tyre company copied your thread pattern would it perform the same or better?

Reply – Even if you copied the exact thread pattern, the compound of our tyres is very different and that’s where our extensive R&D developments goes into

I have always been a preacher about buying good tyres and brakes as these are the only things that keep you on the road. People forget that contact patch between you and the road is only the size of your palm. It was our time for some rear wheel drive shenanigans in the white BMW 1 series and they were fitted with cheap import tyres. I mounted my Go Pro 3 to the back window to showcase my driffftttoooo ability whilst on the wet handling track. I jumped into the driver’s seat unaccompanied and put the paddle shift gearbox and car into sport mode.

We followed a pace car upfront with radios on board which talked us through the lap and how to push the tyres to the limit to feel the difference. To be honest I was being a right yob with me hanging the back out on every corner for a continuous drift.

It was laughable how easy it was to induce over-steer all the time with the cheap import tyre being very loose in the wet handling track and gave no confidence what’s so ever when you pushed the car. When you reached the limit of grip you were met with snap on over-steer which is fun on track but deadly on public road.

All these characteristics are stupidly fun on a closed track which makes you wonder why doesn’t someone offer a track day like this?? Joking aside these handling threats of the tyre would deadly on the open road. Still grinning from ear to ear fun, I suction mounted the Go Pro to the grey BMW fitted with ContiPremium Contact 5s to see how Continental’s tyres could fare better even with the worsening wet track. Into the first corner the difference was evident with the BMW front end would not wash into under-steer and the rear end refused to swing out as I mashed the loud pedal middle corner.

I was being a right lunatic to get the BMW to over-steer as I had to go specifically out of my way to do it. The difference with the Conti tyre was it told you exactly before it let go whilst being controllable.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/wreXP1uB9WY]

It was a no contest between which tyre you would buy.

Tread carefully was the next station which was designed to show you how much a difference tread difference can make

We would drive 3 VW Golfs with different levels of thread – 8, 3 and 1.6 mm at different speed starting at 60 kph (37 mph) then 70 kph (43 mph) and finally 80 kph (50mph) to see the difference. My Group elected to learn the theory behind changing your tyres at 3 mm opposed towards the legal limit of 1.6 mm. 1.6mm is the legal limit for tread depth on tyres. But tests show that at this tread depth, tyres are only performing at 55% efficiency, meaning stopping distances are greatly increased in wet conditions.

We learnt about how the efficiency of the tyres decrease when the thread reduces and about the structure of the compound, side walls and thread pattern make a difference. With the theory dusted off we head towards the car to which there were two people per vehicle because it made easier to switch seats.

I was joined by the motoring journalist queen aka Geraldine Herbert the founder of wheelsforwomen.ie  who has written for newspapers, magazines and websites including the Sunday Independent. It was an honour having her on-board and we had some good discussions about the event and wider car industry. My driving skills had to be at their A game with her on board so no pressure at all. We entered the first car which had 3 mm thread and went around the oval track building our speed up to 60 kph and keeping it steady at that speed whilst we drove through about a 2 metre long patch of standing water. At 50 kph there was a slight slow down in the vehicle but nothing that really phased the tyre.

Next we built up 60 kph and felt the car slow as you noticed the tyre was trying to move the water but with a slight struggle. Once again we ramped up the speed and noticed the car twitched by it moving it to the right which was nothing uncontrollable. It sort of felt like torque steer with reduction of speed of about 5 kph. The Golf fitted with 8 mm tyres was up next so everything was going be fine due to the thread depth and it was true. The car never struggled with the standing water at the different speed and the only teeny tiny difference that was felt at 80 kph even then we were pointed straight ahead.

Next up where the 1.6mm tyres and me and Geraldine gave each other that look, were we we going slide into the barrier plus she elected me to do it first such a Lady. Sadly at this time we were being rushed as our allocated time at this station was coming to a close.

Therefore we dashed into the other Golf and began our first run at 60kph and as soon as we went through the stand water the car aquaplane. It felt like the car was being pushed sideways I was temporary stunned by how the car acted but my reflexes kicked in with me adding opposite lock to steer the car through the cones. We looked at each after it happened and we were like ‘WOW, are you OK?’ Then the radio crackled again saying we need to speed things up so we were moving up the speed to 80kph.

You should have seen my face, WHAT!! An extra 20kph (17mph) we are going hit the barrier at this speed or I am going spin it front of all these motoring journalists. Great I am gone tonight’s topic of laughter at the bar.

We went back around again and I held the speed steady at 80kph and in the corner of my eye I saw Geraldine clutch the door pull so I told her ‘I got this and you got your seat belt on right?’.

Around the bend we went on to the stand water and everything went into slow motion with the car being violently throw to the right like we had just been T Boned by another car.

My fingers buried into the contours of the steering wheel as reacted to the aquaplaning and I meet it with an equal force to correct the car to stop it under steering into the barrier. I caught the car and the grip returned the dry asphalt so I powered it out the cones in front of me. I looked over and said ‘I genuinely thought we were going hit that barrier as didn’t think the front tyres would regain grip’. We were in slight state of shock with the adrenaline still pumping for a while after that encounter. The message was clear from this test – change your tyres before or on 3mm thread is only left

We have been drilled in by the theory test and motoring laws saying 1.6 mm is legal limit. Therefore we have been miss education to change the tyres when its close to legal limit which is completely wrong thing to do. Next up is all the track time madness I have spoken and promised everyone by telling them to wait for Part 2.

We arrived at the next station called ‘Driving Performance For You’ where there was a line up of some tasty cars – 2 x Audi RS3, A Class AMG, BMW 335i, Porsche Panamera GTS and a Porsche GT3 RS.

I looked at these tasty motors and thought – ‘Oh yes time for some track action and they are not my tyres’. Someone had to come over to shuffle us into the white tent for the briefing about the performance tyres made by Continental. We were shown the Sport Contact 5s, Sports Contact 5P and Conti Force Conacts with the 5s being for a fast car/road tyre and the 5P being more of a lower profile track orientated tyre which can be used on daily driver but wont grip as much in the wet as the 5s given the thread pattern and compound.

The Force Contacts are a track bias tyre will with them being lower profile and the compound being suited to a dry track but they were still street legal if you wish to drive around on them a daily basis. It was ironic as this was the dry handling track but it was wet and still pouring down. So I wasn’t sure how to handle the cars on a wet track with ridiculous amounts horsepower on a track I didn’t know.

First up was the Audi RS3 and strangely Geraldine came with again after the ride in the Golf, I guess my recovery of the aquaplaning impressed her.

I mounted the Go Pro to the back window and enter the larger leather bucket Seats of the RS3 which were very comfortable. I fiddled with the seat and adjusted the autobox to sport and put the car into sport mode and eyed up the line the track and listened to the instructions coming from the walkie-talkie.

This was my 1st time in the RS model and everyone raves on about them but I honestly don’t like Audi’s at all! I actually loathe them with them all looking the same with them just being a longer and shorter of themselves with their boring driving feel and input. I wanted to keep objective so I set aside the my dislike and I hunkered down in the RS seats and gave the throttle a few blips to hear the exhaust note which was nice. Off we went following the lead car a black BMW 335i and mashed the gas pedal as soon as we left the lay-by area with the four-wheel drive hooking up and all 335 ponies from the forced induction 2.5 litre TFSI engine propelling us forward with a jot to push us back in our seats.

I went into the first bend all cautious as I wasn’t sure about the how the car would handle in the wet but I soon realised that you didn’t have to do anything but press the loud pedal as the car did everything and all that was left was for you point the thing in the right direction.

The Audi was quick with it reaching 140kph on the back straight but my god was it boring it drive with no feedback to the wheel at all. I could have driven it one hand and texted my mates to telling them what I was doing and take a few snaps whilst I was there. I left the AUDI unimpressed by its driving feel and here is my summary of the car – If you want a point to point fast car the RS3 is perfect, actually it should be THE getaway car of choice if you want to rob a bank. If your after driving involvement, road feel and laughs then don’t buy it, sure it fast but it’s so uninvolving I would rather go shopping for door mats. Into the much incapacitated A Class AMG which had nice subtle menacing look from the outside and was very tasty inside. SLS AMG air vents and carbon fibre look dashboard with some nice subtle red accents around the cabin. So far good, I looked to the console to turn everything on to get it to sport mode which took a little longer than I like but minor grumble given the performance on tap.

Now I would have another 4 wheel drive vehicle but with 2 litre four banger developing a laugh out loud 355 BHP. Again this would be my first time driving the hot version of normal Mercedes as I had only driven the C Class CDI C220 a while back.

I have always wanted to drive an AMG given how loony the division is with copious amount of power they extract from engines and the noise they make which sound like the heavens have opened up and THOR has arrived. Again I blipped the throttle to her what she sound like but it was slightly muted but I wasn’t sure about the reason given how new the car was but meh.

Off we went around the track again with me being directly behind the lead car so I could push on more as we would setting the pace of the other cars behind us. Straight way I felt the AMG feel more eager to rev and pull harder in the corner but I didn’t like the driving feedback but it was significantly better than the RS3.

I had a lot more fun the AMG with the feedback and it was more playful with it reaching 147kph on the straight way which made me wonder what it would be like in the dry.

I left the AMG impressed as this was their first proper attempt at hot hatch and I would definitely recommended one over the RS3 as its faster and roughly the same price – WIN WIN!! Next up was the blacked out BMW 335i which looked menacing as hell and me being brought up in BMW and owning a 323i for a while I looked forward to testing performance variant of the 3 series. Into the 335i I went with a big grin as I knew some sideways drift action would have happening with the rear wheel drive power.

It’s very dangerous coming out four-wheel drive vehicles as you got used to giving the car full throttle mid corner. This pre mindset was evident in the first corner where I pressed the loud pedal mid corner resulting in the back-end of the BMW going into 60 degree slide then finally me realise and catching the slide with opposite lock and powering out of the corner.

I looked over to Geraldine and said ‘Do not worry I will make sure we will stay on track as I know you have two kids but I will be pushing it hard’. I proceed to get use to the 335i making sure I was getting the most out of the turbocharged 3 litre in-line six developing 300bhp and 300lb ft of torque to tail happy rear wheels. It was quite tricky getting used it due to the conditions of the track and the seat time I would have.

This is what made it way more fun than the Merc or Audi as you the driver had to work learn the cars behaviour and find the levels of grip instead of the electronic nannies and clever four-wheel drive vectoring power behind the senses.

The BMW was the quickest on the back straight with an indicated 160kph but the brake pedal feel was worrying as the consecutive pounding was showing in my time around in the track. Minor grumble as this isn’t a fully fledged skunk works of the M division unlike the RS & AMG as I am sure the forthcoming M3 would have power slided to victory.

Time was now running short and I had to make a tough decision drive the Panamera GTS with Ferocious V8 putting out 430BHP or jump into the Porsche GT3 RS for some hot laps.

By the time I had decided to take the GTS some had nicked it from me so GT3 RS was awaiting me to dawn a racing helmet and to climb through the full roll cage to hunker down into the racing bucket seats. I gave the thumbs ups to the driver who actually worked for Continental on tyre development. Off we went and hell he could drive with his braking and feeding the power in and never letting the power being wasted even in the wet. Not once did miss a clipping point or apex and he drove the GT3 RS like the track was dry. The GT3 RS was fitted with Conti Force Contacts.

I was told later he is very fuss about driving as drove the track first early in the morning and adjusted his tyre pressures then went back out again. When it rained during the day he took it out again to find the better line in the wet and adjusted the pressures again. I got told by the guys that Mercedes C63 AMG would have been out today buy didn’t due to the rain as it would be too lairy, plus the other day one person decided to leave the track in one and go off-road. Typical I have always wanted to drive one as well.

The next experience was up next called ‘Chill Out’ but I didn’t think we would be literary chilling out as we were taken into the where the winter tyres were tested. It was freezing in the testing area and we were told now how a winter tyre were made.

The silica is key to grip in temperatures below 7 degrees due to the properties of it being a soft compound and the tyres have snipes/groves to increase traction on snow or ice. Continental had a novel way of showing you the difference between a normal tyre and winter tyre with slippers.

Yes slippers!!! They had made slippers out of a tyre which looked amazing when you flipped them over – 1 slipper was a normal tyre and the other made of a winter tyre We all rolled out to get our slippers on to the long sheet of ice and you felt straight away when you stepped on the ice with one leg sliding forward to rip your trouser and your other leg staying put like it was glued to the floor.

My left leg had a mind of its own on the ice and it was good thing I wore slightly baggy chinos at the time.

The day was coming to close at 5 and we were all called back to the press room where last parts of the brand experience would happen. We would sit down and listen about Continentals history and developments/partnerships through a presentations.

We learnt how Adidas approached Continental for their expertise to develop a outsole with a strong grip ideal for trail and outdoor sports shoes. The first range of trainers with Continental technology was the Adidas SuperNova Riot 3, featuring Continental’s Traction Compound Technology – which allows confident grip on all surfaces and conditions. Continental has strong brand relations within football industry with sponsoring the UEFA Euro 2012, FIFA World cups and Champions league.

Now most recently with St. George’s Park, the national football centre in Burton-upon-Trent. The new partnership will see Continental Tyres become an ‘Official Supporting Partner’ of St. George’s Park.

With a focus on preparation for driving performance, the Continental presence at the National Football Centre will include a 60-metre indoor ‘high performance’ running track, a goalkeeping ‘stopping zone’ and a bespoke ContiWarmUp area to enable all players to prepare before a game or training session. I have personally visted the grounds and I was genuinely astonished how gigantic they place. You have to drive down a short road network and then it all opens out to Hilton Hotel and the training grounds with 5 areas of parking. Continental has been a partner in excellence with Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands by supplying them with tyres for both on and off-road driving experiences. The Brooklands site offers an interactive world full of the passion, heritage, values and innovation of the Mercedes-Benz brand. These include a wet circle and a 10-acre off-road course, a high-speed handling circuit and acceleration and braking strips.

I missed the chance at going to an event there as I have friend who is driving instructor who works at the Brooklands site. He messages me every now and then with pictures of what he will be driving today!!! I got jealous when he said I have driven the Black series AMG C Class and we have the SLS AMG Black series coming soon to which I will be putting it through it paces! : O

The final presentation of the day was about all the compounds that go into a tyre and how some are natural, synthetics, oils, rubber and how various elements are added to give the tyre compound different properties.

A tyre is a complex high-tech product made up of up to 15 different compounds.  Each compound contains 20 ingredients and up to 30 different components. The tyre is not just made up of rubber compounds; engineers also employ reinforcing materials such as nylon, polyester, rayon and steel to perform varying functions depending on where they are used. For example, nylon and steel cords are used under the tread to restrict tyre distortion and minimise heat build-up in the tyre, whereas rayon or polyester is used in the plies to withstand the inflation pressure of the tyre.

The brand experience was over so we headed back into the coach and head back to the hotel to freshen up for all us to head back out to have dinner together. We went to a local restaurant in Hanover which was couple of kms away which was nice and where I spoke with other motoring journalist about the experience we had during the day and the other events they had been to. It was a pleasant way to end the antics over the 3 days. Thank you Continental for inviting me and I had good laugh on the experience and went away with in-depth knowledge about tyres and stories to tell for years to come. But don’t worry Germany I will be coming back soon….

Next Blog Post: Cooper S Roadster Review 

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The post Continental Brand Experience: The Contidrom Part 2 appeared first on JCW Adventures.

I had written to Continental on the off-chance I would be able to see their facilities and they obliged by inviting me down to their Brand Experience and they would be paying for everything with flights, hotel etc.

I received their email back within 24 hours saying I was going which was fantastic given I would turn 24 and then 2 weeks later be heading to Germany : D

One week before leaving I would make a small trip down to Northampton to meet another MINI Looney – Simone aka Work experience girl and her unique R50 Cooper ‘Mimi’

I had only seen her MINI on instagram and it has always been amazing to meet my followers who are now like family to me.

Why is her MINI so unique given its Orciari Bodykit which I had never heard of or seen in my life

It’s now sitting on Coilovers suspension with Porsche D90s rims going on very soon

I have been into the ‘Low N Slow’ or ‘Hella Flush’ look as it’s not performance orientated but after sitting in her ‘Mimi’ I was shocked how good it rode. Thats the day my coilover fund began for GP suspension/B14 Bilstein as I wouldn’t mind my JCW sitting 15mm lower for better handling and ride.

I made a bet with Monie that if she got a certain job I would allow her to drive my JCW. Guess what she got that job : /

I hand her the keys after she beat up me and she loved every second driving my JCW at some speed around an industrial estate.

Had such a laugh up in Northampton with her & Matt who made me feel so welcome and it felt like we are like old mates catching up

It still amazes how my MINI has introduced me to the most amazing people ever!!!

Before I headed out I dropped my JCW off to Midlands Car Care to be detailed whilst away as too many cheap hand car & dealer washes had dulled the shine on the metallic eclipse grey paint.

I had seen Russ’ work first had whilst visiting him before to get quotations and recommendations on the work i should i get down. When I was down the local Phantom Drophead Coupe was there and it seems like every Ford Focus RS ever made gets detailed there

My JCW would be getting a full paint correction, dent/chip removal and C Quartz protection. I looked forwarded to the results when I came back and forecast was good on the day I came back – Sunny 16 degrees which is classified as take your top off in the UK

I got dropped off by one of  Russ’ detailers in an Audi A3 which is sooo low we scrapped a few times on the drive back to my house.

I started on packaging everything and making sure everything was charged for trip as I wanted to capture all the moments and report back everything back to my readers. All done off I went to sleep

The day dawned and I had to catch this long tubey metal thing called a Train to London Heathrow. Wheeling my suitcase I took to MINI UNITED 2012 with my MINI Dog Tag on it I waited for the train to arrive so the journey could begin. It actually arrived on time and I settled into my seat and popped on my headphones to zone out House of Balloons by The Weeknd.

With the train stopping at Paddington station and then I jumped through the underground system to get to Heathrow connect line. I was hungry at this time and fancied some nom nom so off I head to search for a restaurant in London Heathrow – decided on this Italian cafe and ordered a tuna wrap with fries and some pepsi.

With checking time nearing I head back to check myself in and to see who I would be going with on the plane.

I met up with a few traders and motoring journalists in the departure lounge and introduced myself. There was a few from Ireland but this one guy called Sean was hilarious with him cracking jokes all the time and selling stuff as he seemed to know a guy for everything.

We boarded on the Airbus A320 and waved the UK goodbye for motoring testing shenanigans

A few hours later we landed in Germany and went through customs and collected our bags to be greeted by Mark aka Continental Man to usher us on to the coach to depart to our hotel.

Whilst on the coach it was interesting viewing look at Germany architecture with everything clearly being built to last with stone building and open green spaces around homes. Everywhere I look there were German vehicles with VW, Audis, BMW everywhere and odd Europe car. Their dealerships were MASSIVE I guess stock or choice isn’t a problem there.

Our coach pulled up Courtyard Marriott Maschese Hotel which would be home for our short stay in Germany. We collected our bags and we were guided to into the conference room to be briefed about our stay and given our keys to our rooms.

Once briefed it was time for some nom nom and I picked grilled salmon, steamed vegetables and slice of whole grain bread from the buffet and enjoyed the view whilst the sunset on the day in Hanover.

At this time I bumped into another one of my Instragram follower Martyn Collins who is actually a Motoring Journalist and owner of the original GP. We had some interesting conversations over dinner and all the events he had been to and then a whole load of MINI talk.

Later I retired to my room to dump my bags up in my room and put my cameras on charge for tomorrows Hooniganism. I head back to meet up with everyone at the open bar we had to talk and learn about motoring journalism. We had some great debates about the industry, how cars have changed over the ages and various press/launch events. Also for me to talk about my JCW and the shenanigans and events I get up to.

Whilst at our table and enjoying our drinks and laughing away, the lovely Lorna came up to me to ask if she could borrow my Infamous hat for some piccies. I obliged as I laughed but didn’t want to be in any pics given my hat hair. We talked for a while about what we would get up to in the morning on the Contidrom visit and she made it sound epic with the tasty motors we would driving.

It was prompt start in the morning with me heading down at 8:30 am for breakfast and then to collect my Continental lanyard with itinerary on back along with a press pack memory stick.

On to the coach to head Continental’s Test facilities called the Contidrom. We then taking into the briefing room to have some light breakfast snacks and juices. We were given overview of brands history and developments through their 140 years in business. We were spilt up in groups and I was in the Red group.

Immaculate VW Camper Van

Here are some Facts for you

Continental is more than just a tyre manufacturer

1.  Continental is one of the top 3 automotive suppliers in the world
2.  Continental is spilt into 5 divisions – Chassis & Safety, Interior, Power Train, Tyres and Contitech
3. Over 170,000 employees worldwide
4. 291 Locations in 46 Countries

We were bundled into blacked out VW Transporters to our first station which was ‘The Future in Motion’ I thought this would marketing spiel but then after a short ride I saw VW Passat CC, Porsche Panamera and Renault Fluence EV all lined up the grass with Toyota IQ sitting by the white tent.

There was no messing around and we headed into the normal look Passat with a vinyl saying ‘Simplify your drive’ but once inside the dash was a LCD screen with buttons on the right. The tech guy spoke about continental makes various vehicle parts ranging from dashboards to ECU calibrations.

The idea was to showcase how continentals systems could fundamentally changed the cars feel and drive ability. Hit the prancing horse for sport mode the ride instantly firmed up, the throttle and steering became sharp and it blipped down two gears. I was shocked as I drove as car felt completely different as the body roll reduced and I felt the road more plus it made some naughty noises on the up shifts and down shifts.

As you can guess the feather turned the car into wafting car with the suspension absorbing the bumps the DSG box finding the higher gear to make it silent in the cabin with the throttle and steering slacking but still responsive to inputs.

Last but not least was the Flower button which ECO mode which made it near on impossible to stamp on the gas pedal as felt like it pushing your leg back saying if you press down on me again I will set off the airbag in your face.

This time I was chauffeured like A BOSSSSSS in Panamera which was fitted with Continentals air suspension which could drop and raise the height of the car by 20mm at a stand still or on the move.  The difference was apparent from the back seat as we hit the oval track and when going over the varied road surface which included the lovely cobbled surface. Even its sport setting it wasn’t off-putting but you knew that it soaking the bumps well.

Next up was an education of the tyres & air pressures sensors on cars and most people don’t have clue what pressure their tyres should be and rarely check their pressures. Modern air pressures are lacking technology to be fair with them only ever telling you they are low when hit a certain threshold by then you wasted fuel and increased wear on a under-inflated tyre.

Continental developed at sensor which would inside the tyre which would rely information to an app or in-car systems to inform you of your tyre pressure and even send you a message if one tyre was loosing pressure. Another way of integrating it into the Toyota IQ would to have car flash or horn when the correct tyre pressure was reached when you fill your tyres with air. I would personally welcome this tech as I have come back to my MINI to find I had a slow puncture but having this system I could have been pre-warned about checking my tyre and even ask for mobile tyre fitter to come to my work to check or replace my tyre.

Now for a step into the Future with the Renault’s EV

A problem that has plagued all EVs is it range and finding a source to charge up. The idea of conti’s system was to increase the range of the car by shutting down systems within the vehicle on low power and the sat nav to take you charge or even the car to inform you inside or by a message the car is low on juice. The proposal wasn’t world change technology but a common sense approach of how to get driver home or safely to a charge without it dying out on you – As always the greatest ideas are simplest ideas.

Back into the transporters we went for the next stage called ‘Mixed Up’ where I would be in my element with MINIs on a wet handling pad.

I went to the right side of the door of the MINI to find no steering wheel, so I went to the other side of the MINI Cooper D. All 3 of the MINIs looked the same but when you saw the lower graphics down the side everything made sense -The idea was to showcase not mix tyres or makes.

Mixed Tyres – Continentals upfront and cheap imports on the back

The first MINI had Continentals with an Asian import tyre on the back. There was a radio inside the car and guy on the other end guiding you in what to do. It felt weird changing gear with my right hand but I wouldn’t need to change-up or down on the wet handling track. I built up my speed on the oval pad and the back-end slid out around 30 kph as I turned for some sideways Hoonage.

As much as I was giggling and holding the slide this would be dangerous on the public roads as they are not always smooth and there obstacles and traffic so the room to correct or recover from a slide is down to a bit of luck and driving ability.

The second MINI had the cheap imports upfront with contis on the back but this time the handling was the direct opposite with the massive under steer occurring with the only way to correct it was too slow right down to get it turn properly. It’s interesting to see how on these two tests how the continental tyre is doing its up most to keep you on the road while the import tyre is trying to kill anyway it can.

The last two MINI was fitted with either 4mm or 8mm continentals upfront and 8 or 4mm on the back. All I wanted to was it to get it lift off over steer and god how I tried but it refused me to even with a Scandinavian flick but the ESP kicked when I did that. The contis just gripped and gripped the harder I pushed with me literally falling on of the seat before I could reach the limits of grip.

After all this madness we went cold down in the white tent and they informed about the limits of grip and how continental develops it tyres – how the tread pattern and compounds make a difference. The clear advice from this test was not to buy cheap tyres and if you need to change only two tyres on your car make sure you put the new tyres on the back because in the event of you losing control of the vehicle you will be correct it more easily and your less likely to aquaplane.

If you compare 4mm continental tyre to 8mm import tyre on this test it clearly show how it still trying to keep you on the road while the import tyre is not even working when it’s at optimum thread. Therefore for the sake of £20-30 more per corner having better tyre is always best as it only thing that keeps you on the road.

Continentals crown jewel was up next, the award-winning AIBA (Automated Indoor Braking Analyser) which is the world’s first fully automated weather independent tyres testing facility. This was the only place where camera were not allowed given the technology in this room and we were the only people outside of continental who had ever been access to AIBA.

AIBA is housed in a hall which is 300 metres long and up to 30 metres wide. It allows fully automated unmanned testing all year around irrespective of weather with testing being able to done both in wet and dry road surfaces. The facility has the capacity to carry out 100,000 individual braking procedures on wet or dry interchangeable road surfaces at different temperatures hot or cold without human error for optimum precision.

I was astonished by how they could interchange the road surfaces at push of a button to a different road surfaces such as a poorly surfaced road or smooth autobahn service. If thought that was mind-blowing they accelerated the vehicles on high-tech roller coasters which can linearly accelerate anything from VW Golf to 3 tonne Truck from 0-100 Km/h (62mph) in 4 seconds.

I got a real insight into Continental during the first half of the day. This behind the scene look showed me how day in and day out continental tyres are doing everything to keep you on the road.

There is still more to come in the part 2 of my visit to the Contidrom and there is more things to come like High speed testing and shenanigans on track

Next Blog Post: Continental Brand Experience: The Contidrom Part 2

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