It’s a mini adventure!

Jan 15 2009 by David Simister, North Wales Weekly News

Mini motorist DAVID SIMISTER went along to a Mini car rally in Llandudno at the weekend.

I WAS really enjoying the race up the Great Orme, even if the Mini wasn’t!

At 679ft high this really isn’t the best place to take a tiny family car which enjoys its 50th anniversary this year, but it didn’t bother me or any of the 200 other enthusiasts gathering from around North Wales and North West England. For one biblically windy morning, Llandudno was starring in its very own version of The Italian Job.

Organised by the Wirral Mini Club and now in its tenth year, the Wirral to Llandudno Mini Run sees owners of the classic British car come together to celebrate their wheels, and this year’s event last Sunday saw over 200 fans gather in their machines for a fully-booked event.

“Even though I came to last year’s event and this is my first ever Mini, I’ve been really looking forward to this event,” said George Bull, a Mini owner from Penrhyn Bay.

The run, which starts from Bromborough on Merseyside, is usually a members-only affair which needs to be booked well in advance, but being the only Weekly News reporter to actually own a Mini meant I was allowed to gatecrash the party at the last minute and show my own car off!

Unfortunately my own Mini was shown up by some of the rarer gems and the follow-up show on Llandudno’s promenade. A whole host of standard and modified Minis, including a number of the sporty Coopers dating back as far as the 1960s, really were the stars of the show.

“They’re not the comfiest of cars and they do need a bit of care, but I wouldn’t have anything else,” said John Ashton, chairman of Wirral Mini Club.

“I’m really pleased with how many people have joined us to celebrate their Minis. There really is something special about them.”