Last weekend the wife and took our new (to us) 2006 Mini Cooper S (auto) to her first autocross ever at Myrtle Beach, SC (SC SCCA and Women at the Wheel).

VIDEO->
First impressions of a long trip in the Mini (5+ hours):

1. passenger seat moved forward and laid back = recliner level naps
2. I found myself accelerating heavily from traffic lights just to hear the supercharger whine :D (wife did not find this as amusing as me).
3. It is much more comfortable on a trip than my 02 Jetta or 04 M3!

We originally planned to attend the Women at the Wheel instructor event that Saturday and go to the beach on Sunday, but we found out that she was automatically registered for the AutoX the next day and decided to go ahead do that instead of beach (same as beach except for sand and the ocean right?)

I also registered to drive because why not

So we ended up doing both days at the AutoX and giving the Mini a real beat down! I am pleased to say she took it like a champ and awarded us both with podium finishes! I did use sport mode (wife did not) and the trans seemed to know what gear to be in, except for in the really slow turns (coming out would always take a second to shift down to first then accelerate out). Next time I will try using the paddle shifters to help with turn exit timing.

The trip back home seemed shorter (they always do for some reason right?) and again confirmed how comfortable the passenger seat is for naps.