What can transform a peaceful sylvan lawn in Gold Country into a carnival overnight? The annual Mini Mania Open House and Lawn Party of course! Those who were there got to see first hand all the eye candy, but for those who were not, the Mini's ranged from an electric Moke to a VTEC powered Classic, to Randy Steven's tricked out CVT to Robert Holt’s Purple Haze convertible to three full on Mini race cars: my sprint car, Jacques Andres' enduro car and Eric and Colin Herricks's rally car, and many in between.

My Mini has a new setup for this race. Speed parts from my sponsor Mini Mania have been added by my sponsor Bay Bridge Motors and USTCC sponsor Nitto has provided four brand new NT 01 tires. This will be my first official race with the US Touring Car Championship and I look forward to hitting the grid with more horsepower and quicker lap times.

The new MINI was launched in 2001, to much acclaim. Although bigger than the original Mini, what it lacked in rear legroom, it made up for in unusual styling and a vast array of personalisation elements, much loved by a local estate agent.

The MINI Clubman has the same raft of options but its main benefit is the extra length, which should make rear passengers happier.