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Mini Cooper Register – Minis to the Alps
Mid September was a fabulous time to visit the Alps. Forty Minis from the Mini Cooper Register gathered in Maidstone for their week long trip to the Alps. The welcome dinner saw crews meeting friends, old and new, before an early morning dash to Dover to catch the ferry to France. Ahead lay a 200 mile journey to their first night stop at Reims through the Champagne region. Special permission was given for the club to visit the old Reims race circuit, restored pits and grandstands before heading to their hotel. After a few running repairs by the attendant service crew, the next day the cars, set off at minute intervals heading for Mulhouse, where ahead, in beautiful sunshine lay another 200 mile route which took in the Vosges and a wonderful climb up and over the many hairpin bends of the Grand Ballon – so well suited to a well handling Mini. After a hearty group dinner, many crews adjourned to the bar to swap tales of their day, others for an early bed.
Again in beautiful sunshine, the crews headed off the next day to Aix-Les Bains and here the route began chasing famous roads used on the Monte Carlo Rally and the Alpine Rally. The scenery was breath taking as the route skirted the Swiss border and headed for more Cols to climb. The welcome bar at the hotel was well received. Day five, again in lovely weather saw the crews heading down to Gap for their next overnight stay. Here again, a wonderful route lay ahead, taking in some classic Monte and Alpine Cols to climb and descend with much demand on brakes! The wonderful Chamrousse loop, up to the ski resort and down again, was a delight to drive.
Breathtaking scenery.
The next day, after a wonderful meal at the Gap hotel and a good night's sleep, the route wound its way back, for a second night at Aix Les Bains. The route here followed even more Monte and Alpine passes, where the scenery was again superb and in clear skies, the snow-capped mountains made for a spectacular view. The Col du Granier is always a popular climb, and this year was no exception with a stop for pancakes at the top, before descending into Aix Les Baines. The final day had a slightly shorter route over to the superb finish hotel at Evian Les Baines which sits on the vast lake opposite Lausanne in Switzerland. The final day's run was again spectacular with the ski resort at Semoz offering great views, as did the route which skirted Annecy. The final climb of the week was over the Col du Corbier before the crews assembled at the finish hotel.
A welcome drinks reception convened before the dinner, speeches and prize giving. The overall winners of the observation questions on-route were a tie between two crews who shared the spoils and were Per de Blank with Simon Wheatcroft and Benjamin Huguet with Gilles Lengard. The winner of the ‘Spirt of the Event’ award, were Richard and Linda Sign. All too soon, after a good night's rest, the crews made their way back to Calais, most taking a leisurely two days to return home. A fabulous event, of over 1300 miles on superb roads, was universally well received. This report was from 2022 and plans are already underway for next year's run in 2026.
