Russ Swift pays a flying visit!

What a fantastic British Mini Day last Sunday at Uttoxeter and big thanks to the by British Mini Club for making it happen! 

The weather held up and all in all was a great show with great people!

Russ Swift also made a flying visit to the Mini Sport stand for a couple of parts just before his stunt action driving display.

We are already preparing for the next big show this weekend at Stanford Hall, see you all there :-)

This Weeks Special Offers

We have a great selection of mini parts on special offer at the moment.

Feel free to browse our Special Offer Section on the website for details of all the products on offer and the huge savings to be had!

Here is a brief list of some of the products you can find on offer;

• Genuine Mini Carpet mats - now £42.55 save £14.85
• Genuine Mini Mudflaps - now £26.11 save £13.47
• Inner Pot Joint - now £18.40 save £7.47
• Suspension Top Arms - now £37.95 save £19.55
• Alloy Door Handle Set - now £27.37 save £11.73

Plus many more.....

Visit the Mini Sport Special Offer Section for full product listings and savings

Where is Diddy Dave?

Where is Dave?

Well we don't exactly know either, we haven't heard from him for a while but we stumbled upon some pictures from a Montreal minis website, enjoy....

Original link www.mainlyminismontreal.com

Mini Sport at British Mini Day 6 Sep 09

Mini Sport are proud to be the Official Show Sponsors of the British Mini Day at Uttoxeter Racecourse on 6th September 2009.

Brought to you by the British Mini Club, an all new Experience of Mini Show.. British Mini Show at Uttoxeter Racecourse 6th September 2009. Just £7 per person on the day and under 12's get in for free.. Plus one free raffle ticket for the driver of every single Mini/MINI

The British Mini Clubs fanatastic new Mini Show at Uttoxeter Racecourse on September 6th is getting ever closer. With the finals of the Premier Class concours. An amazing raffle Mini, Trade stands, and Now Russ Swift!!! This is one show not to miss.

For full details see www.britishminiclub.co.uk 

Mini Cooper S 3.5" Steel Wheels

Genuine specification 3.5" Mini Cooper S Steel Wheels are now available from Mini Sport!

When the Mini Cooper S first came off the production line, they were fitted with 3.5J x 10" wheels as standard, the 4.5J x 10" wheels were a factory fitted option.

Mini Sport have now painstakingly reproduced the 3.5J x 10" to original specifications, perfecting the characteristics even down to the unique Old English White colour.
These wheels are NOT cheap copies, they are exact replicas of the original design and would be perfect for any restoration project.

The Cooper S 3.5" steel wheels are available in Silver or Old English White on the minisport website

• Silver - 3.5" Mini Cooper S Steel Wheel 
• Old English White - 3.5" Mini Cooper S Steel Wheel 

MINI Yokohama Track Day Tyres

Yokohama Advan A048 and Yokohama A006T Track Day and Competition Tyres are now available to buy on www.minisport.com/bmw-mini

We offer a good range of sizes for your BMW MINI and all available within a few days;

• 205/55 R16 - Yokohama Advan A048 Competition Tyre - Medium
• 205/55 R16 - Yokohama Advan A048 Competition Tyre - Medium Hard
• 215/45 R17 - Yokohama Advan A048 Competition Tyre
• 210/625 R17 - Yokohama Advan A006T Competition Tyre

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any specific requirements and we will do our best to help and advise.

Mini Sport relaunch BMW MINI website!

www.minisport.com/bmw-mini/

Mini Sport are proud to relaunch the complete range of BMW MINI parts and accessories on their all new website. With over 1200 new parts and accessories listed from Genuine MINI parts to performance aftermarket parts and servicing parts, they are all available to buy online and over the phone. All products have pictures and full descriptions making it even easier to buy online.

We have also introduced new ranges of products from a huge variety of manufacturers, to give you an idea;

• Team Dynamics Alloy Wheels for MINI
• Yokohama Performance Tyres
• K&N Performance Air Filters
• Genuine MINI Parts
• Mini Sport S/E Lighting
• Eibach Wheel Spacers, Lowering Springs and Anti Roll Bar Kits
• PlayMini Exhausts
• Superchips Tuning

We have also created a page giving you some background to MINI and what MINI R Numbers mean, making it easier to decode some of these specialist terms and phrases.

Happy browsing :-)

WOW - IMM/Mini 50 - what a weekend!

What a fantastic weekend we all had at the IMM/Mini 50!

With the downpours on Wednesday and Thursday it wasn't looking too promising for the weather, but it had a change of heart and by Friday morning was nice and sunny. Fortunately the weather held up all weekend and everybody enjoyed a fantastic show with fantastic people.

Mini Sport want to thank the Birmingham Mini Owners Club (especially Mike Price) for putting on such a great event and making sure everything that was supposed to happen actually happened. Also we want to thank everybody who attended the event because without you we wouldn't have an event!

We are currently working on a full photo album of the IMM/Mini 50 which will be uploaded soon for you all to see how good it was!

We are already looking forward to the IMM 2010 at Bavaria, Germany!

Diddy Dave Update from Coldfoot, Alaska

Sorry to you all on taking so long to get a report out were ever you are in the world..........its one hell of a big place out here and you have to drive at least a full day to make any sort of contact with people or property, let alone cellphone or e-mail, its been over two weeks since i had a signal for anything.

My last report was from Chicken just over the border into Alaska i stayed there an extra night as it was a RV/CAMPSITE and a good one that i liked, nothing there but a few people panning for gold and four wooden cowboy type buildings in a line that looks like DODGE CITY....l,a cafe type place 2,a small stores 3/4 saloons, with lots of gold mining equipment and one of the biggest old gold dredgers in the world(try and google it guys).

Next day i was back in the saddle and the big big push to to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay a long way up the trail and into the Arctic Circle again, its as high as you can go as you drop into the Arctic Ocean after that, i drove all day and passed Fairbanks (big base for US army....close to Russia) I would return there in about 8/9 days time.......today i had my first all day drive on a paved road it was to be my last for some time as i am about to hit the dirt again as i go true north for a while, my plan was to make it to Coldfoot an old work camp from the time they built the Alaskan pipe line (you follow big chucks of it as you travel)

Coldfoot is now a truck stop for truckers, mini drivers and idiots, named Coldfoot after a trapper went north to Deadhorse but returned before he got there. before i got to Coldfoot i will cross the Arctic Circle,but as i turn of the dirt road into the Arctic circle parking spot while not focusing i dropped into a huge pot hole and BANG the ball joint on the n/s front (old driver side) cone lets go....... so with a party of people around me i set about to empty the van and fit a new joint to the end of the ADJUSTA RIDES now set at there highest as my rubber suspension units are now weak and the tyres are about one and a half inches from the bodywork.....its not the hardest of jobs to do once you get the plastic cup out of the top arm, i take that arm of to do the job and replace it all back together and reset the ride height,all this can take up to three hours with all the repacking on the van......the crowd of onlookers had well gone by then....

All this made it late getting into Coldfoot but you cant relate time here as it is light 24hrs a day,the truck drivers are a great bunch of guys and always have time for me and talk, also this part of the journey is a UP and back DOWN trip so i get to meet or see them a couple of times.........i sleep till about 8ish and have a shower before 10bucks buys me a truckers big meal.....and all you can eat,so its close to 10.30 before i am on the road again and head for the Brookes Range of mountains and a climb of 2400ft seeing only the odd truck or motor cycle... and as i get close to the mountains on a clear day like today i can see there is a big white cloud that is hanging half way up the mountain with the top showing.......i turn my cam corder on as me and my trustee van start are half hour climb to the top, i record the climb up to and through the cloud and then my decent to the flat tundra the other side and the BIG change in the temperature.....this is ARCTIC weather without the snow.......

There is only a small window in the year when there is no snow....i know things are changing as the engine/carb are telling me things and i still have about 200km to go.....ye ...ha.. so onward and up we go, i have to get to the Arctic Ocean at all cost and we make it to Prudhoe Bay,thinking its about five only to find out its 9pm..... its that sun again fooling me.

So what about Prudhoe......well all you have here is oil men and what they need as they say(TO GET THE JOB DONE)its a BIG boys toys place and i was to spend some time here looking at as many things as they would let me......try first then ask, if i can.....the place is one big camp that has been trucked in by road...its like living on the moon, almost all of the time i camp but tonight i will stay in a HOTEL its not really a hotel they are PODS put together to form a hotel but it IS a hotel when you get inside.....so out of the wind and cold into reception......can i have a bed for the night not asking the price first....let me look SIR.....whoops this is going to cost i fear......yes sir we have.....that will be 170dollars SIR....there he goes again (DON'T CALL ME THAT)for that you get your evening meal,your breakfast and your take out meal in a big US style bag (let me tell you i did three trips to the food parcel shelve before leaving) yes sir all you can eat for that price......i'll take it.....so i headed to my room it had all you wanted other than something extra to keep you warm at night if you get my drift....i took a shower for an hour before going to the dinning room and a steak that filled one plate and another plate was for all the other stuff......followed by desert,the size of a shoe box and a chat with some of the workers that had seen my MR BEAN car.....its thumbs up wherever i go with the MINI.

I returned to my room and sent a few texts back home to tell friends i had made it to the Arctic ocean,sleep for me did not happen to quickly as its midnight plus and the sun is still shinning, and will be in the morning when i wake up.....i have to say as i was laying in my bed it was nice to get some texts back from friends......back home  it was about 8.00am in the UK.....just as i was about to drop off the phone rang (oil company has its own satellite up there to keep an eye on things down on the floor thus the phone signal that i have not had for weeks)it was TUGS a friend for many years(he is about 20 odd years younger than me and still growing up) HE...HE........got your text had to phone and say well done....thank you i said....don't stay on to long it will cost you....he is a great friend.........i sleep and take my breakfast before doing one more visit to the food counter and another meal to take out with me,all my clothes are clean and i take a last look round the arctic buildings and workshops before setting of south at about 1pm and the Brooks Mountains. 

With the drive across the Tundra,one thing i forgot to tell you they have a busy airport here as BP have two 747 and Chevron have one 747 plane flying in and out with Alaska Airways also bringing in people .........the motorbike and cycle guys only do a one-way drive on this road........so i get under way and am about half an hour south of Deadhorse and i pass two pushbike guys.....toot and wave only to drive 10miles more on the Dalton highway before i here a BANG from the front......yes another ball joint has gone,so i unpack and set about the repair only to have the cycle guys stop,say hello and wash there pushbikes in one of the many Tundra lakes.....we talk a little and they head out again, I finish the repair and repast them.....over the mountain i go and after a couple of hours the engine/carb return to near perfect....again it is late when i get back to Coldfoot and sleep for the night.

Next day i am still heading south to Fairbanks but it will be a few days before i get there......i an to break another cone joint today, on this road......it don't like me....its not going to get me.....i am for the real first time concerned as i have used both my two spare joints,but i check my spares list and have a spare ADJUSTA RIDE kit.....does it have joints in i ask my self.....yes it has......thank GOD....this was a rear one, this time..a lot easy to do,but i am getting good at it anyway.....cant wait to get of this road and when i do late at night i stop on the paved part and give my van a big hug and thank her.....

I drive for about one hour and stop for the next two days in a quarry i stopped at on my way up, just to relax and top up my suntan.....so two days latter i drive into Fairbanks and spend the next two hours power washing and cleaning the van as it had gone from RED/WHITE to brown........i was in need of an RV/CAMPSITE to shower,do laundry etc so the first i see i will stop at i tell my self,i leave Fairbanks which did not impress me,i drive south this is the road that will take me to Anchorage, i hit on a campsite three hours down the road,and as i turn in there is a sign that said BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL but that's on friday,sat and sunday but this monday so as i turn onto the site i see a LIONS sign and guys setting things up.....i offer to help and stay for 8days from start to finish (i had just a FAB time)made many friends and as i left this small town called Anderson a huge forest fire was only FIVE miles away from this very small town.........it has been so dry in Alaska this year fires are burning all over,so i say goodbye and head for Anchorage were at last i get a signal on my phone to text back to the UK.......i spend a few days there before heading towards Homer......and maybe Dutch Harbour........and the Deadly Catch guys......we will see........hope this LOG makes up for the lack of contact.......next big city is Vancouver and that's at least a month away........take care and start saving your money to travel across to CANADA AND ALASKA...........I'M COMING BACK.........Dave.

Diddy Dave in Chicken, Alaska

Saturday 18th july 4pm approx.....in a Alaska at a place called Chicken.

Just a short update, I left Inuvik on Thursday and started to head back down the Dempster Highway its about 900km to the T Junction at the bottom. I drove half way to Eagle Plains that day and the rest on Friday to mile 0 at Klondik junction.

A stopover on Friday night....... the plan if I have a plan was to stop in Dawson City for a few days as there is a music festival on the go. After spending half a day I decided to move on...... my reason.... well think of the old cowboy films and Dodge City... well it’s still a bit like that with a touch of the modern world...... so I drove out of town and hit that dust trail again this time i was going to check the border out and see if the Americarmoes would let me in ........ there would not be a problem, but till your in your not in, mind you I was going in on the dirt road and not the main south to north road....... 

I arrived at the border and filled in a form..... I even got them to stamp my scottish passport for me...... o they don't like photos taken.......nearly locked me up for that one..... I jumped in the van and hit the dirt again....... this road is called the the Highway in the Sky....... it sure is and at about 3pm local I decided to park my saddle at a small place called Chicken....... tell you what guys the beer is cheaper and more meaty than i've had to date.... 

ok friends time to sign of and to say thanks to one and all of you I have meet on my travels...you are part of the dream and I thank you......

will try and keep you all up to date.........Diddy Dave

Genuine Mini Mats now available!

Brand new genuine Mini floor mats are now available from Mini Sport!

These are available in black with the Mini wings logo on the right hand mat and come complete with mat fixings on the front right hand mat. They also come complete with an anti-slip backing.

These have been unavailable for many years and have only just become available again.

We have these in stock now, but hurry they will be popular!

They are available to buy later today on the Mini Sport website and will be introduced at an introductory price of £47.42 plus VAT (£54.53 inc VAT).

Genuine Rover Mini Floor Mats

Mini 50th T-Shirts now available!

Mini Sport are proud to launch their latest Mini 50th Anniversary T Shirts.

The white T shirts are available to ship now and are in stock, the black are due in the next few days.

There a 4 designs in total and all are strictly Limited Edition

They are priced at a very reasonable £9.99 (inc VAT) each and available in Mens/Ladies and a choice of sizes.

These will sell very quickly, so if you want yours, please buy now to avoid disappointment!

These are available on the Mini Sport website

Mini Sport design the Official IMM 2009 T Shirt

The Mini Sport Advertising Department are proud to have designed the Official IMM 2009 T-Shirt.

5000 t-shirts are being printed and given away free with every IMM ticket sold in the goodie bag given at sign in at the event.

I'm sure you will all agree, it is a fantastic design and one which we are very proud to have been involved in.

We are looking forward to seeing everybody wearing their T Shirt over the IMM weekend 7-9 August 2009, Birmingham UK.

Diddy Dave - Heading for the Arctic

Follow Diddy Dave's progress on Google Maps

Update on things after leaving Jasper and starting at mile zero of the Alaskan Highway that starts at Dawson Creek, the road is paved to Fort Nelson and onto Watson Lake on the way I camped at a place called liard hot springs and yes I tested the water there it was fantastic even with those damn mozzies about.

After a good sleep I headed for Watson Creek, this place I believe has the biggest collection of signs in the world I then set about driving along the Robert Campbell Highway this was the start of the gravel that I would be on for the next 10 days and all that dust again..... believe me it gets in everywhere.... my new sleeping bag is full of it and my clothes don't last long they to are black........

The weather is good to great most days and seeing I am talking to friends I know, I will let you all in to a little secret and as there are few people on the road I usually don't bother to wear any clothes any way as its to hot and the aircon is not working at this moment as the roof vent is blocked with bugs plus its cheaper to have a shower or jump in the lake.

Next stopover was in a place called Ross River I am now in the Yukon and would soon be on the Dempster Highway so i spent half a day sorting things out on the van.

The drive pods on the gear box do play a little bit on my mind but with some positive ways they will be fine, so it would seen that the araldite on one boot is working on one side the other with cling film seen to be doing its job but decided to repack that one and replace the cling film before refitting the full sump guard and checking all four corners.

Before heading for the start of the dempster and the 900kms drive to Inuvik (ice road truckers country) its a dead end when i get there so i have to come back down if all works out I hope to be in Dawson City for the weekend of the 18/19th for a music festival.

But before that I will cross into the Arctic on the 14th were i will celebrate my birthday in proper billy connelly style... the proof will be on the DVD.....

I then will be in another provence this it will be the Northwest Territory....... I am still 8 hours behind you all back home, but go back to 7hrs while in the n w t...... then it goes back to 8 when i get to Alaska......so guys i will sign of for now.

Just a final note....... cell phone does not exist here and will not for some time to come, my only chance is e-mail and that is also sometime a problem...... there is nothing up here but dust, Bison, Moose, Caribou, Lynx, Puma, black Bear, wild dogs and that's another story about them....

it's about 10pm on monday night as i sit in a small bar and steal their internet to let you all know that i am fine, I am so lucky to be here it is one hell of a place to be.... you cant describe it, you have to sample it...it blows you away...

that's it guys, Diddy

Follow Diddy Dave's progress on Google Maps

Glamis Transport Extravaganza Weekend

Wow! What a superb weekend!

Mini Sport would like to thank the event organisers and more importantly the huge turnout of Mini friends and supporters.

We hope you like the above picture which we feel sums up the weekend and we are already looking forward to next years event!

Mini Sport 2009 Catalogue - FREE DOWNLOAD

The latest and greatest edition of the Mini Sport Parts and Accessories Catalogue is now available to download on the Mini Sport website.

Or you can download the pdf catalogue here

The Mini Sport Catalogue can also be purchased online, but please note that the printed copy will be available from 7 August 2009.

The image quality has been reduced to get the pdf down from 43mb to a reasonable 15.2mb download size, so don't be put off if the images look a little low quality!

The price list to accompany the 2009 Catalogue will be available as a download either today or tomorrow.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we have had putting it together for you...

the Mini Sport Advertising Team

Mini Sport 2009 Catalogue Cover

The Mini Sport advertising department have only just finalised the latest 2009 Parts and Accessories Catalogue and are proud to show you all a sneak preview of the front cover.  

The catalogue is now in print and will be launched at the IMM/Mini 50 weekend on 7-9 August 2009.

For those of you who can't wait for the printed version, a compressed pdf download will be available later today on the Free Download area of the Mini Sport website

Diddy Daves Update

Tue 7th June 6pm

Keith and Deb are great mini fans.....Debs is nuts about them....she told me to say hello to Chris back at Mini Sport....she even gave me a free-phone no to ring to contact them should i need any help.....all this came about from Paul Malone in St Johns in Newfoundland to whom I am grateful.

So I am now back on the road and good to go.... and go it is. It took me four and a half days to get through Ontario doing six to seven hundred km a day to get into the next Provence of Manitoba then Saskatchewan. That only took two days in each an easy one before Alberta. All of these provences are flat as glass but as I got close to Calgary I could start to see the Rockies. 

I stopped off in Calgary at the stampede before heading south to almost the USA and to a place called Trail before turning north into the real Rockies and Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. I took time out to visit the Icefields in the National Park, while I was there I replaced a rear wheel bearing and headed north and to the Alaskan Highway...........

I have worked out that I have done approximately 19000km to date that is just a guess as the odometer failed at 13000..........is that a good omen i hope it is....

so folks that’s it for now......

Diddy Dave

Mini Sport at Glamis Castle, Scotland this weekend

The 35th Scottish Transport Extravaganza, Glamis, United Kingdom

11-12 July 2009

Proudly supported by Mini Sport

The Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Society's Scottish Transport Extravaganza is held in the spectacular landscaped grounds of Glamis Castle. Over 800 vintage cars and other vehicles are on display along with many more attractions.

Numerous stalls, a craft tent, marching pipe bands and a children's area make for an all-round family day out, especially for motor enthusiasts. The sales area is huge, with many toy dealers, art, craft, jumble and antiques stands.

Glamis Castle was the childhood home of the Queen Mother and parts of the building date back to the 11th century; Glamis Castle's Duncan's Hall is the legendary setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth.

The Scottish Vintage Vehicle Federation was established in November 1973 with the aims of publishing an events programme each year and maintaining a register of competitors. The architect of the SVVF was Tom Sked of Aberdeen and appropriately he was elected its first Chairman. 

www.svvc.co.uk

Mini Sport at Gaydon Mini Festival - 4-5 July

The annual weekend celebration of all things Mini in association with Mini Sport and MiniWorld Magazine takes place this year on the 4 & 5 July 2009.

Hundreds of Minis!
All Mini owners are very welcome to display their car, even if you aren't part of a club you can still participate. Simply purchase your admission in advance at a discounted rate (deadline for advance bookings is Monday 29 June 4pm), or turn up on the day. All Minis that arrive on the day will receive VIP parking at the show.

Win Win Win...
Any Mini on display at the show will automatically be considered for the Mini of the Year award which is being judged on the Saturday and prize awarded on the Sunday.

If you are feeling creative then why not enter the Dress up your Mini competition? All you need to do is turn your Mini into something weird and wonderful! To enter email
events@heritage-motor-centre.co.uk

The event will be jam packed with Mini activities, highlights include:

• Mini Owner Club displays - click here for booking form
• Music by Ross and the Wrongens & Krisis
• Mini trade village
• Dalek Invasion including Audience with a Dalek
• Mini World's Mini of the Year competition
• Dress up your Mini
• Russ Swift precision driving
• Limited Edition Heritage Run
• Sell your Mini corner
  
  ...........and much more!

For more details visit the Gaydon Mini website