Saturday saw a healthy number of campers enjoying the evening’s entertainment. A capable
bunch of hardy outdoor types managed to spark up the BBQs and put their tents up in record
times in between the downfalls. The ET Project provided a great sing-along opportunity with
their renditions of some of the best songs of the last couple of decades and the ’70s disco
kept the tunes coming until late.
 
Sunday came and so did the rain, but fortunately by 9 am it had stopped. Determined traders
and dedicated clubs, some who had travelled as far away as Holland, Belgium and France,
started to set up their stalls and move to their club stands-no mean feat in some cases!
By 9.00 am the gates opened, with Minis occupying all four turnstiles as they queued to
enter the show.
 
From then on the rain kept away. The quarter-mile strip ran all day with just an hour’s break
for lunch. The jet car ran its best times this season reaching 270-plus mph and wowing the
spectators on the bank, most of whom were new to Santa Pod and hadn’t seen the awesome
power of Fireforce 3 before. Directly above in the control tower Mini Mag publisher Helen
Richmond and Mini 7’s Nick Cooke felt the full force; grabbing for anything solid as they
experienced earthquake-like shudders as the car belched white diesel plumes and roared
below them.

» Click here for 2007 RWYB competition results

The rally stage was popular and watching the professionals in action spurred many to give it
ago in their own Minis. The go-karts gave another opportunity for inter-club bragging rights.
People not averse to driving with their ass 2 foot off the floor meant the quality and speed on
the track was highly impressive!
 
The concours this year has to be commended for the amount of effort put into the cars
entered, both over the year leading up to the show and on the day. How the entries managed
to get their cars so clean after driving through the mud to take their positions in the
competition is a mystery to me. It epitomises the can do, will do attitude of those involved.

» Click here for the 2007 Concours results
 
The variety of traders was great this year, meaning hundreds of people went home happy
having bagged a bargain.
 
Finally, as I drove home after the show the passion that you guys have for your Minis
became even more apparent to me. I spotted the Mini Addicts at 9 pm driving in convoy just
outside Bristol on the M4, with I guess another two hours driving time, in the pouring rain.
You made this very tired and still wet show manager smile!
 
So, all in all you Mini lot are a special breed, big personalities with small quirky cars, happy to
get involved and make the best of a testing situation and enjoy yourselves.
 
We thank you for all the effort you put into Mini In The Park 2007, and look forward
to seeing you again next year in the glorious August sunshine!…