Saturday, October 13th, 2007
6:45 a.m. The sun starts to peak through the curtains in my bedroom. With great difficulty, I get out of bed, walk to the window and then I open the curtains. The light is blinding me. For a few seconds, all I can see is white. Gradually, my pupils start to adjust and, suddenly, I catch a glimpse of the little car that's parked in my space. It's blue, just like the sky on the horizon. There's a plate at the front and I manage to decipher what it says: "FUN MINI". Oh yeah! It's a Cooper -- and not the least: a Cooper S. "S" as in "SSSatisfaction guaranteed!"
My S had a meeting set at the ALT Hotel, in the hip district of "DIX30", in Brossard. All I know is that the Metropolitan MINI Dealers Association had invited us there (me and the car). Actually, I had to bring someone else with me and arrive before 8 a.m. As it turns out, I wind up in Brossard barely a few minutes prior to the deadline. The parking lot is full of MINIs of all sorts of colors. Wow! But wait, there's another pair coming in. At least, I'm not the last. I enter the hotel and the receptionist greets me with a smile. "Are you coming for the MINI event?," she asks. "That's exactly it!," I reply.
She tells me to take the elevator up to the 15th floor. As soon as I get out, I see tens of tables where over fifty people are gathered. I rush to the closest empty chair I can find. There's a sweet smell of coffee in the air. To my right, a middle-age lady is eating a croissant while describing her love affair with the MINI. It all began when she decided to rent a Cooper for a three-day weekend getaway. After the first day, she had already planned on selling her old car and buying her own MINI!
Alain Lauzière, MINI's Operations Manager for Eastern Canada, explains to us why we are here: to participate in the second annual MINI Rally. Our goal: to complete a 170-km course while searching for clues that would help us solve enigmas. The key is to be quick and alert at the same time, although this is not a mad race to the finish line. The organizers warned us that obeying the Highway Safety Code is fundamental.
Before making my way to the starting line, I take a few seconds to enjoy the view from up here. The landscape stretches as far as the eyes can see, but mine keep focusing on the 100+ MINIs down in the parking lot right before me.
The participants are given a logbook with every direction to follow. The course is divided into seven different sections. There's also a small envelope that can only be opened if you're lost. It contains road maps and various instructions and teams who use them are automatically disqualified.
The MINIs take off one after another and head toward the unknown. We have to follow the directions, give or take a tenth of a kilometer.
6:45 a.m. The sun starts to peak through the curtains in my bedroom. With great difficulty, I get out of bed, walk to the window and then I open the curtains. The light is blinding me. For a few seconds, all I can see is white. Gradually, my pupils start to adjust and, suddenly, I catch a glimpse of the little car that's parked in my space. It's blue, just like the sky on the horizon. There's a plate at the front and I manage to decipher what it says: "FUN MINI". Oh yeah! It's a Cooper -- and not the least: a Cooper S. "S" as in "SSSatisfaction guaranteed!"
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My S had a meeting set at the ALT Hotel, in the hip district of "DIX30", in Brossard. All I know is that the Metropolitan MINI Dealers Association had invited us there (me and the car). Actually, I had to bring someone else with me and arrive before 8 a.m. As it turns out, I wind up in Brossard barely a few minutes prior to the deadline. The parking lot is full of MINIs of all sorts of colors. Wow! But wait, there's another pair coming in. At least, I'm not the last. I enter the hotel and the receptionist greets me with a smile. "Are you coming for the MINI event?," she asks. "That's exactly it!," I reply.
She tells me to take the elevator up to the 15th floor. As soon as I get out, I see tens of tables where over fifty people are gathered. I rush to the closest empty chair I can find. There's a sweet smell of coffee in the air. To my right, a middle-age lady is eating a croissant while describing her love affair with the MINI. It all began when she decided to rent a Cooper for a three-day weekend getaway. After the first day, she had already planned on selling her old car and buying her own MINI!
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| Alain Lauzière |
Before making my way to the starting line, I take a few seconds to enjoy the view from up here. The landscape stretches as far as the eyes can see, but mine keep focusing on the 100+ MINIs down in the parking lot right before me.
The participants are given a logbook with every direction to follow. The course is divided into seven different sections. There's also a small envelope that can only be opened if you're lost. It contains road maps and various instructions and teams who use them are automatically disqualified.
The MINIs take off one after another and head toward the unknown. We have to follow the directions, give or take a tenth of a kilometer.